In late September, the Greater Houston Partnership, in collaboration with the Gulf Coast Protection District (GCPD), coordinated a trip to Washington D.C., to educate on the importance of the Coastal Texas Protection and Restoration project. The Coastal Spine – a barrier flood gate and levee system located along the upper Texas coastline, was recommended by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to shield Port Houston, the Houston Ship Channel, and surrounding petrochemical producers from catastrophic weather events.   The Coastal Spine is designed to protect the critical infrastructure along our coastline that supports supply chains across the globe. The greater Houston region is home to the largest petrochemical producers in the world. These products range from gasoline for our vehicles to semiconductors to everyday products, including food and drink packaging, appliances, and electronics, hardware, construction materials, pharmaceuticals, fertilizers, and automotive parts and tires. Many products that travel through Port Houston, which serves as the number one U.S. port in waterborne tonnage, provide more than $800 billion in national economic value.     The project will also safeguard the more than 7.2 million residents of the metro Houston area from severe weather events. In September 2008, Kemah, Texas, saw a 17-foot surge from Hurricane Ike. A similar system is used in the Netherlands to keep encroaching ocean waters from intruding upon critical infrastructure and human life. In this instance, we are targeting the devastating effects of storm surges.    Delegation members in attendance:  State Senator Larry Taylor  Mayor Michel Bechtel  Mayor Carl Joiner  Galveston City Council Member Marie Robb  Bob Mitchell  Sally Bakko  GCPD Executive Director Nicole Sunstrum  Phillip Fordham with LyondellBasell  Partnership Public Policy team members  The delegation engaged with staff from the offices of Senators Cornyn and Cruz and staff from Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi, who sits on the Senate Appropriations Committee. The group met all four Texas appropriators: Ranking Member Kay Granger, Congressman Henry Cuellar, Congressman Judge Carter, and Congressman Tony Gonzales.     During the short visit, the delegation also connected with several trade associations, including the American Petroleum Institute, the American Chemistry Council, the National Association of Manufacturers, and the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers.     With the Partnership’s help, Texas will secure support from all levels of government to realize the Coastal Texas Program, to protect the lives, economy, and national security assets, all supported by Port Houston and the Houston Ship Channel. Learn more about the Partnership's agenda for the 88th Texas Legislative session. 

The Greater Houston Partnership celebrates our members making important announcements and sharing news about their operations and impact in our community. Learn more about some of those announcements over the last month below.  Houston-based energy technology and oil field services giant Baker Hughes is set to acquire a business unit from Sugar Land-based Team Inc. for $280 million in cash. Team Inc.'s Quest Integrity business will be integrated into Baker Hughes' Process & Pipeline Services product line within their digital solutions segment. This deal is set to boost Baker Hughes’ asset-integrity solutions for “difficult to inspect” pipelines and add capability for the inspection of furnace tubes, loading terminals, jet fuel lines and more. A leading global strategy consultancy, BCG has announced its acquisition of Quantis, a pioneering environmental sustainability consultancy guiding many of the world’s largest organizations on their sustainability transformation. Through this deal, BCG and Quantis will lead the global transformation toward a new planetary economy in which business gives nature a seat at the table. Additionally, Quantis will operate as a standalone business unit within BCG and will retain its brand and leadership team. Bridewell, a cyber security services company, announced its expansion into the $58 billion U.S. cyber security market following a multi-million investment from Growth Capital Partners last year. Through this expansion, Bridewell aims to help North American organizations develop robust and resilient cyber security solutions during this time of need for critical national infrastructure security.  HCA Houston Healthcare has completed an 11-month-long $2.7 million expansion project for their North Cypress hospital emergency room. This expansion added 5 new beds, private rooms, and a new scanning system to the ER, allowing more space and organization for speedy and private patient care. Houston METRO will receive $21.6 million from the Federal Transit Administration to aid in the organization’s transition from diesel buses to electric ones. The grant will cover the cost of 20 electric buses as well as the electric charging equipment, ultimately working to reduce emissions for our region. Additionally, the federal funding will help the organization reach it’s goal of fully transitioning to zero-emission vehicles by 2030. Health care provider Kelsey-Seybold announces a five-year expansion plan that will place clinics no more than 10 minutes away from 95 percent of Houstonians. The expected costs on construction alone is over $1 billion. The goal of this expansion is to satisfy a growing demand for services as the region’s population, particularly the elderly population, increases. MD Anderson Cancer Center and a Massachusetts biotechnology company received clearance from the Food and Drug Administration to begin testing a new cell therapy treatment on humans for metastatic melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer. Clinical trials will begin next month. The goal of this treatment aims to avoid life threatening complications associated with similar cell therapies. Shell and Equinor announced plans to collaborate on an application for up to $2 billion in U.S. Department of Energy funding for a hydrogen and carbon capture and storage hub in Appalachia. This means that Shell and Equinor will enter the competition for one of four hydrogen/carbon capture and storage hubs to be funded across the United States under last year's big infrastructure bill. Shell and Exxon Mobil confirmed the sale of their California oil joint-venture Aera Energy to German asset manager IKAV for $4 billion, ending a 25-year-long partnership that was one of the state's largest oil producers. The sale will close this year. Solidatus, a leading data management technology firm, has appointed Co-Founder Philip Dutton as CEO. The move positions the firm to better meet the escalating demand from major global businesses for smarter, more innovative ways to unlock the full potential of their enterprise data.  Spark Spaces, a local startup, is working to elevate the experience of charging electric vehicles by developing luxury waiting spaces at charging stations. Sparks Spaces is currently operating out of The Ion and installed a charging point outside of the building to help collect insights into what drivers are needing and are wanting to learn more about their customer base. The company's goal is to take forgotten buildings an transform them into EV charging hubs.  Houston-based Waste Management, announced that it will acquire a majority stake in Avangard Innovative, a company known for its work in advanced recycling. This partnership will work to create a venture known as Natura PCR and boost the company’s ability to handle hard-to-recycle flexible plastics such as grocery bags, takeout containers and shrink wrap. The deal is expected to close this year. If you are a member and want us to help communicate news about your organization, please send a press release or information about the announcement to member.engagement@houston.org and we will share it with our content team for possible inclusion in an upcoming roundup. Learn more about Partnership membership.