Hess Corporation Invests in Expansion of Texas Water Action Collaborative

March 21, 2022 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hess Corporation has invested in the expansion of the Texas Water Action Collaborative (TxWAC) to the entire Trinity River Basin. This investment is foundational in bringing funding and partners to conservation projects along the Trinity to provide benefits for water volume, water quality, air quality, and biodiversity.

Launched in March of 2021, TxWAC was developed to match companies and funders with conservation projects to positively benefit Texas' water resources. TxWAC was piloted in the Upper Trinity River Basin. With Hess Corporation's support, this model is expanding to the Lower Trinity River Basin in the first half of 2022. Plans are underway to expand TxWAC to another river basin in Texas by 2023. Texan by Nature (TxN) leads TxWAC and will facilitate the expansion.

Texas' population of 29 million people is expected to double by 2050, putting pressure on the state's land, water, wildlife, and infrastructure. As the 9th largest economy in the world with a GDP of $1.9T, new water opportunities and conservation actions are needed to maintain economic leadership and to ensure the vitality of our natural resources and communities. Hess Corporation's investment in TxWAC is intended as a catalyst for maintaining this position.

'Clean, healthy waterways are important to the state of Texas, as well as the Gulf of Mexico. This partnership with Texan by Nature on the TxWAC project is a great addition to the other water programs Hess is involved in and aligns with the commitment Hess has to clean water and addressing marine debris,' said Brock Hajdik, Vice President for Gulf of Mexico at Hess Corporation. 'We are excited to see the opportunities this brings forward.'

The goals of TxWAC expansion are to:

• Benefit the quality and volume of water of the Trinity River;
• Spread awareness and education regarding the need for water conservation and projects that have succeeded;
• Build collaborative relationships to align goals, metrics, and timelines between conservation organizations, corporate entities, and communities;
• Provide a matching methodology for funding, activity, measurement, and reporting of water conservation projects;
• Build a replicable model for all Texas river systems.

TxWAC began successfully matching projects to funding in the Upper Trinity in October 2021 when PepsiCo and Facebook funded a Ducks Unlimited wetland project as a result of the TxWAC process. Texan by Nature facilitates this process through initiative leadership, survey data, matching methodology, and partnership development.

'TxWAC is quickly becoming a premier example of collaborative conservation. We're proud to act as the trusted broker and accelerate the rate at which conservation projects are funded. and replicated along Texas river systems. Hess Corporation's leadership in funding this expansion is a catalyst for the multiplicative impact TxWAC will achieve,' says Joni Carswell, CEO & President of Texan by Nature.

Future plans for the Texas Water Action Collaborative include expansion and replication, scoping high impact and high return water projects for Texas, developing software to manage and visualize data as the collaborative grows, and reporting the results of successfully funded projects through TxWAC.

Texan by Nature's efforts to convene and accelerate statewide initiatives such as TxWAC are made possible due to the support from partners that are dedicated to conservation, like Hess Corporation. Additional support of the Texas Water Action Collaborative is provided by Lyda Hill Philanthropies, Molson Coors Beverage Company, Coca-Cola Company, and Tarrant Regional Water District.

To learn more about the Texas Water Action Collaborative, visit: https://texanbynature.org/projects/texas-water-action-collaborative/

ABOUT TEXAN BY NATURE:

Texan by Nature, founded by former First Lady Laura Bush, brings conversation and business together, acting as an accelerator for conservation groups and a strategic partner for business. TxN supports 110+ conservation organizations and has accelerated projects and programs that have impacted 7 million-plus people, 20 million acres, and all of Texas' 254 counties. Get involved and learn more at texanbynature.org. Follow on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram @TexanbyNature.

ABOUT HESS CORPORATION:

Hess Corporation is a leading global independent energy company engaged in the exploration and production of crude oil and natural gas. Learn More About Hess' Commitment to Sustainable Business Practices. More information about Hess Corporation is available at http://www.hess.com.