ARPA-E was officially created and first authorized by the America COMPETES Act, which was signed into law (Public Law No. 110-69) by President Bush on August 9, 2007. On September 28, 2018, President Trump signed the Department of Energy Research and Innovation Act into law (Public Law No. 115-246) to amend the America COMPETES Act. 

Additional information on ARPA-E’s statutory authority and other relevant Agency documents can be found by exploring the links on the left.