OE Cover Letter

December 10, 2009
Re: Department of Energy Request for Emergency Approval of Information Collection
Requests
The Department of Energy (DOE) is applying for a blanket Emergency approval of an
Information Collection Request for five DOE program offices. The purpose of the ICRs is two
fold:
• Utilize information collected to effectively monitor, manage and evaluate projects within
these five program offices; and
• Ensure the Department meets public transparency and accountability standards.
DOE requests the emergency approval of these ICRs due to the timely nature of DOE’s
investments made under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act). The
Recovery Act appropriated $36.7 billion to DOE with the goal of stimulating the U.S. economy
and creating jobs in a timely fashion. These weighty goals elevate the importance of the
investments and demand a higher level of oversight and information.
This view has been reinforced by DOE’s Inspector General who identified several issues related
to the ability of Program Offices to track and manage projects. The information that would be
collected through these ICRs would provide program directors with the data and management
tools they need to avoid cost overruns and ensure DOE stimulus money is working to create U.S.
jobs. Another concern shared by the program offices is that quarterly reporting, while well suited
to research and development projects, is insufficient to address cost, schedule or other
performance issues in upholding Recovery Act and Secretary Chu’s requirements. This view is
not taken without regard for the burden it places on Recovery fund recipients. However, many
recipients, in keeping with sound business practices, already have their own monthly reporting
requirements and are already collecting much of the information requested in these ICRs.
The Recovery Act requires the DOE to place unprecedented emphasis on accountability and
transparency to ensure the American public that their dollars are being responsibly invested and
managed. Since DOE is taking a comprehensive view of its ability to meet the challenges of the
Recovery Act, we thought that a similar view would be of assistance to OMB. We have therefore
consolidated all of DOE’s requests for Information Collection Requests into one package. DOE
requests an Emergency approval for ICR for the following programs offices:
• Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy- All projects
• Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy- Select projects
• Fossil Energy- Select Projects
• Loan Programs Office – All projects
• Office of Electricity – All projects
The attached chart captures the revisions and additions requested by DOE program offices.
Sincerely,
Matt Rogers

Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Energy for Recovery Act Implementation
US Department of Energy

Table 1: Summary of DOE Submission of Emergency Information Collection Requests

Program
ARPA-E
EERE
(Weatherization; State
Energy Program; EECBG)
EERE
(Appliances, Biofuels,
Vehicles and Wind)
FE- Industrial Cabon
Capture Storage
LGPO
OE

OMB Control
Number

Revision to Existing
Information Request

New Collection
of Information

New
1910-5126 and 19105127 and new EECBG
submited Emergency
Dec 4, 2009

X

New

X

New
1910-5134
1910-5148

Survey

X

X
X
X

X

X