An ad hoc committee of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) will conduct an independent study to evaluate the benefits to communities associated with Department of Energy (DOE) programs funded under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) (i.e., "covered programs"). The committee will develop:
(A) an evaluability assessment of benefits to communities from DOE covered programs;
(B) an evaluation of the impacts to communities of selected covered programs at DOE;
(C) a community benefit flows analysis, including quantitative analyses of the flow of funds from covered DOE investments to communities; and
(D) recommendations on how to improve DOE's implementation of these covered programs.
The committee will consult individuals from impacted communities throughout the study process. It will recommend a program evaluation framework and illustrate its application to a small selection of DOE covered programs . The committee may also assess and recommend options for DOE to mitigate technical and non-technical barriers to communities reaping the benefits of program investments and recommend research to improve the measurement and implementation of these programs.
The committee will issue two consensus reports addressing the topics listed above: an interim report on A and B, and a final report on C and D.