‘‘(A) prescribe the methods by which com-
plaints shall be made to, and received and ad-
dressed by, the Office; 
‘‘(B) determine the scope and manner of 
investigations made by the Office; and 
‘‘(C) determine the form, frequency, and 
distribution of conclusions and recommenda-
tions of the Office; 
‘‘(4) may request the Administrator to provide 
the Ombudsman notification, within a specified pe-
riod of time, of any action taken on a recommenda-
tion of the Ombudsman; 
‘‘(5) may request, and shall be granted by any 
Federal agency or department, assistance and infor-
mation that the Ombudsman determines to be nec-
essary to carry out this section; 
‘‘(6) may examine any record of, and enter and 
inspect any property under the administrative juris-
diction of—
‘‘(A) the Agency; or 
‘‘(B) any other Federal agency or depart-
ment involved in a matter under the adminis-
trative jurisdiction of the Agency; 
‘‘(7) may—
‘‘(A) issue a subpoena to compel any per-
son to appear to give sworn testimony con-
cerning, or to produce documentary or other 
evidence determined by the Ombudsman to be 
reasonable in scope and relevant to, an inves-
tigation by the Office; and 
‘‘(B) seek enforcement of a subpoena 
issued under subparagraph (A) in a court of 
competent jurisdiction; 
‘‘(8) may carry out and participate in, and co-
operate with any person or agency involved in, any 
conference, inquiry on the record, public hearing on 
the record, meeting, or study that, as determined by 
the Ombudsman—
‘‘(A) is material to an investigation con-
ducted by the Ombudsman; or 
‘‘(B) may lead to an improvement in the 
performance of the functions of the Agency; 
‘‘(9) may administer oaths and hold hearings in 
connection with any matter under investigation by 
the Office; 
‘‘(10) may engage in alternative dispute resolu-
tion, mediation, or any other informal process that 
the Ombudsman determines to be appropriate to 
carry out this section;
‘‘(11) may communicate with any person, in-
cluding Members of Congress, the press, and any 
person that submits a complaint, grievance, or re-
quest for information under subsection (c)(1); and 
‘‘(12) shall administer a budget for the Office. 
‘‘(e) ADMINISTRATION.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Ombudsman shall—
‘‘(A)(i) appoint a Deputy Ombudsman for 
each region of the Agency; and 
‘‘(ii) hire such other assistants and em-
ployees as the Ombudsman determines to be 
necessary to carry out this section; and 
‘‘(B) supervise, evaluate, and carry out 
personnel actions (including hiring and dis-
missal) with respect to any employee of the Of-
fice. 
‘‘(2) DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY.—The Om-
budsman may delegate to other employees of the Of-
fice any responsibility of the Ombudsman under this 
section except—
‘‘(A) the power to delegate responsibility; 
‘‘(B) the power to issue subpoenas; and 
‘‘(C) the responsibility to make rec-
ommendations to the Administrator.
‘‘(3) CONTACT
INFORMATION.—The Ombuds-
man shall maintain, in each region of the Agency, a 
telephone number, facsimile number, electronic mail 
address, and post office address for the Ombudsman 
that are different from the numbers and addresses 
of the regional office of the Agency located in that 
region. 
‘‘(4) REPORTS.—The Ombudsman—
‘‘(A) shall, at least annually, publish in the 
Federal Register and submit to the Adminis-
trator, the President, the Committee on Energy 
and Commerce of the House of Representatives, 
and the Committee on Environment and Public 
Works of the Senate a report on the status of 
health and environmental concerns addressed in 
complaints and cases brought before the Om-
budsman in the period of time covered by the 
report; 
‘‘(B) may issue reports, conclusions, or 
recommendations concerning any other matter 
under investigation by the Office; 
‘‘(C) shall solicit comments from the Agen-
cy concerning any matter under investigation by 
the Office; and
‘‘(D) shall include any comments received 
by the Office in written reports, conclusions, 
and recommendations issued by the Office 
under this section. 
‘‘(f) PENALTIES.—An investigation conducted by the 
Ombudsman under this section constitutes—
‘‘(1) a matter under section 1001 of title 18, 
United States Code; and 
‘‘(2) a proceeding under section 1505 of title 
18, United States Code. 
‘‘(g) EMPLOYEE PROTECTION.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—No employer may discharge 
any employee, or otherwise discriminate against any 
employee with respect to compensation, terms, con-
ditions, or privileges of employment of the employee, 
because the employee (or any person acting at the 
request of the employee) complied with any provision 
of this section. 
‘‘(2) COMPLAINT.—Any employee that, in the 
opinion of the employee, is discharged or otherwise 
discriminated against by any person in violation of 
paragraph (1) may, not later than 180 days after 
the date on which the violation occurs, file a com-
plaint in accordance with section 211 of the Energy 
Reorganization Act of 1974.