EnergyOIG

We promote Government efficiency and effectiveness by providing independent oversight over @ENERGY. Our work leads to accountability, recovery of wasted funds, prosecutions, and improved programs. Send tips on fraud or mismanagement to ighotline@hq.doe.gov.

Our recent inspection found 36 of 42 vouchers for the Secretary of @ENERGY 's EV road trip (June 2023) exceeded per diem rates, because @ENERGY did not demonstrate sufficient knowledge of travel requirements and failed to adequately review travel vouchers. energy.gov/ig/articles/sp…

The DOE OIG helps strengthen national security. After we found @ENERGY’s Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities did not meet National Intelligence requirements, the agency acted on our recommendations to better secure highly classified information. energy.gov/ig/articles/do…

We questioned $17.6 million claimed by Savannah River Nuclear Solutions LLC for drawing personnel from contractor-affiliated sources rather than through competition, as required. @ENERGY agreed, but the actions taken do not address OIG’s concerns. energy.gov/ig/articles/do…

How costly is the environmental liability caused by radioactive waste? @ENERGY estimates $544.5 B, but our report on the 2024 independent audit of @ENERGY's financial statement concluded estimates may not be fully reliable and better controls are needed. energy.gov/ig/articles/fi…

Although @ENERGY asserts that there are no conflicts of interest among these outside experts, Energy cannot find what it isn’t looking for.

One of these experts could be working for both @ENERGY and a prospective borrower, but Energy does not have enough information to check.

To protect billions of dollars, our interim report urges @ENERGY to pause lending activities until it can ensure that conflicts of interest do not exist among the external entities it relies on to assist with loan application processing. Read more: energy.gov/ig/articles/in…

Improving Government means identifying opportunities for prompt action. That’s why we recommended @ENERGY continue to address funding and human capital needs to integrate AI into intelligence activities, while waiting for DNI to take governmentwide action. energy.gov/ig/articles/au…

BREAKING: A multi-agency investigation with @HSINashville & #HSI Louisville has led to a 4-count indictment charging a Chinese national with conspiracy, wire fraud, smuggling & violation of the Arms Export Control Act in a scheme to send defense-related tech data to China.

In response to @EnergyCommerce, Inspector General Teri L. Donaldson invites DOGE into the world of overseeing the over $324 billion in loans and loan guarantees now being fast tracked by the Department of Energy under the Inflation Reduction Act. energy.gov/ig/articles/oi…

Most of our recommendations are not easy to monetize, but they will improve Government effectiveness, such as the 23 recommendations we made this reporting period that, if @ENERGY implements them, will address cybersecurity weaknesses.

The Government can put such funds to better use. We identified a total of almost $400 million in monetary impact @ENERGY for the 6-month reporting period.

Our latest Semiannual Report to Congress highlights how we improve Government efficiency, such as when @ENERGY canceled a $100 million grant after we discovered that the grantee was under investigation for export control violations to a Chinese entity: energy.gov/ig/articles/se…

In FY 2024, we identified nearly $1 billion in potential savings and recoveries of taxpayer funds @ENERGY. Read more about our work that identifies efficiencies for more effective Government operations: energy.gov/sites/default/…

We also identified data analytics as a management challenge for the Department, emphasizing that well-managed data would allow @ENERGY to more effectively manage strategic risks and develop useful metrics to ensure better program outcomes: energy.gov/sites/default/…

We reported that @ENERGY should act now to invest in enterprise-wide data analytics to more efficiently identify and mitigate risks, such as those posed by external threats, complex interactions with the private sector, and new missions. Read more: energy.gov/sites/default/…

Other management challenges facing @ENERGY include strengthening cybersecurity, combating theft of national security information and intellectual property, accessing data to run data analytics, and taking a leadership role in artificial intelligence.

The #1 spot on our list of Management Challenges facing @ENERGY goes to the over $500 billion in risk arising from funds appropriated and loans authorized under IIJA, IRA, and the Puerto Rico Energy Resilience Fund. energy.gov/sites/default/…