Sponsors (2)
The bill increases transparency, predictability, and fairness in DOE cost‑sharing decisions for taxpayers and grantees, but at the cost of additional administrative and compliance burdens and some risk of disclosing sensitive partner information.
Taxpayers, oversight committees, and the public receive regular, documented information on DOE's use of cost‑sharing waivers, increasing transparency and enabling external oversight.
Grantees and project partners (state governments, utilities, researchers) gain greater predictability because DOE must document when it reduces or eliminates non‑Federal cost‑sharing.
Quarterly public reporting makes inconsistent or opaque uses of waiver authority more visible, deterring unfair or preferential treatment and promoting fairer allocation of federal support.
State governments, utilities, and DOE staff face an added compliance burden from quarterly reporting requirements that could slow award processing and program execution.
DOE will incur ongoing administrative costs (staff time and resources) to prepare and publish quarterly reports, diverting resources from program activities and raising costs for taxpayers.
Frequent public reporting risks revealing sensitive negotiation details or proprietary information of project partners unless redactions are carefully managed, potentially harming private-sector interests.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires DOE to submit and publish initial and quarterly reports on its use of authority to reduce or waive non‑Federal cost‑sharing for covered programs.
Requires the Department of Energy to produce and publish regular reports on its use of statutory authority to reduce or waive non‑Federal cost‑sharing requirements for covered programs. Reports must be delivered to specified House and Senate committees within 120 days of enactment and at least quarterly thereafter and must be made publicly available. The reports must cover the time period they address and be submitted to the House Committees on Science, Space, and Technology and Appropriations and the Senate Committees on Energy and Natural Resources and Appropriations. The law adds the reporting requirement as a new subsection to the existing statute governing DOE cost‑sharing authority.
Official title: To amend the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to require reporting relating to certain cost-share requirements, and for other purposes.
Introduced January 13, 2025 by Jay Obernolte · Last progress March 25, 2025