Houston Matters

Is the Boom in Shale Gas Production Over, or Just Pausing?

Posted on · Is the boom in shale gas production — as a recent Houston Chronicle article suggested — “starting to waver?” It’s not that there isn’t more gas trapped beneath shale to capture (though that supply is not indefinite), a question the industry is asking now is: with crude oil fetching far less per barrel than it […]

Houston Matters

Amidst Low Oil Prices, What Will Landmark Fine Mean for Schlumberger?

Posted on · Schlumberger, the world's largest oilfield services company, whose domestic offices are based here in Greater Houston, has agreed to pay more than $232 million for violating U.S. sanctions in Iran and Sudan. The subsidiary Schlumberger Oilfield Holdings Limited will also plead guilty to conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act or IEEPA. Other […]

Full Show

Schlumberger’s Record Fine and Texting While Driving: Thursday’s show (March 26, 2015)

Posted on · Schlumberger, the world's largest oilfield services company, whose domestic offices are based here in Greater Houston, has agreed to pay more than $232 million for violating U.S. sanctions in Iran and Sudan. The subsidiary Schlumberger Oilfield Holdings Limited will also plead guilty to conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act or IEEPA. Other […]

Houston Matters

Does Houston’s Economic Growth Have a Dark Side?

Posted on · Late last month, Forbes magazine published its list of the fastest growing U.S. cities for 2015. Houston ranked No. 1. Austin was No. 2. Dallas was third. Fort Worth and San Antonio also cracked the top ten. The list is based on population growth, employment data, and other economic indicators. Even with oil prices dropping […]

Houston Matters

How are Low Oil Prices Affecting Houston’s Real Estate Market?

Posted on · As discussed previously on this program, the Urban Land Institute and Price Waterhouse Cooper’s “Emerging Trends in Real Estate 2015” report suggests Houston is the country’s number one “market to watch” this year. So, Houston Matters will do just that, periodically, throughout 2015. It’s been a seller’s market in real estate here in Houston for […]

Good, Bad and Ugly

Senate Rule Change, HERO Trial, and Oil Layoffs: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of Houston News

Posted on · From rule changes in the Texas Senate to the beginning of a trial over Houston’s Equal Rights Ordinance, and from layoffs in the oil and gas industry to a temporary stoppage of work to remove bricks from a street in Freedmen’s Town: our panel of non-experts discusses The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of […]

Houston Matters

Who Are the Winners and Losers When Fuel Prices Drop?

Posted on · 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. […]

Full Show

Winners and Losers of Low Fuel Prices: Houston Matters for Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015

Posted on · 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. […]

Houston Matters

Federal Investigators: Chemical Industry Has A Safety Crisis

Posted on · The U.S. Chemical Safety Board says the industry it oversees is experiencing a safety crisis. The board investigates industrial accidents, and it says recent deadly explosions and chemical leaks in Texas make a strong case for action. We discuss the issue with News 88.7’s energy and environment reporter Dave Fehling.

Houston Matters

Pumps and Pipes: What Can the Medical and Oil and Gas Industries Learn from Each Other?

Posted on · We all know two of Houston’s biggest industries are oil and gas and medicine, and that those industries employ some of Greater Houston’s brightest minds. So what could all those bright minds accomplish if they joined forces? That’s the purpose of the 8th annual Pumps and Pipes conference on Monday, which seeks to find ways […]

Good, Bad and Ugly

Oil Layoffs, Holiday Travel and BBQ Blunders: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of Houston News

Posted on · From some potential layoffs in the Houston oil and gas industry, to a bustling holiday travel season getting underway, to a journalist’s errors in an article about Texas barbecue: we discuss The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of this week’s Houston news (albeit a shortened holiday week). Our panel of non-experts this week includes: […]

Houston Matters

Are Companies at Risk when the CEO is in the Cockpit?

Posted on · CEOs are dying in private plane crashes more often than you might think. Why? And what does it have to do with Houston? Well, the connection lies in the oil and gas industry, and industries like it, and how the personalities of CEOs which allow them to be calculated risk-takers also lead some of them […]

Houston Matters

Offshore Technology Conference Brings Even More Oil and Gas Attention to Houston

Posted on · More than 90,000 people from more than 120 countries are expected to attend the 45th Offshore Technology Conference this week. Oil and gas industry executives, scientists and engineers will have access to the latest technical information and equipment. It's also an opportunity for local students and professionals to network. On this edition of Houston Matters, […]