Washington, DC – Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva today applauded the Department of Energy’s newly announced award of more than $5 million in federal Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants to the City of Tucson. The grant, one of thousands given to communities around the country, is funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

“Energy efficiency will be a crucial economic driver in coming years, especially as we look forward to climate change legislation, and this grant will make it possible for Tucson to take full advantage of the moment,” said Grijalva, who supported the Recovery Act in the House. “This is a chance for Tucson to make a serious investment in the future, not only by upgrading energy infrastructure but by creating more local high-quality jobs.”

With the money already granted, the city now has a range of grant-eligible projects to choose from, including energy audits and building retrofits, implementing new energy savings performance contracting, incentive programs for private-sector efficiency improvements, new energy-conscious transportation programs, and many other options.

“The potential improvement to Tucson’s quality of life far exceeds the dollar amount on paper,” said Grijalva of the grant, which officially totals $5,155,300. “This is a chance to make our air cleaner, our city planning more efficient, and our economy better positioned for the future. These grants are designed to spur the right kind of job growth all over the country, and it’s exciting to see Tucson be a part of it.”

The grant is based on a Department of Energy formula that considers various factors, including population density, when deciding how much a state, city, county, territory or Indian tribe will receive. When fully allocated, so-called “formula grants” will total approximately $2.7 billion nationwide, with another $455 million available through a separate competitive grant process. The funding opportunity announcement for those grants has not yet been released.