Overall Rating	Gold - expired
Overall Score	65.58
Liaison	Jim Walker
Submission Date	March 2, 2020

STARS v2.2

University of Texas at Austin
EN-14: Participation in Public Policy

Status	Score	Responsible Party
	0.67 / 2.00	Jim Walker Director of Sustainability, Financial, and Administrative Services University Operations

"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Local advocacy

Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the municipal/local level?:

A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the municipal/local level:

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Regional advocacy

Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the state/provincial/regional level?:

A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the state/provincial/regional level:

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National advocacy

Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the national level?:

Yes

A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the national level:

At the federal level, UT-Austin has and continues to advocate for increased funding for The U.S. Department of Energy research portfolio, including the Office of Science, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Energy Frontier Research Centers, Innovation HUBS, the Advanced Research Projects Agency—Energy (ARPA-E), and other programs that further energy research. UT Austin also engages in advocacy regarding policy and regulatory issues pertaining to the U.S. Department of Energy. Similarly, UT Austin is engaged in efforts at other federal agencies, such as NSF, EPA, etc., that pertain to or are focused on energy and general research.

International advocacy

Does the institution advocate for public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability at the international level?:

A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability at the international level:

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Optional Fields

A brief description of other political positions the institution has taken during the previous three years (if applicable):

Texas state agencies, including public higher education institutions, are limited in the manner in which they can advocate for issues (Chapter 556.006, Texas Government Code). However, UT Austin leadership have made public comments in support of voter referendum related to mass transit in the city and region, as well as in support of voter referendum related to the establishment of a medical school in which the university is a major partner.

None

A brief description of political donations the institution made during the previous three years (if applicable):

Not applicable.

Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainability advocacy efforts is available:

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Additional documentation to support the submission:

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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

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The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.