The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy has said 74 project teams on transformational energy technologies have accumulated $1.8 billion in follow-on funds from the private sector since the agency’s establishment in 2009.

ARPA-E announced the financial milestone during the eighth annual ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit in Maryland, the Energy Department said Monday.

“The private sector plays a critical part in this community, and it is thrilling to see the technologies from our projects becoming market-ready energy products with full private support,” said ARPA-E Acting Director Eric Rohlfing.

DOE noted 56 projects backed by ARPA-E have created new companies and 68 projects have collaborated with other government agencies to support further development.

ARPA-E has awarded approximately $1.5 billion in research and development funds to nearly 600 projects through 36 focused programs and three open funding solicitations and works to support projects that could transform ways to generate, store and use energy.

The Department of Veterans Affairs‘ immediate office of the assistant secretary for information and technology has started its search to hire a new deputy chief information officer for information security.

An announcement posted Feb. 16 on the USAJobs website says the VA seeks to attract talent to add on its pool of Senior Executive Service members that share a perspective of government and public service commitment.

The DCIO for information security will be responsible for the oversight of data security management, identity management, information protection and Enterprise Cybersecurity Strategy Team programs within the agency.

That hire will also lead work to develop strategies for implementations of global security policies.

The selected candidate will additionally collaborate with the agency’s operations, preparedness and security staff principals regarding security and ECST issues as well as coordinate with the VA Office of the Inspector General to perform cybersecurity incident notification and other oversight tasks.

The VA noted that the incumbent performs management tasks related to information and technology activities as well as helps incorporate risk based priorities onto the department’s IT strategy and project portfolio.

The Congressional Budget Office has said the implementation of a House bill that would bar federal agencies to include Social Security numbers on documents delivered by mail in order to prevent identity fraud would not result in any significant cost in the next five years.

CBO said in the report published Friday the Social Security Fraud Prevention Act of 2017 would result in the application of pay-as-you-go procedures since its passage could increase direct spending by federal agencies that do not receive funds via annual appropriations.

The legislation does not contain private-sector or intergovernmental mandates under the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would not lead to on-budget deficit growth “in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2028.”

The bill would not affect revenues and would not impose costs on local, state and tribal government agencies.

The House unanimously approved a similar bipartisan bill in September 2016 nearly a year after Reps. David Valadao (R-Californa) and Eric Swalwell (D-California) introduced the legislation.

The Government Accountability Office has found that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the departments of Energy and Homeland Security have implemented 27 federal efforts that aim to build up the U.S. power grid’s resiliency.

GAO said in a report released Friday the efforts were not duplicative and supported several activities such as research and development, emergency response and preparedness and data sharing.

The congressional budget watchdog also found that those efforts have helped address three government priorities to ensure the security of the electricity grid such as the deployment of technology platforms to raise awareness on potential power disruptions and coordination of responses to events.

The report noted that DHS and DOE have implemented three overlapping efforts with distinct goals when it comes to addressing resiliency concerns associated with high-power transformers.

Officials with FERC, DOE and DHS reported results from those federal efforts, such as increased coordination between industry and agencies on potential cyber attacks and development of new tools, GAO added.

President Donald Trump has ordered federal agencies to launch initiatives that will work to reduce the regulatory burden on citizens and to appoint a regulatory reform officer within 60 days of the executive order’s release.

The White House said Friday that RROs will oversee agencies’ efforts to implement regulatory reform initiatives and policies such as Executive Order 13771, Executive Order 12866 and section 6 of Executive Order 13563.

The designated RROs will also report to agency heads and consult with agency leadership regularly.

Trump also instructed each agency to form a Regulatory Reform Task Force that will consist of the RRO; the regulatory policy officer; a representative from the agency’s central policy office or equivalent central office; and at least three senior officials for agencies listed in section 901(b)(1) of title 31 of the United States Code.

Each task force will assess existing regulations and make recommendations on the repeal, replacement or modification of such regulations as well as seek input and assistance from non-federal agencies, small businesses, consumers, trade associations and businesses.

The White House added the groups will also work to determine regulations that eliminate jobs or hinder job creation; are outdated, unnecessary or ineffective; impose costs that exceed benefits; interfere with regulatory reform initiatives; and do not meet section 515 of the Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act of 2001.

The director of the Office of Management and Budget can waive compliance with the order if OMB determines that an agency issues “very few or no regulations,” according to the EO.

The OMB director will publish a list of agencies with waivers at least once every three months.