Oil prices Monday fell below 50 dollars a barrel for the first time since 2009. That’s a drop of more than 55 percent since June. Sure, gas prices are low, but in a city like Houston, where the oil and gas industry is such a strong economic driver, plunging oil prices are met with hand-wringing. If we're saving at the pump, who's losing? And what does it mean in the long run for the rest of us in Greater Houston?
On this edition of Houston Matters, we consider the winners and losers of low fuel prices. From the oil and gas industry, to industries and communities most strongly impacted by the petrochemical industry, to consumers at the pumps, to real estate, to non-profits who benefit from corporate donations, and beyond. Is it, ultimately, good or bad for Greater Houston when oil prices drop this much this fast?
We welcome your questions and comments for Richard Stubbe, Houston Bureau Chief and Editor on Energy Markets for Bloomberg News, energy communications consultant A.D. Koen, and Christopher Ross, Executive Professor of Finance at the University of Houston’s Bauer College of Business and past chairman of the oil and gas policy subcommittee of the Greater Houston Partnership.
Also this hour: Craig Biggio received the official word Tuesday — he’ll enter the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. He’s the first career-long Astro to receive the honor. We hear from Biggio and some of his fellow Astros players, broadcasters, and managers.
Plus: Artist Jennifer May Reiland grew up near Rice University, and was a graduate of the High School for Performing and Visual Arts. She studied art in New York, Spain, and France. Her work will be featured in an exhibition called “Veronicas” at the Redbud Gallery in the Heights. Reiland discusses her first solo show, in her hometown, with Houston Matters’ Edel Howlin.
