Energy
May 20, 2021
Haunting Images of the Permian Bust
Famed portrait photographer Dan Winters shifted his focus to a new character, the Permian Basin, as the storied region weathered a historic oil bust.
Oil Bust
Energy
June 18, 2020
The “Mother Fracker” Reckons With the Mother of All Oil Busts
Pioneer CEO Scott Sheffield has been through more ups and downs than just about anyone in the business. This bust, he says, will change everything—forever.
Energy
June 18, 2020
Can a Renewables Boom Put Texans Back to Work?
After the oil bust, wind and solar energy might be the Permian Basin’s best hope.
Boomtown
April 30, 2020
Boomtown Follow-up: The One-Two Punch
Christian Wallace talks to some familiar faces from the Boomtown series in an attempt to understand what happened on April 20, 2020—when oil prices went negative for the first time in history.
Boomtown
April 24, 2020
Boomtown Host Christian Wallace on a New Reckoning for Texas Oil
On a special edition of ‘The National Podcast of Texas,’ the West Texas native and former roughneck explains this week’s record-setting price plunge and weighs its long-term impact on the state’s once-thriving energy business.
Energy
April 23, 2020
Tim Dunn Is Against the Nanny State—Except When It Might Help His Oil Business
The ultra-conservative financier wants the government out of the pandemic business, but is open to a bailout of the oil industry.
News & Politics
April 15, 2020
The Railroad Commission’s Free-Market Values Put to Test at Oil Production Hearing
The energy industry regulator heard arguments on implementing proration in Texas for the first time in half a century. And the meeting got heated.
Energy
March 9, 2016
Buy A Mansion And Get A Free Tesla, Then Further Destroy Houston’s Economy
It sounds like a sweet deal, but it doesn't make sense for the Bayou City.
The Daily Post
October 1, 2015
Houston’s Real Estate Market Feeling The Effects Of Oil’s Price Drop
Don’t be fooled by claims of economic diversification—the city still runs on oil.
Burka Blog
August 25, 2015
Oil Price Anxiety Forecast: Mild Consternation
Let’s not overreact, but let’s not underreact either.
The Culture
March 11, 2013
The Bust of Times
Can Texas’s oil and natural gas boom keep going forever?
Business
November 1, 1988
How Houston Beat the Bust: Branching Out
An entrepreneur captures customers in public rest rooms. A high-tech plant moves from oil to medicine. Space and biomedical manufacturing are finally off the drawing boards. And a former union boss becomes a bingo mogul.
Energy
November 1, 1988
How Houston Beat the Bust (Sort Of)
This story is from Texas Monthly’s archives. We have left it as it was originally published, without updating, to maintain a clear historical record. Read more here about our archive digitization project. Once Texans thought the boom would never end. Then they thought the bust
Energy
May 1, 1988
The Wait for Deliverance
Despite all the mewling from the oil patch, there are still ways to make money at $15 a barrel. Here’s our guide to surviving the terrible teens.
Business
December 1, 1986
Making It in the Bust
At a time when Texas seems to have lost its gift for creating fortunes, there has emerged a group of entrepreneurs who are making money by catering to the needs of people who are going broke.