[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 226 (Monday, November 27, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 82872-82876]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-25983]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records

AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of a new system of records.

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SUMMARY: As required by the Privacy Act of 1974 and the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) Circulars A-108 and A-130, the Department 
of Energy (DOE or the Department) is publishing notice of a new Privacy 
Act System of Records. DOE proposes to establish System of Records DOE-
78 Data Analytics Program Records. The Office of the Inspector General 
(OIG) proposes to establish this System of Records to undertake such 
analytics inquiries necessary to support OIG efforts to effectuate 
audits, inspections, evaluations, and investigations relating to 
Departmental programs and operations and to accommodate the 
requirements of the Digital

[[Page 82873]]

Accountability and Transparency Act of 2014 (DATA Act).

DATES: This new SORN will become applicable 30 days after the 
publication of the Final Rule associated with the ``Exemptions 
Promulgated for the System'' detailed below.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to the DOE Desk Officer, 
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and 
Budget, New Executive Office Building, Room 10102, 735 17th Street NW, 
Washington, DC 20503 and to Ken Hunt, Chief Privacy Officer, U.S. 
Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue SW, Rm. 8H-085, 
Washington, DC 20585 or by facsimile at 202-586-8151 or by email at 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ken Hunt, Chief Privacy Officer, U.S. 
Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue SW, Rm. 8H-085, 
Washington, DC 20585 or by facsimile at 202-586-8151 or by email at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the Inspector General Act of 1978, 
Inspectors General, including the DOE Inspector General, are 
responsible for determining, conducting, supervising, and coordinating 
audits, inspections, evaluations, and investigations relating to 
programs and operations of the Federal agency for which their office is 
established to recognize and mitigate fraud, waste, and abuse. OIG is 
already utilizing existing systems of records which will remain in 
effect. This System of Records supports OIG's performance of its 
statutory responsibility through a data analytics program to conduct 
such activities necessary to: (1) assess risk to Departmental programs 
and operations; (2) determine, conduct, supervise, and coordinate 
audits, inspections, evaluations, and investigations relating to 
Departmental programs and operations; (3) promote economic efficiency 
and effective administration of programs; (4) prevent and detect fraud, 
waste and abuse in Departmental programs and operations; and (5) to 
accommodate the requirements of the DATA Act, Public Law 113-101, 31 31 
U.S.C. 6101 note, 128 Stat. 1146.
    Such activities may include, but are not limited to, analyzing (1) 
financial, operational, and performance information for fraud, 
inconsistencies, or unauthorized expenses; (2) contractor, 
subcontractor, grantee, subgrantee, and other awardees' corporate 
relationships, operations, and legal assertions as well as compliance 
with laws, rules, regulations, and best practices; (3) individual 
compliance with laws, rules, regulations, legal guidance, and 
Departmental orders; (4) program and operational adherence to laws, 
rules, regulations, and best practices; and (5) Departmental risks.
    The data analytics program will provide OIG with timely insights 
from the data: (1) developed and maintained by OIG, General 
Accountability Office, and other DOE-related oversight organizations; 
(2) stored in DOE databases that OIG has legal authorization to access 
and maintain; (3) held by DOE contractors, subcontractors, grantees, 
and subgrantees that OIG has legal and Departmental authority to obtain 
and maintain; (4) collected by the Offices of Inspectors General of 
other Federal Departments and Agencies; and (5) publicly available data 
and data purchased from commercial vendors related to Departmental 
programs and operations. Commercial data supplements other data and is 
not a primary data source.
    Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552a(b)(12), records maintained in this System 
of Records may be disclosed to a consumer reporting agency without the 
prior written consent of the individual to whom the record pertains. 
Such disclosure will only be made in accordance with 31 U.S.C. 3711(e). 
In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552a(r), the Department has provided a 
report to OMB and Congress on this new System of Records.
    Definitions: Any reference to the ``Department'' or ``DOE'' 
includes Departmental elements, the National Nuclear Security 
Administration, Energy Information Administration, Power Marketing 
Administrations, and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Any 
reference to ``contractor(s)'' in this System of Records Notice (SORN) 
includes management and operating (M&O) contractors, prime contractors, 
and any business entity with a direct contractual relationship with the 
Department. Any reference to ``subcontractor(s)'' in this SORN includes 
any business entity with an indirect contractual relationship with the 
Department as well as any business entity with a contractual 
relationship with the Department's contractors. Any general reference 
to ``employee(s)'' in this SORN includes, but is not limited to, 
federal employees, contractor employees, subcontractor employees, 
grantee employees, subgrantee employees, and any other individual, paid 
or unpaid, who provides goods or services to the Department or its 
contractors (e.g., interns).

SYSTEM NAME AND NUMBER:
    DOE-78 Data Analytics Program Records.

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION:
    Unclassified and classified.

SYSTEM LOCATION:
    This System of Records will primarily be held in a Federal Risk and 
Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP)-approved Government Cloud. 
Access to these electronic records includes any locations that the 
Department's OIG operates or that support OIG operations, including but 
not limited to, OIG Headquarters in the Forrestal Building (1000 
Independence Ave. SW, Washington, DC 20585). Some or all system 
information may also be duplicated at other locations where the 
Department has granted direct access to support OIG operations, system 
backup, emergency preparedness, or continuity of operations. To 
determine the location of particular records, contact the system 
manager, whose contact information is listed in the System Managers 
section.

SYSTEM MANAGER(S):
    Assistant Inspector General for Cybersecurity Assessments and Data 
Analytics, Kshemendra Paul, Office of the Inspector General, Department 
of Energy, 1000 Independence Ave. SW, Rm. 5B-250, Washington, DC 20585.

AUTHORITY FOR MAINTENANCE OF THE SYSTEM:
    42 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.; 50 U.S.C. 2401 et seq.; Inspector General 
Act of 1978, as amended, 5 U.S.C. 401-424, Public Law 95-452; DATA Act, 
Public Law 113-101, 31 U.S.C. 6101 note, 128 Stat. 1146; 31 U.S.C. 3521 
et seq.; Inspector General Empowerment Act of 2016, Public Law 114-317, 
130 Stat. 1595.

PURPOSE(S) OF THE SYSTEM:
    The system will aggregate, store, and use data OIG has the legal 
authority to collect and maintain to perform statistical analytics, 
data science, link analysis, and other mathematical techniques. The 
primary goal of this work is to identify anomalies that may indicate 
systemic or specific risks as well as fraudulent, abusive, wasteful, 
unlawful, or unethical activity in DOE programs and operations. The 
analysis may support other parts of OIG by helping to identify specific 
areas for OIG attention or the development of risk indicators. Other 
parts of OIG may use the analytic output of the system to determine 
predication or indication for audits, inspections, evaluations, and 
investigations, including joint refinement of preliminary analysis, 
under their specific authorities.

[[Page 82874]]

CATEGORIES OF INDIVIDUALS COVERED BY THE SYSTEM:
    The categories of individuals covered by the system include current 
and former: DOE employees; DOE contractor, subcontractor, or consultant 
employees; persons suspected of violating DOE regulations, policies, or 
laws; recipients of DOE grants, awards, or funds, whether direct or 
indirect; parties to DOE cooperative agreements; non-appropriated 
funded employees; and interns of DOE.

CATEGORIES OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM:
    In connection with OIG's broad oversight responsibilities to 
recognize and mitigate fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement in the 
programs and operations of the Department, this system may retain any 
or all the categories of records available in current and prior, 
previously approved DOE SORNs, such as those available at 74 FR 994 
(January 9, 2009).
    In connection with OIG's broad oversight responsibilities of the 
programs and operations of the Department to recognize and mitigate 
fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement, examples of data the system may 
contain, link, or access include the following types of data:
     Any unique identifiers for Department employees and 
applicants for employment with the Department (e.g., DOE OneID, 
employee number, and any other government identifier);
     Any personally identifiable information (PII) or 
combination of PII that can be used to identify a specific individual 
(e.g., name, date of birth, Social Security numbers, corporate-issued 
identifier such as a frequent flyer number);
     Department charge card data (e.g., travel, purchase, fleet 
and integrated card transactions);
     Records of purchases of goods and services by the 
Department, contractors, subcontractors, grantees, and subgrantees;
     Federal, contractor, and subcontractor contracting actions 
and every modification thereof;
     Single audit results;
     Lists of Departmental contractors, subcontractors, 
grantees, and subgrantees; their ownership, officers and directors, 
auditors, and significant vendors;
     Lists of Departmental contractor, subcontractor, grantee, 
and subgrantee employees; their work unit, compensation, and 
timekeeping records;
     Financial awardees (grants and contracts) related to 
scientific research, indirect programs, etc.;
     Any bidding information related to procurement or any type 
of financial assistance, including grants and cooperative agreements;
     Any attempt to form a monetary or non-monetary (e.g., 
intellectual property) relationship with the Department;
     Lists of IP addresses maintained by the Department and 
contractors that support Departmental activities (e.g., online 
transactions);
     Lists of system identifiers/location information assigned 
to Departmental network;
     Travel records (e.g., Department travel records and 
General Services Administration travel records);
     Timekeeping, project charge codes, and payroll information 
(including banking data); or
     Records, reports, and files from other parts of the 
Department, its contractors, subcontractors, and other Federal 
Agencies.

RECORD SOURCE CATEGORIES:
    The records within this System of Records are sourced from the 
following: the subjects of audits, inspections, evaluations, and 
investigations; individuals with whom the subjects of investigations 
are associated; current and former Departmental officers and employees; 
Federal, State, local, foreign, tribal, and territorial agencies; other 
Offices of Inspectors General; other Federal databases; private 
citizens; witnesses; informants; public source materials; contractors, 
subcontractors, grantees, and subgrantees; financial institutions 
including those managing Department credit card and payroll 
information; and the system managers, or individuals acting on a system 
manager's behalf, for the DOE systems of records OIG has legal 
authorization to collect and maintain as part of its responsibility to 
conduct, supervise, and coordinate audits, inspections, evaluations, 
and investigations of Department programs and operations to recognize 
and mitigate fraud, waste, and abuse.
    Public source materials (open data) can include information derived 
from websites, maps, and other similar information. Open data may be 
used on an ad hoc, predicated basis to support situations when there is 
a specific need. The collection of information from open data sources 
will be managed in accordance with the legal and regulatory framework 
protecting the civil rights and civil liberties of individuals.

ROUTINE USES OF RECORDS MAINTAINED IN THE SYSTEM, INCLUDING CATEGORIES 
OF USERS AND PURPOSES OF SUCH USES:
    In addition to those disclosures generally permitted under 5 U.S.C. 
552a(b) of the Privacy Act, all or a portion of the records or 
information contained in this system may be disclosed to authorized 
entities, as is determined to be relevant and necessary, outside of DOE 
as a routine use pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552a(b)(3) as follows:
    1. A record from the system may be disclosed as a routine use to 
the appropriate local, tribal, state, or federal agency when records, 
alone or in conjunction with other information, indicate a violation or 
potential violation of law whether civil, criminal, or regulatory in 
nature, and whether arising by general statute or particular program 
pursuant thereto.
    2. A record from this system may be disclosed as a routine use for 
the purpose of an investigation, settlement of claims, or the 
preparation and conduct of litigation to (1) persons representing the 
Department in the investigation, settlement or litigation, and to 
individuals assisting in such representation; (2) others involved in 
the investigation, settlement, and litigation, and their 
representatives and individuals assisting those representatives; (3) 
witnesses, potential witnesses, or their representatives and 
assistants; and (4) any other persons who possess information 
pertaining to the matter when it is relevant and necessary to obtain 
information or testimony relevant to the matter.
    3. A record from this system may be disclosed as a routine use in 
court or administrative proceedings to the tribunals, counsel, other 
parties, witnesses, and the public (in publicly available pleadings, 
filings or discussion in open court) when such disclosure: (1) is 
relevant to, and necessary for, the proceeding; (2) is compatible with 
the purpose for which the Department collected the records; and (3) the 
proceedings involve:
    a. The Department, its predecessor agencies, current or former 
contractor of the Department, or other United States Government 
agencies and their components, or
    b. A current or former employee of the Department and its 
predecessor agencies, current or former contractors of the Department, 
or other United States Government agencies and their components, who is 
acting in an official capacity or in any individual capacity where the 
Department or other United States Government agency has agreed to 
represent the employee.
    4. A record from the system may be disclosed as a routine use to 
DOE contractors, subcontractors, grantees, and subgrantees in 
performance of their contracts, and their officers and

[[Page 82875]]

employees who have a need for the record in the performance of their 
duties. Those provided information under this routine use are subject 
to the same limitations applicable to Department officers and employees 
under the Privacy Act.
    5. A record from this system of records may be disclosed as a 
routine use to a Federal, state, tribal, or local agency to facilitate 
the requesting agency's decision concerning the hiring or retention of 
an employee, the issuance of a security clearance, the reporting of an 
investigation of an employee, the letting of a contract, or the 
issuance of a license, grant, or other benefit, to the extent that the 
information is relevant and necessary to the requesting agency's 
decision on the matter. The Department must deem such disclosure to be 
compatible with the purpose for which the Department collected the 
information.
    6. A record from this system may be disclosed as a routine use to a 
member of Congress submitting a request involving a constituent when 
the constituent has requested assistance from the member concerning the 
subject matter of the record. The member of Congress must provide a 
copy of the constituent's signed request for assistance.
    7. A record from this system may be disclosed as a routine use to 
appropriate agencies, entities, and persons when (1) the Department 
suspects or has confirmed that there has been a breach of the System of 
Records; (2) the Department has determined that as a result of the 
suspected or confirmed breach there is a risk of harm to individuals, 
DOE (including its information systems, programs, and operations), the 
Federal Government, or national security; and (3) the disclosure made 
to such agencies, entities, and persons is reasonably necessary to 
assist in connection with the Department's efforts to respond to the 
suspected or confirmed breach or to prevent, minimize, or remedy such 
harm.
    8. A record from this system may be disclosed as a routine use to 
another Federal agency or Federal entity, when the Department 
determines that information from this System of Records is reasonably 
necessary to assist the recipient agency or entity in (1) responding to 
a suspected or confirmed breach or (2) preventing, minimizing, or 
remedying the risk of harm to individuals, the recipient agency or 
entity (including its information systems, programs, and operations), 
the Federal Government, or national security, resulting from a 
suspected or confirmed breach.
    9. A record from this system may be disclosed as a routine use to 
another federal, state, local, foreign, territorial, or tribal unit of 
government, including an Office of Inspector General, Congressional 
oversight committees/subcommittees, and Government Accountability 
Office, for the purposes of identifying fraud, waste, abuse, or 
improper payments related to federal programs, employees, contractors, 
subcontractors, grantees, subgrantees, or other beneficiaries of 
federal funds.
    10. A record from this system may be disclosed as a routine use to 
complainants or victims to the extent necessary to provide such persons 
with information and explanations concerning the progress or results of 
the investigations or cases arising from the matters of which they 
complained or of which they were a victim.
    11. A record from this system may be disclosed as a routine use to 
any person or entity that OIG has reason to believe possesses 
information regarding a matter within the jurisdiction of OIG, to the 
extent deemed to be necessary by OIG in order to elicit such 
information or cooperation from the recipient for use in the 
performance of an authorized activity.

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR STORAGE OF RECORDS:
    Records are stored in an electronic form in a framework of computer 
systems that allows distributed processing of data sets in a cloud 
infrastructure. Records are stored securely in accordance with 
applicable executive orders, statutes, and agency implementing 
recommendations. Any electronic records that are stored on hard disks, 
removable storage devices, or other physical media are similarly stored 
securely in accordance with applicable executive orders, statutes, and 
agency implementing recommendations. Records may be stored as paper 
records and maintained in locked cabinets.

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR RETRIEVAL OF RECORDS:
    Records in this system of records can be retrieved by name or other 
identifiers, including but not limited to: a surname; Social Security 
number; Taxpayer Identification Number, including Employer 
Identification Number; email address; physical address; telephone 
number; bank account numbers; data elements from government-issued 
identification, such as driver's license or photo identification 
number; OIG-assigned case numbers; Alien Registration Number; assigned 
DOE charge card information; DOE unique identifier; any other DOE-
assigned numbers; geo-code location (e.g., physical addresses converted 
into geographic coordinates on a map); internet Protocol (IP) address; 
organizational name; employee payroll identifier; General Services 
Administration (GSA) Unique Entity Identifier; Data Universal Numbering 
System (DUNS number); grant awards; financial assistance awards; 
photographs; biometric information; or any other unique identifier that 
can be linked to an individual.

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR RETENTION AND DISPOSAL OF RECORDS:
    Records are retained and disposed of in accordance with the 
applicable records schedule for the systems from which they were 
collected. Any unscheduled records will be retained indefinitely, until 
they have been scheduled with the National Archives and Records 
Administration and have become eligible for disposition under those 
schedules.

ADMINISTRATIVE, TECHNICAL, AND PHYSICAL SAFEGUARDS:
    Electronic records may be secured and maintained on a cloud-based 
software server and operating system that resides in FedRAMP and 
Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA) hosting 
environment. Data located in the cloud-based server is firewalled and 
encrypted at rest and in transit. The security mechanisms for handling 
data at rest and in transit are in accordance with DOE encryption 
standards. Records are protected from unauthorized access through the 
following appropriate safeguards:
     Administrative: Access to all records is limited to lawful 
government purposes only, with access to electronic records based on 
role and either two-factor authentication or password protection. The 
system requires passwords to be complex and to be changed frequently. 
Users accessing system records undergo frequent training in Privacy Act 
and information security requirements. Security and privacy controls 
are reviewed on an ongoing basis.
     Technical: Computerized records systems are safeguarded on 
Departmental networks configured for role-based access based on job 
responsibilities and organizational affiliation. Privacy and security 
controls are in place for this system and are updated in accordance 
with applicable requirements as determined by the National Institute of 
Standards and Technology and DOE directives and guidance.

[[Page 82876]]

     Physical: Computer servers on which electronic records are 
stored are located in secured Department facilities, which are 
protected by security guards, identification badges, and cameras. Paper 
copies of all records are locked in file cabinets, file rooms, or 
offices and are under the control of authorized personnel. Access to 
these facilities is granted only to authorized personnel and each 
person granted access to the system must be an individual authorized to 
use and/or administer the system.

RECORD ACCESS PROCEDURES:
    The Department follows the procedures outlined in title 10 Code of 
Federal Regulations (CFR) part 1008.4. Valid identification of the 
individual making the request is required before information will be 
processed, given, access granted, or a correction considered, to ensure 
that information is processed, given, disclosed, or corrected only at 
the request of the proper person.

CONTESTING RECORD PROCEDURES:
    Any individual may submit a request to the System Manager and 
request a copy of any records relating to them. In accordance with 10 
CFR 1008.11, any individual may appeal the denial of a request made by 
him or her for information about or for access to or correction or 
amendment of records. An appeal shall be filed within 90 calendar days 
after receipt of the denial. When an appeal is filed by mail, the 
postmark is conclusive as to timeliness. The appeal shall be in writing 
and must be signed by the individual. The words ``PRIVACY ACT APPEAL'' 
should appear in capital letters on the envelope and the letter. 
Appeals of denials relating to records maintained in government-wide 
System of Records reported by Office of Personnel Management (OPM), 
shall be filed, as appropriate, with the Assistant Director for Agency 
Compliance and Evaluation, OPM, 1900 E Street NW, Washington, DC 20415. 
All other appeals relating to DOE records shall be directed to the 
Director, Office of Hearings and Appeals (OHA), 1000 Independence Ave. 
SW, Washington, DC 20585.

NOTIFICATION PROCEDURES:
    In accordance with the DOE regulation implementing the Privacy Act, 
10 CFR part 1008, a request by an individual to determine if a System 
of Records contains information about themselves should be directed to 
the U.S. Department of Energy, Headquarters, Privacy Act Officer. The 
request should include the requester's complete name and the time 
period for which records are sought.

EXEMPTIONS PROMULGATED FOR THE SYSTEM:
    The Secretary plans to exempt this system from subsections (c)(3) 
and (4); (d)(1)-(4); (e)(1)-(3), (4)(G), (4)(H), and (4)(I); (e)(5) and 
(8); and (g) of the Privacy Act pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552a(j)(2). In 
addition, the system has been exempted from the Privacy Act, pursuant 
to 5 U.S.C. 552a(k)(1), (k)(2) and (k)(5). The exemptions will be 
applied only to the extent that the information in the system is 
subject to exemption pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552a(j)(2), (k)(1), (k)(2) or 
(k)(5). Rules are in the process of being promulgated in accordance 
with the requirements of 5 U.S.C. 553(b), (c), and (e), and will be 
published in the Federal Register.

HISTORY:
    This notice proposes to establish DOE-78 Data Analytics Program 
Records as a new System of Records. There has been no previous 
publication in the Federal Register pertaining to this System of 
Records.

Signing Authority

    This document of the Department of Energy was signed on November 9, 
2023, by Ann Dunkin, Senior Agency Official for Privacy, 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 November 20, 2023.
Treena V. Garrett,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S. Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2023-25983 Filed 11-24-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P