Energy Department
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Federal Drive host Tom Temin reports that agencies and companies at a recent technology conference are betting on innovation.
January 28, 2015 -
By NEDRA PICKLER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama used his last State of the Union to declare 2014 a “Year of Action,” and he can claim credit for accomplishing several of the…
January 20, 2015 -
The Energy secretary is shaking up the department to improve accountability. Project managers will assume more responsibility and face harsher consequences if they fail to meet major targets. Some contractors already have felt the difference, and it isn't pretty.
January 16, 2015 -
President Barack Obama told agency leaders to focus on management, streamline programs and improve customer service. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz took the directive to heart. He restructured the department a year ago to create a new undersecretary of performance and management. Now, he says he is stopping expensive project overruns and scheduling delays. Before his first major speech on the newest changes, Ernest Moniz sat down with Federal News Radio's Emily Kopp.
January 15, 2015 -
The same program that funded high-profile flops like Solyndra, the California-based solar company that filed for bankruptcy, is now showing some success stories.
December 30, 2014 -
New supercomputing technology under development at the Energy Department carries a price tag of $425 million. An explosion in data and in computing power requirements are among the challenges. Secretary Ernest Moniz says the two projects, Coral and FastForward 2, will foster what he calls "transformational advancements in basic science, national defense, environmental and energy research." Barbara Helland is facilities division director for Advanced Scientific Computing Research program at Energy. She just returned from a Supercomputing Conference in New Orleans and joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive.
November 25, 2014 -
An energy inspector general investigation has found several problems with the way Sandia National Laboratories awarded billions of dollars in maintenance and operations contracts to Lockheed Martin. The IG found a lack of competition and violation of at least one important statute. In this week's legal loop, attorney Joe Petrillo of Petrillo and Powell, joined Tom Temin on the Federal Driveto explain what this investigation means for Sandia Martin.
November 20, 2014 -
A new report from the Government Accountability Office says that some agencies, including the Departments of Energy, Transportation and Health and Human Services, experienced stalled grants and contract activity during the government shutdown of 2013.
November 17, 2014 -
The Energy Department developed a new tool to ensure outdated software doesn't remain on its network to create cyber vulnerabilities. Rick Lauderdale, Energy's chief architect, said business and mission leaders receive a dashboard view of potential problems.
October 24, 2014 -
The Energy Department has a new tool to help ensure an agency updates outdated software before it becomes a security risk. It's a good outcome from a bad event. Last year's cyber breach exposed data of more than 50,000 employees. Rick Lauderdale, Energy's chief architect, tells Federal News Radio Executive Editor Jason Miller about a new approach to give business leaders the data to make better risk-based cyber decisions.
October 23, 2014 -
By the end of next year, the Army will install advanced electric meters at most of its large buildings, giving the service much more detailed data on how it uses energy than it's ever seen before.
October 23, 2014 -
The Department of Energy's Office of Environmental Management planned to bring on Susan Taylor, the Veterans Health Administration's deputy chief procurement officer, but now has changed its mind. Taylor is accused by the VA inspector general of committing procurement fraud, lying to investigators and having a conflict of interest by promoting FedBid.
October 02, 2014 -
The Army needs big solutions if it wants to generate as much energy as it consumes by 2020. It's using the Fort Carson Army base in Colorado Springs as a testing ground for the Net-Zero Energy Initiative. The General Services Administration identifies four ideas that could help Fort Carson reach big energy breakthroughs. It's also partnering with the Army and Energy Department to measure Fort Carson's progress so far. Ken Sandler is the sustainability and green building advisor within the Office of Federal High Performance Green Buildings at GSA. He told In Depth with Francis Rose what Fort Carson has done so far.
September 24, 2014 -
The Energy Department is spending $67 million in research grants it hopes will lead to the nuclear technology of tomorrow. Research projects have been selected based on potential for big breakthroughs. Pete Lyons, assistant secretary for Nuclear Energy at the Energy Department, broke down the numbers with Tom Temin on the Federal Drive.
September 02, 2014 -
Following a White House directive, the Energy Department is putting the research it funds on a fast track to the public. It has launched a web portal it calls the Public Access Gateway for Energy and Science (PAGES). It will provide free public access to accepted peer reviewed manuscripts or published scientific journal articles within 12 months of publication. Brian Hitson, acting director of the Energy Department's Office of Scientific and Technical Information, joined Emily Kopp on the Federal Drive. He explained why DoE launched the portal.
August 13, 2014