The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) announced it has allocated $500,000 to Galveston’s Coastal Barrier Project, also known as Ike Dike, a crucial project that aims to mitigate crippling flooding from catastrophic storm surges in vulnerable communities along the coastline.   The first round of funding will facilitate the preconstruction engineering and design phase of the first segment of the Bolivar Peninsula and West Bay Gulf Intracoastal Waterway Shoreline and Island Protection feature, commonly referred to as Ecosystem Restoration feature G-28, according to the Gulf Coast Protection District.   Click to expand The project includes the Galveston Bay Storm Surge Barrier System, which encompasses eight Gulf and Bay defense projects. Among these is the Bolivar Roads Gate System, a two-mile-long closure structure situated between Galveston Island and Bolivar Peninsula. The barrier is designed to diminish storm surge volumes entering the bay, offering direct protection against storm surges for communities residing on the barrier island.  Meanwhile, the West Bay Gulf Intracoastal Waterway Shoreline and Island Protection portion of the project will focus on coastal restoration, including beach and dune segments on Bolivar Peninsula and West Galveston Island. It will also protect critical fish and wildlife habitat against coastal storms and erosion processes.  In addition to enhancing coastal resilience and protecting vulnerable communities from storm surges, this critical project will save tens of billions of dollars in disaster recovery funding and safeguard the Houston Ship Channel, which serves as an economic engine helping to power the region and nation.  “The Coastal Texas Project is one of the largest projects in the history of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,” said Col. Rhett A. Blackmon, USACE Galveston District commander, in a statement. “This project is important to the nation for many reasons. Not only will it reduce risk to the vulnerable populations along the Texas coast, but it will also protect vital ecosystems and economically critical infrastructure vital to the U.S. supply chain and the many global industries located here.”  The Greater Houston Partnership has actively advocated to propel the Coastal Texas Project and other initiatives like it forward for years. The organization most recently visited Washington, D.C., to advocate for the use of funds from the new Community Development Block Grant Mitigation (CDBG-MIT) program, which would provide billions of dollars for flood mitigation projects in the Houston region.  The Houston region consistently works to identify flood mitigation solutions and funding opportunities. Most recently, the U.S. Department of Transportation granted Harris County and the Houston-Galveston Area Council over $10 million to bolster transportation infrastructure projects that aim to enhance resiliency against climate change.  Learn more about the Coastal Texas Project. 

The Greater Houston Partnership has been awarded Site Selection Magazine’s Mac Conway Award for Excellence in Economic Development for its outstanding regional economic development performance in 2023. Widely considered to be the gold standard recognition for regions from the industry’s top trade publication, the award is based on the following criteria:  Total projects Total investment associated with those corporate facility projects Total jobs associated with those corporate facility projects Per capita calculations of those same three metrics  "Receiving the Mac Conway Award for Excellence in Economic Development is not just a recognition of our region’s achievements; it's a testament to our commitment to creating opportunity in Houston,” said Steve Kean, President and CEO at the Partnership. “It’s a team effort here in Houston, and we are delighted to work with our partner economic development groups across the region to tell the world about Houston and attract new jobs and investment to our community.”  This is the Partnership’s first win since 2021 and 15th time winning the award. The Partnership previously received honorable mentions in 2007, 2016 and 2017, bringing the Partnership’s total number of appearances in Site Selection’s top group rankings to 18 since its inception in 1989.  “I am very proud of our organization's recognition of the prestigious Mac Conway Award for Excellence,” said Craig Rhodes, Senior Vice President of Economic Development at the Partnership. “It's a testament to the collaborative efforts with our partners across the 12-county region, and it motivates our team to continue our mission of driving inclusive prosperity and creating meaningful opportunities for all."  Following major economic development wins in 2023, the greater Houston region has gotten off to a strong start in the first quarter of 2024, with 139 new business announcements identified.  A total of 40 businesses established new facilities in the Houston area while 97 projects were an expansion of existing Houston-area facilities. Manufacturing accounted for 32 percent of the announcements, with professional, scientific and technical services ranking second (17 percent).  Learn more about why companies choose Houston.