Web site of the Month: DOE Recovery and Reinvestment

Bookmark the DOE’s Recovery and Reinvestment site to keep up with training and funding opportunities as they arise.

Ever since Feb. 17, when President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), news about programs related to the energy industry has been rolling out at a head-spinning pace. To keep track of the latest developments—especially training and funding opportunities for power providers—why not go right to the source: DOE's Recovery and Reinvestment Web site. 

Interactive features

The home page starts with an interactive list of the latest program news. Mousing over a number reveals the headline and a related picture, and clicking on the number takes you to the full press release.

Farther down the page, a bar graph shows how much of the funding for energy programs has been authorized, awarded and spent. The dollar amounts pop up when you roll the arrow over different-colored sections of the bars. Below the bar graph is a table that gives a breakdown of spending to date for specific projects in each category. Selecting the arrow to the left of the category opens a drop-down menu of projects.

The map of the United States at the bottom of the home page takes visitors to state pages. Here, you will find how much funding the state is receiving, along with news about programs in the state and, in some cases, a calendar for public meetings. There are also links to state energy offices, and energy-related agencies and resources.

Reports, announcements in one place

An easy way to track major announcements, actions and spending since the Recovery Act began is to visit Communications, Plans and Reports. A bi-weekly report of press releases, press events, video and other communications is available in Excel spreadsheets.

The Formula Block Grant Allocation reports will be of particular interest to Western customers. Also in Excel format, these reports show the allocations by state and town for the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants (EECBG).

Weekly financial activity reports, Inspector General reports and communications from interested parties are also posted on this page. Get notified whenever DOE posts the communications, block grant and financial activity reports by signing up for the RSS feed. 

Grants, incentives

Power providers and consumers both want to know what kind of financial help is available to them for investing in projects and improvements that will ultimately save energy and money. Funding Opportunities groups announcements by category: advanced research projects, electricity delivery and energy reliability, energy efficiency and renewable energy, fossil energy and science. Where available, reference numbers for searching Grants.gov follow each announcement, most of which are linked directly to a description page.

There is no option on the Funding Opportunities page for searching by eligible applicant type, and there is no RSS feed for updates. However, most announcements go through Grants.gov, which provides RSS feeds and newsletters to potential applicants. You do not need to register in the system to receive the updates, but registration is required to apply for any grant.

The tax breaks in the Recovery Act target consumers, but knowing what kind equipment, systems and improvements are eligible can help utilities with program planning. Also, a bill stuffer based on this page would no doubt be greatly appreciated by members or customers.

FAQs, resources

First-time visitors to Recovery and Reinvestment may want to go straight to Ask an Expert: DOE Recovery Act Clearinghouse. This resource center will answer many of the usual questions about funding opportunities, employment and training and transparency and accountability.

Under Popular Topics, you will find links to the DOE EECBG and Weatherization Assistance programs, and to more information on tax breaks for residential and business consumers. This page also lists links to DOE program offices' Recovery sites.

Most importantly, the Clearinghouse provides contact information so you can submit a question by e-mail or talk to a representative at the DOE. In these interesting times for utilities, there is nothing like having an expert contact in high places to keep you in the know.

Resources

DOE's Recovery and Reinvestment Web site

Communications, Plans and Reports

Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants

Funding Opportunities

Grants.gov

Grants.gov RSS and newsletter subscriptions

Resources (cont.)

Tax breaks

Ask an Expert: DOE Recovery Act Clearinghouse

Popular Topics

DOE Weatherization Assistance Program

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