Chairs Rodgers, Duncan, and Johnson Insist on Transparency from the DOE and EPA for Massive IIJA Spending Package

Washington, D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Energy, Climate, and Grid Security Subcommittee Chair Jeff Duncan (R-SC), and Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Materials Subcommittee Chair Bill Johnson (R-OH) today sent letters to the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) calling on the administration to be completely transparent on its record-spending in the Infrastructure, Investment, and Jobs Act (IIJA), which is contributing to President Joe Biden’s energy and inflation crisis and making America more reliant on China. 

Excerpts and highlights from the letter to DOE: 

“We write regarding the Department of Energy’s (DOE) implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) enacted on November 15, 2021. Under the IIJA, DOE received more than $62 billion and was authorized to create 56 new programs.

“In the first year of implementation, DOE established programs to allocate $40 billion in funding opportunities and technical assistance over the next several years. While DOE has set up various IIJA programs, only a small portion of the total funding has been awarded to date. Therefore, it is important to conduct oversight of DOE’s implementation of the massive spending authorized by the IIJA. As DOE continues to issue funding announcements, our goal is to ensure that taxpayer funds are spent responsibly and to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse.” 

Examples of receipts the Members are asking DOE to provide include: 

·     The total amount of IIJA funding by program that has been announced by DOE. 

·     The total amount of outstanding IIJA funding under DOE programs, as well as an explanation of how the DOE plans to allocate the taxpayer dollars.  

·     The total amount of IIJA funding by program that has been awarded by DOE to individual recipients.  

·     A list of each award made by DOE with IIJA funding by program, including the name of each recipient and any participating sub-recipients, the amount of funding obligated, and the type of award.  

·     An explanation of the controls, monitoring, and other oversight in place for DOE to manage awards and prevent waste, fraud, and abuse. 

·     If any federal funds been obligated for projects that are supported directly or indirectly by the Chinese Communist Party. 

CLICK HERE to read the full letter to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and a list of programs billion-dollar programs under IIJA. 

Excerpts and highlights from the letter to the EPA: 

“We write regarding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) enacted on November 15, 2021. Under the IIJA, the EPA received $60 billion across more than 30 programs, the largest appropriation that the Agency has ever received. 

“In the first year of implementation, the EPA awarded $5.5 billion in grants, contracts, and interagency agreements. As the EPA looks to allocate the remaining $8.6 billion available for Fiscal Year (FY) 22 and the $11.2 billion available for FY 23, our goal is to ensure that taxpayer funds are spent responsibly and that effective measures are in place to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse.” 

Examples of receipts the Members are asking EPA to provide include:

·     The total amount of IIJA funding by program that has been announced by EPA.  

·     The total amount of outstanding IIJA funding under EPA programs, as well as an explanation of how the EPA plans to allocate the taxpayer dollars.  

·     The total amount of IIJA funding by program that has been awarded by EPA to individual recipients.   

·     A list of each award made by EPA with IIJA funding by program, including the name of each recipient and any participating sub-recipients, the amount of funding obligated, and the type of award.  

·     An explanation of the controls, monitoring, and other oversight in place for EPA to manage awards and prevent waste, fraud, and abuse.  

·     If any federal funds been obligated for projects that are supported directly or indirectly by the Chinese Communist Party. 

CLICK HERE to read the full letter to EPA Administrator Michael Regan. 

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Chairs Rodgers, Duncan Announce Hearing on Securing American Nuclear Energy Leadership

Washington, D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Energy, Climate, and Grid Security Subcommittee Chair Jeff Duncan (R-SC) today announced a hearing entitled “American Nuclear Energy Expansion: Powering a Clean and Secure Future.” 

Chairs Rodgers and Duncan released the following statement:

“Reclaiming American leadership in nuclear energy is a key ingredient for a clean and secure energy future. To achieve this, we need bold, forward-looking reforms that encourage innovation of new technologies and that update regulations—without sacrificing safety and security—to ensure deployment of these technologies and the continued operation of our nuclear fleet and nuclear industrial base. We want to be sure nuclear technologies can thrive here in the United States and that U.S. technology exports can drive energy security abroad. We look forward to holding this educational hearing to learn more about what this committee can do to unleash a new era of nuclear expansion, which will provide abundant, clean, and affordable nuclear energy for Americans.” 

Subcommittee on Energy, Climate, and Grid Security hearing titled “American Nuclear Energy Expansion: Powering a Clean and Secure Future” 

WHAT: Energy, Climate, and Grid Security Subcommittee hearing on securing American nuclear energy leadership. 

DATE: Tuesday, April 18, 2023

TIME: 2:00 PM ET

LOCATION: 2123 Rayburn House Office Building