Issues: Energizing Houston’s Economy
Making Houston the Headquarters for New and Alternative Energy Development
“As mayor, I will lead the city’s effort
to combine Houston’s lead in oil and gas
with innovative public-private partnerships
in alternative energies like biofuels, wind
and solar.“ – Annise Parker
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With 20 years’ experience in the oil and gas industry, I know that Houston’s future depends on a strong energy economy. That’s why we need to make sure that Houston not only remains the energy capital of America - but also becomes the headquarters for clean, green energy development like wind, solar and biofuels.
As mayor, I will lead the city’s effort to combine Houston’s lead in oil and gas with innovative public-private partnerships in alternative energies like biofuels, wind and solar – creating high-wage, green-tech / clean-tech jobs that will power our local economy, reduce our dependence on foreign oil and clean up our environment.
Innovation, Houston Style
Houston was built by innovators and entrepreneurs – from the oil and gas industry and the Port of Houston to NASA and the Texas Medical Center, the city’s largest provider of jobs. Advancements in clean and renewable energy technologies already are attracting business investment to Houston. The Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship recently hosted a forum where start-up clean energy technology companies made their pitches to venture capital firms.
While private industry is the primary creator of jobs, local government can help bring research dollars and scientific talent to our local universities and research centers – driving the creation of new technologies that can be transferred to and utilized by private industry.
That’s why I will lead the city’s effort to bring millions of dollars for energy research and collaboration to Houston that will build on existing business capacity and attract and expand high-tech, new energy companies. These endeavors will help reawaken Houston’s second-to-none job creation machine.
Yes on Proposition 4
The first step is the easiest and the most urgent – I encourage every Houstonian to vote “Yes” in November on State Proposition 4, a measure that will help bring millions of research dollars to the University of Houston. This amendment will provide a dedicated funding source for “emerging” research universities, including the University of Houston, to help them become “tier one” research universities and generate the capacity to compete for millions more in federal research dollars.
Creating “New Energy” Partnerships
Under my leadership, we will create and expand alliances between private industry, research and educational institutions and local government to bring even more funds and jobs to Houston.
As mayor, I will establish a public policy and incentives to secure Houston’s leadership in forms of renewable and clean energy, a position we’ve held for many years in conventional energy. We already have much momentum in this direction with the energy companies now located here, with the regional partnerships in place and the research now occurring in our universities and labs. My focus will be to ensure that all these areas get the support they need individually and have the collaborative environment to build on each other’s successes.
As the fourth largest city in the country, Houston is a rich resource for information on the practical application of energy efficiency technologies. An alliance, for example, between the University of Houston and CenterPoint Energy to study large-scale data on residential energy consumption is more likely to get funding from the U.S. Department of Energy with the City of Houston as a partner.
Prioritizing the Success of the UH Energy Initiative
The University of Houston’s UH Energy is a promising initiative that has already begun to leverage the expertise of Houston’s traditional energy companies – and it is in our city’s interest to make sure it succeeds on every level.
UH Energy’s research goals will include a focus on how to convert basic science into commercial products and help businesses capitalize on new technologies.
In addition to helping attract research dollars, the city has the ability to make targeted infrastructure improvements in connection with the new UH Energy Research Park.
A Pro-Active and Engaged Mayor
As mayor, I will stress my connection to higher education by committing to assisting in recruiting top research scientists and research teams to our local universities. This is a win-win for Houston, because research dollars follow top talent, and top talent in turn follows more research dollars.
I will use my 20 years experience in the oil and gas industry and 12 years experience in the public sector to be a catalyst – connecting researchers to funders to industry leaders to the existing businesses and start-ups that will create job opportunities for Houstonians.
And I will appoint a liaison in my office to work directly with the University of Houston, Rice University, other local universities, industry and investors to make sure they can work together with the city to leverage the city’s assets and expertise in these efforts, and create more jobs in our area.
Targeted Economic Development Initiatives
Houston’s place as the incubator of new energy ideas will be our strongest asset when it comes to expanding existing businesses and attracting new ones. And we can do more to attract a critical mass of companies here to solidify our place as the alternative energy capital of the world.
That’s why I support the use of targeted economic development incentives – such as tax abatements, accelerated permitting and targeted infrastructure improvements for new and expanding new energy companies that create jobs. I will require specific commitments from businesses receiving incentives – with accountable job creation goals and penalties for failure to live up to their commitments. (Our ability to use direct incentives, however, will be limited during the current economic downturn.)
The Greater Houston Partnership is a good model for harnessing Houston’s dynamic private sector talent to promote business development in our city and region in general. As mayor, I will ask the Partnership to join me in building a long-term, highly focused Energy Economy Initiative that engages private, public and nonprofit leaders in our efforts to ensure Houston takes its place as the energy capital of the world.
