The Department of Energy’s loan office is falling short in ensuring its employees avoid financial conflicts of interest with companies receiving or seeking federal funding, according to a new audit.
DOE’s inspector general found that 20 percent of audited employees either had conflicts or “the appearance of loss of impartiality.” Overall, the loan programs office is not fully ensuring staffers disclose outside positions, properly vetting all employees, filing complete financial disclosure reports or providing sufficient information to the general counsel’s office, the audit said.
“These issues occurred because the LPO did not comply with ethics regulations and internal policies,” said the report, which covered September 2024 to September 2025.
The loan office, which was recently renamed the Office of Energy Dominance Financing, is one of the chief tools DOE has to alter the energy sector. Energy Secretary Chris Wright has been eyeing using billions of dollars in loan authority to support nuclear power, coal, gas and other administration priorities.
