As President Obama readies his new jobs and economic growth plan for the Congress, an internal watchdog at the Energy Department has issued a report raising questions about the effectiveness of one piece of the stimulus law passed in 2009.
In a review of Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants, the Inspector General for the Energy Department found that "significant amounts of grant funds remained unobligated" - in other words, the money hasn't been spent.
The report found $879 million, or 33 percent of the $2.7 billion allocated for these energy efficiency grants had not been spent as of the 18 month deadline for action under the stimulus law.
"These issues undermine one of the basic premises of the Recovery Act, that is, to promptly stimulate the economy and create jobs," read the report by Inspector General Gregory Friedman.
"Ultimately, if recipients fail to utilize their Recovery Act EECBG funding, the Department should terminate the grants and return the funds to the U.S. Department of Treasury," the report added.
Friedman was evidently so aggravated by the findings, that he issued this report "as a Management Alert."
The report also found "troubling anamolies" in the reported amounts of money doled out by the feds, which in some cases showed more money being allocated to certain groups than had actually been awarded for energy efficiency work.
The release of this internal review also comes at a time when Republicans are publicly signaling that they want no part of any new stimulus plans from President Obama, who lays out new job creation plans on Thursday to Congress.
You can read the report at http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/OAS-RA-11-16_0.pdf
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