Loren Steffy

Insight from the Houston Chronicle's business columnist
(Photo: Houston Chronicle file)

Steffy: Electricity prices are going up – just ask Alice

It’s a riddle the Mad Hatter would love: Natural gas prices fall to a decade low. Electricity prices in Texas are pegged to natural gas prices. So what happens to electricity prices?  More »
Aubrey McClendon says when Goldman offered to add another $1 billion to its debt deal, it was a sign of confidence. It's not. Photo: Sue Ogrocki / AP2012

Steffy: Is Chesapeake’s gunslinger-in-chief headed for the sunset?

Every gunslinger eventually reaches a sunset, and Aubrey McClendon’s may be approaching.  More »
Aubrey McClendon, co-founder of Chesapeake Energy Corp., is pictured during an interview in Oklahoma City, Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2005. (AP Photo)

Amid adversity, Chesapeake offers daily tweet-spiration

Embattled Chesapeake Energy has been offering inspirational daily tweets as the company struggles with a falling stock price, weak natural gas prices and a wave of disclosures that has troubled investors and analysts.  More »

Amid adversity, Chesapeake offers daily tweet-spiration

[View the story "Tweeting inspiration" on Storify]  More »
Election-year politics have delayed what some thought was a slam-dunk effort to restore the Gulf following the Deepwater Horizon spill. Here, a boom is used to protect marshland in Terrebonne Parish on the Louisiana coast in 2010. Photo: Smiley N. Pool / Houston Chronicle

The oil spill ethics discussion revisited

A few weeks ago, I attended a discussion about ethics and oil spills at the Offshore Technology Conference. I was critical of the presentation by W.C. “Rusty” Riese, a geoscientist and adjunct professor at Rice University, for directing much of the criticism over the Gulf oil spill outwardly at the media, lawmakers and regulators.  More »

The oil spill ethics discussion revisited

A few weeks ago, I attended a discussion about ethics and oil spills at the Offshore Technology Conference. I was critical of the presentation by W.C. “Rusty” Riese, a geoscientist and adjunct professor at Rice University, for directing much of the criticism over the Gulf oil spill outwardly at the media, lawmakers and regulators. After [...]  More »
Aubrey McClendon, co-founder of Chesapeake Energy Corp., is pictured during an interview in Oklahoma City, Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2005. (AP Photo)

Chesapeake’s employees may be hit hardest by stock’s plunge

Chesapeake Energy’s employees are paying a high price for the company’s problems. Thousands of the company’s workers have retirement portfolios that are heavily invested in the company’s stock, which has fallen 40 percent in the past two months, Reuters reported.  More »

Chesapeake’s employees may be hit hardest by stock’s plunge

Thousands of the embattled natural gas company’s employees have their retirement tied up in Chesapeake stock.  More »
Welding crews are busy laying pipelines such as this one east of Karnes City, Texas in order to get oil and gas extracted from the Eagle Ford shale formation to market. Pipelines are critical because hauling by truck is more expensive. JOHN DAVENPORT/jdavenport@express-news.net

Deadliest danger for oil workers is on the road

Talk to almost anybody in the oil business and they’ll tell you it’s inherently dangerous.  More »

Deadliest danger for oil workers is on the road

An oil industry exemption from highway safety rules needs to be re-examined. It’s putting not just the oilfield workers at risk but the driving public as well.  More »
Carl Icahn (AP file photo/Mark Lennihan)

Carl Icahn: Chesapeake’s white knight?

Embattled Chesapeake Energy told analysts on a conference call this morning that it expects activist investor Carl Icahn to disclose a big stake in the Oklahoma City-based natural gas producer.  More »

Carl Icahn: Chesapeake’s white knight?

The activist investor may see embattled Chesapeake as more than just a passive investment.  More »
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