Inspector General Semiannual Report to Congress - October 1, 2008 - March 31, 2009

On behalf of the Department of Energy's Office of Inspector General, I am pleased to submit our Semiannual Report to Congress for the period ending March 31, 2009. The Report highlights key accomplishments of the Office of Inspector General, particularly pertaining to our efforts to ensure the economy, efficiency, and effectiveness of Department of Energy operations. Details pertaining to some of our most significant reviews and projects are presented in the Report. This reporting period has been quite eventful. On February 17, 2009, the President signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The stated intent of this new legislation is to strengthen the U.S. economy through the creation of new jobs, aiding State and local governments with budget shortfalls, cutting taxes for working families, and investing in the long-term health of the Nation's economic prosperity. The Recovery Act establishes the status of the Nation's energy supply as a prime focus. Specifically, the Department of Energy will receive approximately $40 billion for various energy, environmental, and science programs and initiatives. The passage of this legislation makes the coming months an exciting and transformative time for the Department of Energy and the Office of Inspector General. In recognition of the need for effective oversight to protect taxpayer interests, the Recovery Act includes the creation of the Recovery Act Accountability and Transparency Board and mandates specific actions by the Inspectors General. I will be a permanent member of this newly created Board, along with nine other Inspectors General whose agencies are significant recipients of Recovery Act funds. Since the passage of the legislation, my office has developed a strategy consistent with the objectives outlined in the Recovery Act. The overarching goal of the strategy is to ensure that the taxpayers interests relating to the performance and results of the Recovery Act are protected. During this reporting period, my office issued two reports pertaining to the Recovery Act. In our first report entitled, 'The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act at the Department of Energy', we identified 'lessons learned' based on prior work with the intention of providing the Department with a resource as it moves forward with its Recovery Act-related efforts. Secondly, we recently issued a report entitled, 'The Department of Energy's Acquisition Workforce and its Impact on Implementation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009', which describes the current status of the Department's acquisition workforce, positive actions that have already been taken, and the challenges that remain in light of the impact of the Recovery Act. Additionally, although not initiated as a Recovery Act report, shortly after the passage of the legislation, we issued a related report entitled, 'The Department of Energy's Loan Guarantee Program for Innovative Energy Technologies', in which we evaluated the Department's progress in establishing internal and operational controls over the program. Further, we have conducted nearly 40 fraud awareness briefings to nearly 2,000 Department and contractor officials. While such briefings are a routine part of our work, these particular briefings were specifically designed to heighten awareness of the vulnerabilities, risks, and potential fraud schemes related to the Recovery Act. The work of safeguarding public resources and the public trust is a collaborative effort that stretches across government, including agency management and the Congress. Much work has been done, but more remains and we look forward to the coming challenges