[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 245 (Thursday, December 22, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78666-78667]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-27901]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Notice of Request for Information (RFI) regarding Preparing 
Workers and Businesses To Deliver Energy Efficiency and Residential 
Building Electrification Measures

AGENCY: Office of State and Community Energy Programs, Department of 
Energy (DOE).

ACTION: Request for information (RFI).

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of State and 
Community Energy Programs (SCEP) invites public input for its Request 
for Information (RFI) number DE-FOA-0002885 regarding the solicitation 
process and structure of future DOE Funding Opportunity Announcements 
(FOA) to fund the Energy Auditor and Career Skills Training (EAT and 
CST) grant programs, in accordance with the Infrastructure Investment 
and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). 
This RFI also seeks public input on the State-Based Home Energy 
Efficiency Contractor Training program (Contractor Training Program), 
as set forth in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The information 
collected from this RFI will be used by DOE for planning purposes to 
develop one or multiple potential FOAs related to these programs.

DATES: Responses to the RFI must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. 
EDT on January 26, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Interested parties are to submit comments electronically to 
[email protected]. Responses must be provided as 
attachments to an email that includes ``Workforce RFI Response'' in the 
subject line. It is recommended that attachments with file sizes 
exceeding 25MB be compressed (i.e., zipped) to ensure message delivery. 
Responses must be provided as a Microsoft Word (.docx), text document, 
or PDF attachment to the email, and no more than 10 pages in length, 
12-point font, 1-inch margins. Only electronic responses will be 
accepted. The complete RFI is located at https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/. For ease of replying and to aid categorization of 
your responses, please copy and paste the RFI questions, including the 
question numbering, and use them as a template for your response. 
Respondents may answer as many or as few questions as they wish.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions may be addressed to Mary 
MacPherson, email at [email protected] or phone number 
202-586-5000. Further instruction can be found in the RFI document 
posted on https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On November 15, 2021, President Joseph R. 
Biden, Jr. signed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL),\1\ which 
appropriates more than $62 billion to DOE to ensure the clean energy 
future delivers true economic prosperity to the American people by:
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    \1\ Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Public Law 117-58 
(November 15, 2021).
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     Investing in American manufacturing and workers, including 
good-paying jobs that are subject to Davis-Bacon prevailing wage 
protections and provide the free and fair opportunity to join a union, 
effective workforce development to upskill incumbent and dislocated 
workers, and equitable workforce development pathways for good jobs for 
workers from underserved communities.
     Expanding access to energy efficiency and clean energy for 
families, communities, and businesses.
     Delivering reliable, clean, and affordable power to more 
Americans.
     Building the technologies of tomorrow through clean energy 
demonstrations.
    On August 16, 2022, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction 
Act (IRA).\2\ The energy and climate provisions of this bill include 
tax credits for clean energy technologies, almost $9 billion in 
residential energy efficiency rebates, $200 million for energy 
efficiency contractor training, and billions more for clean energy 
research and development, community investment, energy justice, and 
permitting processes. Sections 40503 and 40513 \3\ of the BIL 
established the EAT and CST programs, respectively. Section 50123 \4\ 
of the IRA established the Contractor Training Program.
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    \2\ Inflation Reduction Act, Public Law 117-169 (August 16, 
2022).
    \3\ Codified at 42 U.S.C. 18793 and 18802, respectively.
    \4\ Codified at 42 U.S.C. 18795b.
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    SCEP intends to use principles of equity and justice to guide BIL 
and IRA implementation, consistent with the Biden Administration's 
commitments to ensure that overburdened, underserved, and 
underrepresented individuals and communities have access to federal 
resources. The BIL and IRA implementation processes should advance 
equity for all, including people of color and others who have been 
historically underserved, marginalized, and adversely affected by 
persistent poverty and inequality. BIL and IRA implementation efforts 
for the EAT and CST support the goal that 40 percent of the overall 
benefits of certain federal investments flow to disadvantaged 
communities (the Justice40 Initiative).
    The implementation of the EAT, CST, and Contractor Training 
Programs aims to support the creation of good-paying jobs with the free 
and fair choice to join a union, the incorporation of strong labor 
standards, and high-road workforce development, especially sector-based 
training, Registered Apprenticeship, and quality pre-apprenticeship.
    Having a well-trained workforce is essential to improving the 
energy performance and quality of the nation's building stock, 
developing career pathways in the building trades and ensuring Federal 
funds can be deployed quickly and efficiently to meet our climate 
challenge and market demand. A study from the National Renewable Energy 
Laboratory (NREL) states the number of workers in renewable energy and 
energy efficiency will double by 2025 and triple by 2030.\5\ Workforce 
development and business owner training programs at the local, state, 
and federal levels can prepare students, workers, and businesses for 
opportunities in these crucial industries. For example, a number of 
cities, states, and utilities are delivering energy efficiency 
workforce development programs to increase the supply of qualified 
workers while also pursuing policies and programs to increase demand 
for the technologies and services these workers deliver.
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    \5\ NREL, State-Level Employment Projections for Four Clean 
Energy Technologies in 2025 and 2030.
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    DOE seeks to enhance and expand new and established, nonprofit-, 
state-, and locally driven efforts to scale a well-trained, diverse 
workforce. The agency will do so in part through three new workforce 
development programs: Contractor Training Program, EAT, and CST. DOE 
intends to use these three programs to support the development of a 
more equitable energy efficiency and residential buildings-focused 
electrification workforce. For example, the existing energy efficiency 
workforce is disproportionately male and has a lower concentration of 
Hispanic workers compared to the national,

[[Page 78667]]

economywide workforce, although it has a higher percentage of other 
non-White workers.
    The table below describes the purpose, funding levels, and eligible 
entities for the Contractor Training Program, EAT, and CST.

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            Program name              Authorizing statute      Funds available     Eligible recipient(s)                      Purpose
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Energy Auditor Training (EAT)......  BIL Sec. 40503.......  $40 million for the    States \6\...........  The Secretary ``shall establish a competitive
                                                             period of fiscal                              grant program'' to ``award grants to eligible
                                                             years 2022 through                            States to train individuals to conduct energy
                                                             2026.                                         audits or surveys of commercial and
                                                                                                           residential buildings.''
Career Skills Training (CST).......  BIL Sec. 40513.......  $10 million to remain  Nonprofit              The Secretary ``shall award grants to eligible
                                                             available until        partnerships \7\.      entities to pay the Federal share of
                                                             expended.                                     associated career skills training programs
                                                                                                           under which students concurrently receive
                                                                                                           classroom instruction and on-the-job training
                                                                                                           for the purpose of obtaining an industry-
                                                                                                           related certification to install energy
                                                                                                           efficient buildings technologies.''
State-Based Home Energy Efficiency   IRA Sec. 50123.......  $200 million to        States \8\...........  To develop and implement a State program to
 Contractor Training Program                                 remain available                              ``provide training and education to
 (Contractor Training Program).                              through September                             contractors involved in the installation of
                                                             30, 2031.                                     home energy efficiency and electrification
                                                                                                           improvements, including improvements eligible
                                                                                                           for rebates under a HOMES rebate program or a
                                                                                                           high-efficiency electric home rebate program,
                                                                                                           as part of an approved State energy
                                                                                                           conservation plan under the State Energy
                                                                                                           Program.''
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Purpose
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    \6\ Under section 40503(a)(2), an ``eligible State'' means a 
State that--``has a demonstrated need for assistance for training 
energy auditors; and [] meets any additional criteria determined 
necessary by the Secretary.'' 42 U.S.C. 18793(a)(2).
    \7\ Under section 40513(a), an ``eligible entity'' means a 
nonprofit partnership that ``(1) includes the equal participation of 
industry, including public or private employers, and labor 
organizations, including joint labor-management training programs; 
(2) may include workforce investment boards, community-based 
organizations, qualified service and conservation corps, educational 
institutions, small businesses, cooperatives, State and local 
veterans agencies, and veterans service organizations; and (3) 
demonstrates (A) experience in implementing and operating worker 
skills training and education programs; (B) the ability to identify 
and involve in training programs carried out under this section, 
target populations of individuals who would benefit from training 
and be actively involved in activities relating to energy efficiency 
and renewable energy industries; and (C) the ability to help 
individuals achieve economic self-sufficiency.'' 42 U.S.C. 18802(a).
    \8\ The term ``State'' means a State, the District of Columbia, 
and a United States Insular Area, which means American Samoa, the 
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, the Commonwealth 
of Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands. IRA sections 
50111 and 50211 (42 U.S.C. 17113b note and 43 U.S.C. 3006 note, 
respectively).
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    The purpose of this RFI is to solicit feedback from states and 
nonprofits, as well as partner stakeholders such as labor unions, 
employers and contractors, workforce development boards (WDBs), 
institutions of higher education including community colleges, 
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges 
and Universities (TCUs), Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), and 
other Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), energy efficiency training 
providers, researchers, community partners, manufacturers, community-
based organizations (CBOs), and others on issues related to the 
development and implementation of the Contractor Training Program, EAT, 
and CST. These programs focus on energy efficiency and/or residential 
buildings-focused electrification and do not cover renewable energy or 
transportation electrification workforce development programs. This is 
solely a request for information and not a Funding Opportunity 
Announcement. SCEP is not accepting applications through the release of 
this RFI. Specifically, DOE is interested in public input on questions 
across the following categories:

A. Respondent type
B. Workforce and business characteristics
C. Workforce development and business owner training strategies
D. Accessing federal funding
E. Equity and partnerships
F. Access to high quality jobs
G. Other

    Confidential Business Information: According to 10 CFR 1004.11, any 
person submitting information that he or she believes to be 
confidential and exempt by law from public disclosure should submit via 
email, postal mail, or hand delivery two well-marked copies: one copy 
of the document marked ``confidential'' including all the information 
believed to be confidential, and one copy of the document marked ``non-
confidential'' with the information believed to be confidential 
deleted. Submit these documents via email or on a CD, if feasible. DOE 
will make its own determination about the confidential status of the 
information and treat it according to its determination.

Signing Authority

    This document of the Department of Energy was signed on December 
16, 2022, by Dr. Henry McKoy, Director of the Office of State and 
Community Energy Programs, pursuant to delegated authority from the 
Secretary of Energy. That document with the original signature and date 
is maintained by DOE. For administrative purposes only, and in 
compliance with requirements of the Office of the Federal Register, the 
undersigned DOE Federal Register Liaison Officer has been authorized to 
sign and submit the document in electronic format for publication, as 
an official document of the Department of Energy. This administrative 
process in no way alters the legal effect of this document upon 
publication in the Federal Register.

    Signed in Washington, DC, on December 19, 2022.
Treena V. Garrett,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S. Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2022-27901 Filed 12-21-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P