Lee Link, division manager for clearinghouse and engineering services at the DOE
Recovery Act Clearinghouse – looks at DOE website with Susan Seegers. (Photo by
Gerry Rasmussen.)
RICHLAND — As stimulus dollars from President Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act begin trickling into the national economy, WSU is answering calls from thousands of U.S. citizens with questions about renewable energy and energy efficiency.
In March, WSU’s Extension Energy Program was asked to become the official clearinghouse for all Department of Energy’s (DOE) Recovery Act inquiries. With only six weeks to prepare, the clearinghouse opened on April 13 and has since fielded over 5,000 calls to its Olympia office.
In March, WSU’s Extension Energy Program was asked to become the official clearinghouse for all Department of Energy’s (DOE) Recovery Act inquiries. With only six weeks to prepare, the clearinghouse opened on April 13 and has since fielded over 5,000 calls to its Olympia office.
“If anyone in the U.S. calls DOE about Recovery Act activities… grant funding, legislation, weatherization, etc. … the phone rings in Olympia and our staff answer it,” said Lee Link, division manager for clearinghouse and engineering services. “Inquiries are growing like crazy – I’m projecting that we’ll handle about 15,000 calls for 2009,” he said.
The DOE Recovery Act Clearinghouse – as the project is officially known – serves as a centralized “friendly front-door” for DOE activities by greeting callers, providing initial consultations and referring them to additional resources. Link said the goal is to increase the availability and transparency of DOE’s activities with the Recovery Act.
“We get calls from all kinds of business entities, large manufacturing facilities, schools, national laboratories, state, local and federal agencies, tribes and professional organizations,” he said.
Jake Fey, director of the WSU Extension Energy Program, said his staff members have provided energy technical assistance and resources to the nation for many years and that “we are thrilled to play a pivotal new role in supporting such an unprecedented energy effort in the United States.”
Great synergy
The clearinghouse offers a wide array of informational services and also provides feedback to DOE from its interactions with the public. With more than 25 staff members manning the phone bank or following up with customers, the clearinghouse has its finger on the pulse of the nation.
The clearinghouse offers a wide array of informational services and also provides feedback to DOE from its interactions with the public. With more than 25 staff members manning the phone bank or following up with customers, the clearinghouse has its finger on the pulse of the nation.
“It really makes sense to put a service like this in the midst of an energy office like ours,” said Link. “We have librarians, engineers, software developers, research and development and more. It’s a great synergy to have the nationwide clearinghouse embedded within this center of energy expertise here at WSU.”
Link said thousands of cities and counties are eligible to apply for DOE recovery grants but many are inexperienced in working with the federal agency. This is the type of situation where the clearinghouse can help – often by showing people how to partner with DOE and access stimulus funding.
“There are a lot of obstacles (i.e. financial or regulatory) to adopting new technologies and practices,” said Link. “One set of obstacles we can really address is the information obstacle. If someone is thinking of adopting a technology that is new to them, they may be uncertain about how it will work. The clearinghouse can help overcome that uncertainty, and I think that’s what makes us attractive to the DOE.”
Indeed, the clearinghouse staff has a very close working collaboration with the DOE team in Washington, D.C.
“WSU is representing DOE’s activities hundreds of times over and we want to do it accurately and effectively,” said Link.
20 years of experience
Such attention to detail has been nearly 20 years in the making. The original Washington State Energy Office began clearinghouse work in 1990. When that office was later dismantled in 1996, the largest “chunk” was transferred to the auspices of WSU Extension.
Such attention to detail has been nearly 20 years in the making. The original Washington State Energy Office began clearinghouse work in 1990. When that office was later dismantled in 1996, the largest “chunk” was transferred to the auspices of WSU Extension.
In 2004, the DOE took notice of the program and asked if they would run the federal Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Information Center. The resulting call center answers technical and programmatic questions about EERE’s products, services and 10 technology programs.
“The EERE Information Center has been very successful,” said Link. “We’ve had about 20,000 inquiries per year for this service alone.”
Early this year, the DOE called again. “We like the job you’re doing on the EERE Information Center,” they said, “Can you expand that to provide a friendly front-door to all of DOE’s Recovery Act activities?”
“Our staff had a lot to do to get started under a very quick timeline,” said Link. “It was very high profile and high pressure – with many people working at WSU and Washington, D.C. to make this happen.”
John Gardner, WSU vice-president of economic development and extension, said he was not surprised that the Extension Energy Program was tapped to expand their role into the federal Recovery Act.
“The WSU Extension Energy Program has been a national leader in education related to coping with energy efficiency for over a decade. Jake Fey and his entire team have the experience, connections, and track record that made them stand apart from other options,” he said. “And, they immediately got the effort up and running serving not only Washington, but the country as a whole.”
“It’s an honor to serve the nation,” said Link. “It’s really great that WSU was selected to provide this service.”
To contact the DOE Recovery Act Clearinghouse, there are several options:
Website and online inquiry form: https://recoveryclearinghouse.energy.gov/
Email: RecoveryClearinghouse@hq.doe.gov
Toll-Free Number: 1-888-DOE-RCVY (1-888-363-7289)
Website and online inquiry form: https://recoveryclearinghouse.energy.gov/
Email: RecoveryClearinghouse@hq.doe.gov
Toll-Free Number: 1-888-DOE-RCVY (1-888-363-7289)
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The Recovery Act provides DOE with the funding and responsibilities to help lift America out of an economic recession through investments in technologies that increase energy efficiency, expand renewable generation, improve electric transmission, reduce our dependence on oil, accelerate transformational sciences, reduce our legacy footprint, and lower greenhouse gas emissions—investments that will create and protect jobs that will energize our economy.
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