We need to unite and get stuff done

Presented on July 30, 2024, before City Council 

Honorable Mayor, esteemed members of the Houston City Council, and fellow Houstonians,

I am here as the President of Allies in Energy, a non-profit focused on supporting energy education and climate literacy but also as an oil and gas business leader. I am joined today by about 25 of the over 200 business leaders, community leaders, innovators and educators volunteering their time, capital and energy to create Houston Energy and Climate Week.

As we all know, Houston, as the energy capital of the world, has the power, expertise, and responsibility to lead the global transition to a cleaner, more dependable energy future. 

In 2017 after Hurricane Harvey, the city got the Climate Action Plan got off the ground and in 2020 held a virtual Houston Climate Week to kick off the implementation of Climate Action Plan. Allies in Energy aims to galvanize and build on the work done by the city to ensure it will endure through administrations and storm events - we want this to become a mainstay and a part of our culture and a gift we can give to the city.

Mayor Whitmire, we heard your call to action at a recent prayer breakfast that the public, in service to our city, needs to unite and get stuff done. 

Cities around the world have hosted Climate Weeks for decades. Houston Energy and Climate Week is similar - self-organized events throughout the city with an Opening and Closing ceremony hosted by Allies in Energy. However, our week is strategically different from those of these other cities. We are connected by The Unity Commitment, which can be found by using the QR in the material provided. This commitment expresses that we believe the world must be a livable and healthy place and that individuals and industries have a responsibility to the stewardship of the planet. But, uniquely, it also states that sustaining development, growing prosperity, and providing resiliency to our community requires the collaboration of EVERYONE - all business sectors, including oil and gas, heavy industry, climate technology, zero waste initiatives, and renewable energy, along with the support and action from community members. We want to create a platform of unified action so that every voice is heard and every sector is engaged in our shared mission.

I urge you to take an active role in Houston Energy and Climate Week. Attend events, host something in your district, share information on social media, and engage with your constituents about the importance of this week. Together, we can make Houston a model for sustainable energy growth and community resilience. 

Feel free to speak to me afterward if you want to learn more or have ideas on how to get your districts and constituents involved. 

Thank you for your time and commitment to a brighter, cleaner, and more powerful energy future for Houston.