BROWNSVILLE, Texas – Brownsville Mayor Trey Mendez says the Legislature could and should do more to help the Space industry stay and grow in Texas.
The Rio Grande Guardian International News Service secured an exclusive video interview with Mendez at a recent news conference to promote a new partnership between his city, UT-Rio Grande Valley, and Cosmic Shielding.
Cosmic Shielding is a Massachusetts based company that formulates robust materials with specific shielding properties for use in satellites and other space applications.
The interview started with Mendez discussing the importance of a recent field hearing held in Brownsville by the Texas House Committee on Transportation.
However, later in the interview, when asked about the upcoming legislative session, Mendez said the State of Texas could and should be doing more to support the Space industry.
“There are opportunities now in Space, opportunities that other states are starting to take advantage of,” Mendez said. “You see Alabama doing a lot of things. You see California, Colorado, even Alaska and Alabama, really working on getting their portion of the space industry. And I feel that Texas, even though we’ve been a historical leader in space, we’re kind of falling behind and we’ve taken our position for granted.”
Mendez said the upcoming legislative session can address the issue.
“I really would like to see the legislature allocate more funding for infrastructure, for incentives, to bring these companies here to Brownsville. We’re doing what we can, but our resources are limited. If we have more resources and more support from the Legislature, I really think we can diversify our assets on a statewide level and bring more of that industry here and keep those that are here in Texas.”
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