SPECIAL REPORT: Texas Feels the Iran Oil Shock with Michael Webber

For a century, the Strait of Hormuz has been one of the world’s key energy choke points. But during the past couple of decades, the U.S. relationship to the shipping lane has changed. In this special episode of the Energy Capital Podcast, Josh Rhodes talks with Michael Webber about what the Iran conflict means now, especially for Texas. The U.S. is not as vulnerable to oil shortage as it once was, but greater energy self-sufficiency does not insulate the country from global prices. The U.S. now produces more oil and gas than it did in the 1970s, when another energy crisis rooted in the Middle East rattled the U.S. economy. That leaves the nation less vulnerable from a security perspective. But consumers in Texas are still tied to global markets through pricing, refining constraints, and fuel trade flows. As Webber explains, even if the country has enough energy overall, price spikes abroad can still show up here at the pump, and they can linger. The conversation gets into a few issues that will develop over the coming weeks and months: Why gasoline and diesel prices may rise with a delay, then fall more slowly than consumers expect. Why U.S. oil abundance does not fully protect Americans from disruption overseas. Why Texas benefits, and what’s at risk, from the state’s current energy mix. Rhodes and Webber also stress that resilience covers a range of issues: what resources can be refined, what generation and infrastructure can be built, and how quickly the system can adapt to challenges. That spotlights variables including refining capacity, permitting reform, and the roles of wind, solar, batteries, and electrification in reducing exposure to fuel volatility. The episode explores how Texas fits into a deeply interconnected global energy system, even after the state’s shale revolution.The unresolved question: if the disruption in the Middle East continues, where will the state’s real vulnerabilities start to show? Timestamps 00:00 - Iran Conflict & U.S. Exposure 02:29 - Why Prices May Rise 03:57 - Self-Sufficient, Still Coupled 06:07 - Texas Refining Constraints 08:03 - SPR, Export Bans, and Policy Tools 10:48 - Renewables, Gas, and Energy Security 16:35 - Affordability Politics 19:14 - Permitting Reform & Outro Resources People & Organizations Texas Energy & Power (Website (https://www.texasenergyandpower.com/p...) - LinkedIn (  / texas-energy-and-power  ) - YouTube (   / @texasenergyandpower  ) ) Joshua Rhodes (LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-d-...) ) IdeaSmiths (Website (https://www.ideasmiths.com?utm_source...) - LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/idea...) ) Michael Webber (LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-e...) ) Webber Energy Group (Website (https://webberenergygroup.com?utm_sou...) - LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/webb...) ) International Energy Agency (Website (https://www.iea.org) ) U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve (Website (https://www.energy.gov/ceser/strategi...) ) Company & Industry News US gasoline prices soar past $3.75 a gallon as Middle East war rages on (https://www.reuters.com/business/ener...) Oil settles up 9% as Iran vows to keep Strait of Hormuz closed (https://www.reuters.com/business/ener...) Goldman Sachs raises Q4 Brent, WTI crude price forecast amid longer Hormuz disruption (https://www.reuters.com/business/ener...) Here’s the energy policy we need for the war in Iran (https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opin...) Related Podcasts by Energy Capital Podcast Build Fast or Fall Behind with Michael Webber (https://www.texasenergyandpower.com/p...) Interview with Energy Expert Dr. Michael Webber (https://www.texasenergyandpower.com/p...) Related Posts by Texas Energy & Power The Growing Importance of Energy Efficiency (https://www.texasenergyandpower.com/p...) Why Are Energy Bills Rising So Fast? (https://www.texasenergyandpower.com/p...) Transcript Joshua Rhodes (00:05.558) Welcome to the Energy Capital podcast. This is a bit of a spec...