```

[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 242 (Tuesday, December 17, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 102123-102125]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-29696]

=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Preventing Outages and Enhancing the Resilience of the Electric 
Grid Formula Grants to States and Indian Tribes

AGENCY: Grid Deployment Office, Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) National Energy 
Technology Laboratory (NETL) intends to issue, on behalf of the DOE 
Grid Deployment Office (GDO), an amendment to the Administrative Legal 
Requirements Document (ALRD) DE-FOA-0002736 (BIL--Preventing Outages 
and Enhancing the Resilience of the Electric Grid Formula Grants to 
States and Indian Tribes) in February 2025, titled Amendment 000010. 
This grant program is authorized under the Bipartisan Infrastructure 
Law (BIL). Amendment 000010 to DE-FOA-0002736 will provide access to 
Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 formula grant allocations.

ADDRESSES: Requests for more information should be addressed by 
electronic mail to Cory Felder, Senior Project Manager, at 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cory Felder, (240) 597-8694, 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The BIL is a once-in-a-generation investment 
in infrastructure, which will grow a more sustainable, resilient, and 
equitable economy through enhancing U.S. competitiveness, driving the 
creation of good-paying union jobs, and ensuring access to economic, 
environmental, and other benefits for disadvantaged

[[Page 102124]]

communities.\1\ The BIL appropriates more than $62 billion to DOE to 
invest in American manufacturing and workers \2\ expand access to 
energy efficiency; deliver reliable, clean and affordable power to more 
Americans; and deploy the technologies of tomorrow through clean energy 
demonstrations. The forthcoming ALRD Amendment 000010, expected to take 
effect in February 2025 (available at: https://www.fedconnect.net/fedconnect/?doc=DE-FOA-0002736&agency=DOE) will support Congressional 
goals to (1) demonstrate measurable improvements in energy resilience 
in the United States and mitigate climate related risk, (2) invest in 
modernized grid infrastructure that can enable consumer access to 
lower-cost energy and accommodate increased electrification, increased 
penetrations of variable renewable electricity and distributed energy 
resources, and other evolving system needs over the coming decades, (3) 
invest in clean energy and decarbonization solutions to achieve a 
carbon-free power sector by 2035 and net-zero greenhouse gas emissions 
economy-wide by 2050, and (4) create good-paying jobs with the free and 
fair choice to join a union.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ Pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 14008 
(www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/27/executive-order-on-tackling-the-climate-crisis-at-home-and-abroad/), 
``Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad,'' January 27, 
2021, and the Office of Management and Budget's Interim Justice40 
Implementation Guidance M-21-28 (www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/M-21-28.pdf) and Addendum M-23-09 
(www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/M-23-09_Signed_CEQ_CPO.pdf), DOE recognizes disadvantaged communities as 
the census tracts identified as disadvantaged by the White House 
Council on Environmental Quality's Climate and Economic Justice 
Screening Tool (CEJST), located at https://screeningtool.geoplatform.gov/, as well as all Federally Recognized 
Tribes (whether or not they have land). See https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/M-23-09_Signed_CEQ_CPO.pdf. DOE's Justice40 Implementation Guidance is 
located at https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2022-07/Final%20DOE%20Justice40%20General%20Guidance%20072522.pdf.
    \2\ 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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The purpose of the forthcoming ALRD Amendment 000010 is to allow 
for submission of applications for the FY 2025 formula grant 
allocations. The FY 2025 formula grant allocation amounts are available 
at: https://netl.doe.gov/bilhub/grid-resilience/formula-grants. The 
process for requesting a FY 2025 allocation depends on whether the 
applicant is an existing grant recipient or a new grant applicant:
     Existing Grant Recipients that have already received 
grants for FY 2022, FY 2023 or FY 2024 of the Program will have 90 days 
from issuance of the ALRD Amendment 000010 to request their FY 2025 
allocation, in accordance with the Terms and Conditions of their 
current Grant award.
     New Grant Applicants are eligible applicants (as defined 
in ALRD Amendment 000010) that did not receive a grant for FY 2022, FY 
2023 or FY 2024. New Grant Applicants will have 90 days from issuance 
of the ALRD Amendment 000010 to submit a grant application for a FY 
2025 allocation. Several one-time actions, explained below, must be 
completed before an application can be submitted, including 
registration with the System for Award Management (SAM), obtaining a 
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), and registering with FedConnect.net. 
These actions can be completed prior to the issuance of ALRD Amendment 
000010. Prospective New Grant Applicants are encouraged to address 
these items as soon as possible, as some may take several weeks to 
complete. Additional instructions for New Grant Applicants will be 
provided in the ALRD Amendment 000010.

    Note:  Neither applications nor allocation requests are being 
accepted at this time.

    The current ALRD (Amendment 000009) is available at: https://www.fedconnect.net/fedconnect/?doc=DE-FOA-0002736&agency=DOE.
    New Grant Applicants must complete the following steps in order to 
submit their application via FedConnect: https://www.fedconnect.net/fedconnect/?doc=DE-FOA-0002736&agency=DOE.
    Pre-application actions: https://www.sam.gov/.
    SAM--Applicants must register with the SAM at: https://www.sam.gov/ 
prior to submitting an application in response to this ALRD. 
Designating an Electronic Business Point of Contact (EBiz POC) and 
obtaining a special password called an MPIN are important steps in SAM 
registration. The applicant must maintain an active SAM registration 
with current information at all times during which it has an active 
Federal award or an application under consideration. More information 
about SAM registration for applicants is available at: https://www.fsd.gov/gsafsd_sp?id=gsafsd_kb_articles&sys_id=650d493e1bab7c105465 
eaccac4bcbcb.

    Note:  If clicking the SAM links do not work, please copy and 
paste the link into your browser.

    UEI--Applicants must obtain an UEI from the SAM to uniquely 
identify the entity. The UEI is available in the SAM entity 
registration record.

    Note:  Subawardees/subrecipients at all tiers must also obtain 
an UEI from the SAM and provide the UEI to the award recipient 
before the subaward can be issued.

    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 address 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.

    FedConnect.net--Applicants must register with FedConnect to submit 
applications in response to the ALRD, to submit questions, and to 
receive the award. FedConnect website: https://www.fedconnect.net/. For 
more information regarding registration with FedConnect, review the 
FedConnect Ready, Set, Go! Guide at: https://www.fedconnect.net/FedConnect/Marketing/Documents/FedConnect_Ready_Set_Go.pdf.
    Electronic Signatures--Acknowledgement of award documents by the 
Grant Recipient authorized representative through electronic systems 
used by the Department of Energy, including FedConnect, constitutes the 
Grantee's acceptance of the Terms and Conditions of the award. 
Acknowledgement via FedConnect by the Grantee's authorized 
representative constitutes the Grantee's electronic signature.

Signing Authority

    This document of the Department of Energy was signed on December 6, 
2024, by Maria D. Robinson, Director, Grid Deployment Office, 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.

[[Page 102125]]

    Signed in Washington, DC, on December 12, 2024.
Treena V. Garrett,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S. Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2024-29696 Filed 12-16-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
```