Greentown Labs continues to show its support for fostering energy innovation in Houston as the city aims to lead the world’s energy transition. The climatetech startup incubator has launched the Texas Entrepreneurship Exchange for Energy (TEX-E) to support students in developing next-generation innovations. The collaborative initiative includes MIT’s Martin Trust Center for Entrepreneurship, a research and teaching center that provides expertise, support and connections to MIT students, and five Texas universities, including Rice University, the University of Houston, Texas A&M University, Prairie View A&M University and the University of Texas. “Houston has long been known as the energy capital of the world, but to lead the world’s energy transition, the city must create a strong, vibrant innovation ecosystem to support the next generation of entrepreneurs and energy companies,” said Lara Cottingham, Chief of Staff at Greentown Labs, in a press release.  Students participating in the program will have access to mentorship with Greentown Labs’ entrepreneurs, networking events, career opportunities and cross-learning with MIT. The initiative will help continue to pave the way for Houston to solidify its role as the leader of the global energy transition. “The TEX-E collaboration will provide valuable opportunities to our students, and Houston is a natural location to create such an ecosystem,” said Ramanan Krishnamoorti, vice president for energy and innovation at the University of Houston, in a press release. “Training new talent and supporting their pursuit of innovative ideas are vital in addressing the growing global need for affordable, reliable, and environmentally sustainable energy.” Greentown Houston experienced a successful first year, attracting more than 60 startups, including several that relocated from outside the U.S., proof that Houston is where Energy 2.0 companies want to be. From 2017 to 2021, venture capital funding in Houston’s energy space totaled more than $327 million. More than 4,700 energy-related firms are located within the Houston metro. “Boston and Houston might seem like an odd pairing, but they complement one another beautifully,” said Ben Soltoff, Ecosystem Builder and Entrepreneur in Residence at the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship. Despite Boston’s strong climate innovation ecosystem, startups looking to scale up “look towards Texas, where they can find talent, space, and industry knowhow in spades. Together, these two regions are unstoppable,” Soltoff said. TEX-E is also in line with the Partnership’s Houston Energy Transition Initiative, which aims to position Houston to lead the global energy transition to a more efficient and sustainable, low-carbon future, by deploying key strategies, including jumpstarting emerging technologies. 

On October 5, 2022, the United States 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in State of Texas v USA the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program as an overstep in authority by the executive branch but has kept the renewal process open while litigation continues—potentially rising to the United States Supreme Court.  DACA, which was announced on June 15, 2012 by Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, granted security and stability to hundreds of thousands of youth who’d been brought to our nation as children. Over the last 10 years, these children—now adults—known as Dreamers benefitted from a renewable, two-year permit protecting them from possible deportation. In these last ten years, the DACA program has supported more than 800,000 eligible individuals across the United States; Dreamers have enrolled in education, expanded the economy, and enhanced our communities – especially in Texas. The 33,000 DACA recipients in the Houston region  as well as the additional tens of thousands of DACA-eligible Houstonians have contributed hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes and possess nearly a billion dollars in spending power . We have become a better, more diverse nation because of Dreamers and Houston’s economy and diversity could suffer as a result of this decision and its implications. However, for all of the benefits and opportunities provided by the program, DACA has been mired in controversy and confusion since its establishment. Lengthy lawsuits and countless pieces of legislation have been filed to try and create clarity for Dreamers; ultimately, these endeavors have failed in achieving any resolution.  While the future for Dreamers remains uncertain today, opportunity to resolve this issue remains. Congress should resolve this matter with the passage of sensible solutions to ensure Dreamers continue to contribute to our economy and communities. It is important, now more than ever, for Dreamers to be given permanent protections; the Partnership continues to support Congressional action to achieve these ends.     [1]https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/data/DACA_Population_Receipts_since_Injunction_Dec_31_2019.pdf [1] https://research.newamericaneconomy.org/report/examining-the-economic-contributions-of-daca-eligible-populations-in-texas/