Description:
S. 2334 would require the Department of Energy (DOE) to establish a pilot program to award grants to qualifying public or nonprofit organizations that offer job training and educational programs for the energy sector. The bill would authorize the appropriation of $20 million each year over the 2020-2024 period for the pilot grant program, but CBO does not estimate any outlays for the authorization for 2020 because appropriations have already been provided for this year. S. 2334 also would direct DOE to establish a nine-member advisory board to develop a strategy to support and develop a skilled energy workforce and would require the department to establish a clearinghouse based on board recommendations to maintain and update information and resources on training and workforce development programs for energy and manufacturing-related jobs. The board would operate over the 2020-2024 period. Based on the cost of similar work, CBO estimates that implementing those activities would cost $2 million over the 2020-2024 period. Assuming appropriation of the authorized and estimated amounts and based on spending patterns for similar programs, CBO estimates that implementing S. 2334 would cost $70 million over the 2020-2024 period. The costs of the legislation (detailed in Table 1) fall within budget function 270 (energy).
