Houston’s new ranking as America’s No. 2 exporting city is substantially rooted in sales to other countries by the Texas Chemical Industry, one of the state’s largest employers and taxpayers.
Data gathered by the U.S. Department of Commerce and reported recently in the Houston Chronicle shows that local chemical companies exported more than one third ($18.9 billion) of the $53.3 billion in exports credited to Houston in 2006. The Bayou City surpassed Los Angeles as an exporter for that year – the latest for which statistics are available – and was second only to the New York City region.
“The role of chemical manufacturers in the prosperity of Houston and the state at large is significant but not well understood,” said Hector Rivero, President of the Texas Chemical Council. He added that the Texas Chemical Industry exported products worth $25.9 billion in the first three quarters of 2007, overtaking the computer and electronics industry ($24.9 billion) as the state’s leading exporter for that period.
That productivity makes Texas the No. 1 chemical exporter in the U.S., accounting for 22 percent of the national chemical export total of $133 billion in 2006. “Also, our industry directly and indirectly employs about 500,000 people statewide, and we pay more than $1 billion in state and local taxes every year,” Rivero said. “We are a vital part of the Texas economy and a mainstay of the property tax base, which funds our children’s education and other indispensable services.”
Sylvia R. Garcia, Harris County Precinct Two Commissioner, stated: “In Harris County Precinct Two, where many of the state’s chemical manufacturers do business, we work to maintain a balance between the economic opportunities the plants provide while maintaining a great quality of life for our residents. The fact that industry based in our precinct alone accounts for one quarter of a million jobs for constituents in a wide array of businesses is an economic fact that allows us the tools to create an environment not only for economic growth, but for an outstanding quality of life.”
Texas is home to dozens of chemical manufacturers whose materials go into a huge array of consumer products, making them more effective and resilient. Examples include nitrogen (extends shelf life for potato chips), carbon black (used to make ink for pens), polyethylene (used to create plastic food bags) chlorine (for disinfecting bottled water) and cetyl alcohol (for moisturizing hand lotion).
The Texas Chemical Council (TCC) is a statewide trade association of chemical manufacturing facilities in Texas. Our member companies produce vital products for Americans’ way of life, fulfill our people’s educational and quality-of-life needs, and account for more than 500,000 direct and indirect jobs across the state