Summary: GAO reviewed the Department of Energy's (DOE) Appropriate Technology Small Grants (ATSG) program. GAO believes that the ATSG program can help overcome barriers to the development and use of energy-related appropriate technology.
The broad ATSG program goals established by DOE appear to adequately reflect the legislative purposes of the program. However, GAO does not believe that DOE has managed the ATSG program effectively. GAO found that: (1) the DOE efforts to make technical assistance available to grantees have been limited; (2) DOE has not effectively coordinated the ATSG program with related DOE or other Federal agency programs which have the potential to help further ATSG program goals; and (3) DOE failed to assure that the criteria used to evaluate the merits of proposals for program funding were being consistently applied. As a result of these problems, GAO believes that the limited program funds have not been used most effectively to encourage the development and widespread use of energy-related appropriate technology.
