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$50M clean fuels investment deal, Houston low-carbon project — and more trending energy transition news

Here are the top stories for the week within Houston energy transition news. Photo via Getty Image

Editor's note: From Christmas tree recycling to a $50 million clean fuels deal, these are the top headlines that resonated with EnergyCapital readers on social media and daily newsletter this week.

What to know about the new emission inspection to register your car in Texas

An inspection is no longer required to renew registration, but an emission evaluation is. Photo by Manuel Velasquez/Unsplash

Beginning January 1, 2025, Texas vehicle owners will no longer need to obtain a safety inspection prior to vehicle registration. House Bill 3297, passed during the 88th Legislature in 2023, eliminates the safety inspection program for non-commercial vehicles.

Under the new law, the $7.50 fee that drivers had to pay as a safety inspection fee has not gone away. It now appears on your registration notice under a new name: "Inspection Program Replacement Fee."

This name change comes courtesy of the legislature, who want to keep collecting this fee because the funds go to state programs such as construction and expansion of state highways — funds they previously collected from the Safety Inspection Fee. Continue reading.

City of Houston provides recycle stations for Christmas tree drop off

Now that it's less merry and bright, do the right thing and recycle your tree with the city of Houston. Photo by Daeun Kim on Unsplash

As the holiday season comes to a close, you might be wondering what's the most sustainable way to say goodbye to your beloved Christmas tree. A city program has your solution.

The city of Houston's Solid Waste Management Department has opened 22 residential tree drop-off recycling locations throughout the area. Locals can take their live trees to one of these centers across the city, where they will be repurposed for mulch or other landscape materials.

This tree recycling program, which runs Thursday, December 26, 2024, through Friday, January 24, 2025, is part of the city of Houston for the 34rd annual tree mulching event. Continue reading.

Houston clean fuels co. secures $50M investment from Diamondback Energy subsidiary

With the deal, Midland, Texas-based Cottonmouth will make a $50 million equity investment into Houston-based Verde. Image via Shutterstock

Verde Clean Fuels announced the entry into a stock purchase agreement with Cottonmouth Ventures, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Diamondback Energy.

With the deal, Midland, Texas-based Cottonmouth will make a $50 million equity investment into Houston-based Verde.

The investment will consist of the purchase of 12.5 million shares of Verde’s Class A common stock at a purchase price of $4.00 per share. Closing of the investment is anticipated to occur during the first quarter of the new year, which will be subject to satisfaction of customary closing conditions. The investment would represent the second investment by Cottonmouth in Verde over the past two years, which would equal a total investment of $70 million. This would make Cottonmouth the second largest shareholder of Verde.

“We are pleased to further our relationship with Diamondback and continue advancing our plans to deploy our technology through the development of commercial production plants,” Ernest Miller, CEO of Verde, says in a news release. “Diamondback is a strategic industry partner at the forefront of bringing sustainable operational practices to the oilfield and supporting the overall transition to clean energy.” Continue reading.

Robotics co. with growing Houston presence closes series B

The advanced submersible robotics company will put the funds toward international expansion. Photo courtesy of Square Robot

Houston- and Boston-based Square Robot Inc. closed a series B round of funding last month.

The advanced submersible robotics company raised $13 million, according to Tracxn.com, and says it will put the funds toward international expansion.

"This Series B round, our largest to date, enables us to accelerate our growth plans and meet the surging global demand for our services,” David Lamont, CEO, said in a statement. Continue reading.

ExxonMobil, Worley to bring low-carbon hydrogen project to Baytown

The facility in Baytown is expected to produce 28.3 million cubic meters of low-carbon hydrogen daily. Photo via exxonmobil.com

ExxonMobil selected Australia-based engineering and professional services company Worley to provide engineering, procurement and construction services for a proposed hydrogen and ammonia production facility in Baytown, which is expected to have a production capacity of 1 billion cubic feet of blue hydrogen per day. ExxonMobil expects the facility will be the largest of its kind in the world.

“We are delighted to continue our strategic, global relationship with ExxonMobil in its execution of upcoming projects, particularly in delivering this EPC project on the US Gulf Coast, which contributes significantly to strengthening Worley’s backlog,” Chris Ashton, CEO of Worley, states, according to Offshore Energy. Continue reading.

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A View From HETI

Chevron ranks among America's best places to work. Photo courtesy of Chevron

Nearly a dozen public and private Houston-based companies have been hailed among the best places to work in 2025 by U.S. News and World Report, with four from the energy sector.

The annual "U.S. News Best Companies to Work For" report examines thousands of publicly-traded companies around the world to determine the best employers based on six metrics including work-life balance and flexibility; quality of pay and benefits; job and company stability; career opportunities and professional development; and more. The companies were not ranked, but included based on reader surveys and publicly available data about each workplace.

New for the 2025-2026 ratings,U.S. News expanded its methodology to include privately owned companies and companies with internship opportunities for recent graduates and new, current, and prospective students. Companies were also grouped into job-specific and industry-specific lists, and the publication also added a new list highlighting "employers that are particularly friendly to employees who are also caregivers in their personal lives."

U.S. News included seven publicly-traded companies and four privately owned companies in Houston on the lists.

Houston-based energy companies on the list

It may not come as a surprise that oil and gas corporation Chevron landed at the top of the list of top public employers in the Energy Capital of the World. The energy giant currently employs more than 45,000 people, earns $193.47 billion in annual revenue, and has a market cap of $238.74 billion. The company earned high ratings by U.S. News for its job stability, "belongingness," and quality of pay.

Chevron also appeared in U.S. News'industry-specific "Best in Energy and Resources" list, the "Best Companies in the South" list, and the "Best for Internships" list.

Chevron is joined by three other Houston energy leaders:

  • Calpine – Best in Energy and Resources; Best Companies (overall)
  • ConocoPhillips – Best in Energy and Resources; Best Companies (overall); Best in Caregiving; Best Companies in the South
  • Occidental – Best in Energy and Resources; Best Companies (overall); Best Companies in the South

Other top companies to work for in Houston are:

  • American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) — Best in Engineering and Construction; Best Companies (overall)
  • Hines – Best in Real Estate and Facilities Management; Best Companies (overall)
  • Insperity, Kingwood – Best in Healthcare and Research; Best Companies (overall); Best in Caregiving; Best Companies in the South
  • KBR – Best in Engineering and Construction; Best Companies (overall); Best Companies in the South
  • Men's Warehouse – Best in Consumer Products; Best Companies (overall)
  • PROS – Best in Information Technology; Best Companies (overall); Best Companies in the South
  • Skyward Specialty Insurance – Best in Finance and Insurance; Best Companies (overall); Best Companies in the South
"'Best' is a subjective term relative to career satisfaction, and many aspects factor into someone’s decision to apply for a job with any given company," U.S. News said. "But some universally desired factors can contribute to a good workplace, such as quality pay, good work-life balance, and opportunities for professional development and advancement

In all, 30 employers headquartered in the Lone Star State made it onto U.S. News' 2025-2026 "Best Places to Work For" lists. Houston and the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area tied for the most employers make the list, at 11 companies each. Diamondback Energy in Midland was the only company from West Texas to make it on the list for the second year in a row.

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A version of this article originally appeared on CultureMap.com.

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