As leaders and advocates for the future of economic development for Texas, our chambers are always watching for innovative trends in energy, manufacturing and other major industries and pursuing technologies and practices that will dominate the landscape decades from now.

Advanced recycling and carbon capture and storage (CCS) are two technologies with enormous promise for new investment, boosting growth and creating high-paying jobs in our region. For these emerging technologies to reach their economic potential, leaders at the national, state and local level must work collaboratively with communities to ensure that we create a level playing field so every technology can compete fairly.

Texas Monthly recently profiled an enterprising family in Tyler that’s demonstrating how East Texas can turn everyday plastic items into a growing business. While traditional plastic recycling can easily handle water bottles and milk jugs, technological advances now allow us to reuse complex plastics that might otherwise go to a landfill and reduce emissions in the process.

Did you know that 90% of plastics still aren’t recycled? Advanced recycling increases the types and amounts of plastic that can be recycled, allowing them to be reincorporated into brand new plastics — and reducing the need for new fossil fuels and building a more sustainable circular economy. These renewed plastics can be used in everything from food-grade packaging to a skirt, helping companies meet their sustainability goals and improving the quality of life in communities.

Since 2017, more than 40 advanced recycling projects have been announced nationally, with investments valued at $7 billion. These projects are estimated to keep about 21 billion pounds of plastic waste out of landfills nationally each year. Additional investments in advanced recycling would allow the strong cluster of chemical companies in East Texas to expand production, create new jobs and keep more plastic waste from ending up in landfills.

Recycling isn’t the only promising technology that can propel growth in East Texas — advances in energy production and manufacturing can, too.

Low-carbon solutions like CCS are essential to creating a resilient, economically vibrant energy future for East Texas. Developed in Texas in the 1970s, CCS works by capturing carbon dioxide emissions from power plants and industrial facilities and storing it in geologic formations deep underground, preventing CO2 emissions from entering the atmosphere.

Recent studies have shown the process can also improve air quality by reducing emissions such as sulfur dioxide and particulate matter, creating better community health outcomes. Additionally, the construction, maintenance, and operations of CCS facilities will create thousands of new jobs which Longview’s skilled workforce are ready to fill.

For CCS to grow in Texas, our communities need to speak up against regulatory red tape that is holding back greater investment. The Texas Railroad Commission has applied to the Environmental Protection Agency to assume authority over permitting for CCS wells, a process known as Class VI Well Primacy.

The EPA’s extended approval process can take up to five years for a single well to earn a permit, creating a bottleneck to development. State regulators have the staff, resources and local knowledge to permit wells more quickly, using the same rigorous safety and environmental standards. Louisiana recently became the third state to earn primacy, and without similar action by Texas, businesses in our region could choose to relocate, costing local jobs and investment.

Texas must position itself to take advantage of emerging technologies like advanced recycling and CCS. Our chambers recently had an opportunity to learn more about the implications of primacy for our region and the state, and we encourage business, industry and community leaders to support the state’s primacy application.

We are confident that together we can foster an innovative, pro-business environment where these technologies can grow and support the livelihoods of East Texas families for generations to come.