DE-FOA-0002911 Notice of Intent - BIL SCEP WAP Enhancement and Innovation.pdf

This is a Notice of Intent only. SCEP may issue a FOA as described herein, may issue a FOA that is significantly different than the FOA described herein, or may not issue a FOA at all.

Department of Energy

Office of State and Community Energy Programs

Notice of Intent No. DE-FOA-0002911

Notice of Intent to Issue Funding Opportunity Announcement No. DE-FOA-0002912 for

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Section 40551:

Weatherization Assistance Program Enhancement & Innovation

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of State and Community Energy Programs (SCEP), on behalf of the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP), intends to issue a $25 million Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled “BIL WAP Enhancement & Innovation,” in support of section 40551 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) of 2021, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).

BACKGROUND

On November 15, 2021, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. signed the BIL1, a once-in-a-generation investment in infrastructure, designed to modernize and upgrade American infrastructure to enhance United States competitiveness, drive the creation of good-paying union jobs, tackle the climate crisis, and ensure stronger access to economic, environmental, and other benefits for disadvantaged communities.2 The BIL appropriates more than $62 billion to DOE3 to invest in American manufacturing and workers; expand access to energy efficiency and clean energy;

deliver reliable, clean and affordable power to more Americans; and demonstrate and deploy the technologies of tomorrow through clean energy demonstrations.

To support the goal of building a clean and equitable energy economy, the BIL-funded projects are expected to implement a Community Benefits Plan that (1) supports meaningful community and labor engagement; (2) invests in America’s workforce; (3) advances diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility; and (4) contributes to the President’s goal that 40% of the overall

1 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Public Law 117-58 (November 15, 2021). https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/3684. This Notice uses the more common name “Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.”

2 Pursuant to E.O. 14008 and the Office of Management and Budget’s Interim Justice40 Implementation Guidance M-21-28, DOE has developed a definition and tools to locate and identify disadvantaged communities. These resources can be located at https://energyjustice.egs.anl.gov/. DOE will also recognize disadvantaged communities as defined and identified by the White House Council on Environmental Quality’s Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST), which can be located at https://screeningtool.geoplatform.gov/.

3 U.S. Department of Energy. November 2021. “DOE Fact Sheet: The Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal Will Deliver For American Workers, Families and Usher in the Clean Energy Future.” https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-fact-sheet-bipartisan-infrastructure-deal-will-deliver-american-workers-families-and-0 https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-117publ58/pdf/PLAW-117publ58.pdf https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/3684 https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/3684 https://energyjustice.egs.anl.gov/ https://screeningtool.geoplatform.gov/ https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-fact-sheet-bipartisan-infrastructure-deal-will-deliver-american-workers-families-and-0 https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-fact-sheet-bipartisan-infrastructure-deal-will-deliver-american-workers-families-and-0

This is a Notice of Intent only. SCEP may issue a FOA as described herein, may issue a FOA that is significantly benefits from certain federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities (the Justice40 Initiative4).

FUNDING OBJECTIVES

Congress, through section 1011(e) of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021,5 (Pub. L. 116- 260), directed DOE to establish a competitive program for WAP Enhancement & Innovation (E&I), with five (5) purposes:

1) Expand the number of dwelling units that are occupied by low-income persons that receive weatherization assistance by making such dwelling units weatherization-ready;

2) Promote the deployment of renewable energy in dwelling units that are occupied by low-income persons;

3) Ensure healthy indoor environments by enhancing or expanding health and safety measures and resources available to dwellings that are occupied by low-income persons;

4) Disseminate new methods and best practices among entities providing weatherization assistance; and

5) Encourage entities providing weatherization assistance to hire and retain employees who are individuals –

a. From the community in which the assistance is provided;

b. From communities or groups that are underrepresented in the home energy performance workforce, including religious and ethnic minorities, women, veterans, individuals with disabilities, and individuals who are socioeconomically disadvantaged.

Congress also established the following eight (8) award factors to consider when awarding financial assistance for WAP Enhancement & Innovation:

1) The applicant’s record of constructing, renovating, repairing, or making energy efficient single-family, multifamily, or manufactured homes that are occupied by low-income persons, either directly or through affiliates, chapters, or other partners (using the most recent year for which data are available);

2) The number of dwelling units occupied by low-income persons that the applicant has built, renovated, repaired, weatherized, or made more energy efficient in the 5 years preceding the date of the application;

3) The qualifications, experience, and past performance of the applicant, including experience successfully managing and administering Federal funds;

4) The strength of an applicant’s proposal to achieve one or more of the purposes stated above;

4 The Justice40 initiative, created by E.O. 14008, establishes a goal that 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities. The current Justice40 guidance provides a broad definition of disadvantaged communities (Pages 8-10): Final DOE Justice40 General Guidance 072522.pdf (energy.gov) 5 P.L. 116-260 – Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-116publ260/pdf/PLAW- 116publ260.pdf. Codified at 42 U.S.C. 6864d.

https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2022-07/Final%20DOE%20Justice40%20General%20Guidance%20072522.pdf https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-116publ260/pdf/PLAW-116publ260.pdf https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-116publ260/pdf/PLAW-116publ260.pdf

This is a Notice of Intent only. SCEP may issue a FOA as described herein, may issue a FOA that is significantly

5) The extent to which such applicant will utilize partnerships and regional coordination to achieve one or more of the purposes stated above;

6) Regional and climate zone diversity;

7) Urban, suburban, and rural localities; and

8) Such other factors as the Secretary determines to be appropriate.

In response to this direction, SCEP anticipates that the FOA may include the following three (3) Topic Areas:

Topic Area 1 – Multifamily Housing Topic Area 2 – Single Family & Manufactured Housing Topic Area 3 – Workforce Development

Through the FOA, SCEP tentatively envisions awarding multiple financial assistance awards in the form of grants using funds made available to WAP through section 40551 of the BIL.6 From the amount appropriated for WAP, DOE intends to make a total of $25 million in BIL funds available through this opportunity, with a maximum award amount of $2 million. Eligible entities would include existing WAP Grantees, WAP Subgrantees, and other nonprofit entities.

The period of performance for each award would be three (3) years.

This Notice is issued so that interested parties are aware of the SCEP’s intention to issue this FOA in the near term. All of the information contained in this Notice is subject to change. Once the FOA has been released, SCEP will provide an avenue for potential applicants to submit questions.

SCEP plans to issue the FOA on or about July 2023 via the Clean Energy Infrastructure eXCHANGE website https://infrastructure-exchange.energy.gov/. If eligible entities wish to receive official notifications and information regarding this FOA, they should register in Clean Energy Infrastructure eXCHANGE. When the FOA is released, applications will be accepted only through Clean Energy Infrastructure eXCHANGE.

SUBMISSION AND REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS FOR GRANT APPLICATIONS

In anticipation of the FOA being released, eligible entities are advised to complete the following steps, which are required for application submission:

• Register and create an account in the Clean Energy Infrastructure eXCHANGE at https://infrastructure-exchange.energy.gov/. This account will allow the user to apply to any open FOAs that are currently in Clean Energy Infrastructure eXCHANGE.

6 Section 40551 of BIL authorized $3,500,000,000 for fiscal year 2022, to remain available until expended. DOE is limited to using no more than $25,000,000 for any fiscal year to carry out WAP Enhancement & Innovation per section 1011(e), 42 U.S.C.

6864d(j)(2).

https://infrastructure-exchange.energy.gov/ https://infrastructure-exchange.energy.gov/

This is a Notice of Intent only. SCEP may issue a FOA as described herein, may issue a FOA that is significantly

To access Clean Energy Infrastructure eXCHANGE , potential applicants will be required to have a Login.gov account. As part of the eXCHANGE registration process, new users are directed to create an account in Login.gov. Please note that the email address associated with Login.gov must match the email address associated with the eXCHANGE account. For more information, refer to the Exchange Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) Quick Guide in the Manuals section of eXCHANGE.

It is recommended that each organization or business unit, whether acting as a team or a single entity, use only one account as the contact point for each submission. Questions related to the registration process and use of the Clean Energy Infrastructure eXCHANGE website should be submitted to: InfrastructureExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov

• Register with the System for Award Management (SAM) at https://www.sam.gov.

Designating an Electronic Business Point of Contact (EBiz POC) and obtaining a special password called an MPIN are important steps in SAM registration. Please update your SAM registration annually. Upon registration, SAM will automatically assign a Unique Entity ID

(UEI).

NOTE: Due to the high demand of UEI requests and SAM registrations, entity legal business name and address validations are taking longer than expected to process. Entities should start the UEI and SAM registration process as soon as possible. If entities have technical difficulties with the UEI validation or SAM registration process they should utilize the HELP feature on SAM.gov. SAM.gov will work entity service tickets in the order in which they are received and asks that entities not create multiple service tickets for the same request or technical issue. Additional entity validation resources can be found here: GSAFSD Tier 0 Knowledge Base - Validating your Entity.

• Register in FedConnect at https://www.fedconnect.net/. To create an organization account, your organization’s SAM MPIN is required. For more information about the SAM MPIN or other registration requirements, review the FedConnect Ready, Set, Go! Guide at https://www.fedconnect.net/FedConnect/Marketing/Documents/FedConnect_Ready_Set_ Go.pdf

• Register in Grants.gov to receive automatic updates when Amendments to a FOA are posted. However, please note that applications will not be accepted through Grants.gov. http://www.grants.gov/. All applications must be submitted through Clean Energy Infrastructure eXCHANGE.

https://login.gov/ https://login.gov/ https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/Manuals.aspx mailto:InfrastructureExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov https://www.sam.gov/ https://www.fsd.gov/gsafsd_sp?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB0058422&sys_kb_id=1b5f22581b2115102fe5ed7ae54bcb4e&spa=1 https://www.fedconnect.net/ https://www.fedconnect.net/FedConnect/Marketing/Documents/FedConnect_Ready_Set_Go.pdf https://www.fedconnect.net/FedConnect/Marketing/Documents/FedConnect_Ready_Set_Go.pdf http://www.grants.gov/