In this episode of The Energy Forum, Abhi Rajendran and Skip York unpack the latest developments discussed at the Center for Energy Studies’ Oil Market Roundtable. The conversation examines how tensions involving Iran, evolving policy in Venezuela, and disruptions across global energy trade are influencing oil prices and market expectations.

They also explore the emerging divide between sanctioned and unsanctioned oil barrels, the ripple effects on diesel and LNG markets, and whether U.S. shale producers will respond to higher prices. With geopolitical risk rising and supply uncertainty growing, the discussion highlights why some analysts now see $70 as the new floor for oil prices.

This episode was recorded on March 5, 2026.

The United States has launched strikes on Iran — and global energy markets are already reacting. How far could this escalation reach, from the Strait of Hormuz to gasoline prices and electricity bills here at home?

Ambassador David Satterfield, director of Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is joined by Ken Medlock, director of the Center for Energy Studies, to unpack the energy implications of rising tensions in the Middle East.

They explore how potential disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz could affect oil and liquefied natural gas flows, the difference between kinetic threats and commercial risk, and how insurers and transport markets respond in moments of geopolitical uncertainty. The conversation also examines the short- and long-term impacts on global energy trade — including consequences for Europe, China, South Asia, and Russia — before turning to what American consumers may feel most directly: price changes at the pump and shifts in electricity costs tied to natural gas.

This conversation was recorded on March 3, 2026.

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Featured:

• Ken Medlock, Ph.D., https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/kenneth-b-medlock-iii

You can follow @BakerInstitute on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

Nearly a decade into Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia’s diversification drive is entering a more constrained phase: some initiatives are moving ahead, while others are being resized, delayed, or quietly shelved.

In this episode of ”The Energy Forum,“ host Jim Krane (Diana Tamari Sabbagh Fellow in Middle East Energy Studies) speaks with Karen Elliott House (journalist, author, and former managing editor at The Wall Street Journal) about what is changing inside the Kingdom, from the Public Investment Fund’s shifting priorities to the rise in women’s workforce participation, the AI push, regional security risks, and evolving relations with Iran. What does this shift mean for global energy markets and geopolitics? Subscribe and listen to “The Energy Forum” on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform. This episode was recorded on Feb. 18, 2026.

In this episode of The Energy Forum, host Michael Maher sits down with former CES Graduate Student Luke Min, who now works at ExxonMobil and current doctoral fellow Stan Kannegieter to discuss what it’s like pursuing a PhD through Rice University’s Baker Institute Center for Energy Studies (CES).

They explain how the program blends rigorous academic training with real-world application, and how working alongside policy researchers, industry experts, and global stakeholders builds not only technical expertise but also communication and credibility. The conversation explores career pathways beyond academia, how energy economists translate complex models into decisions companies trust, and why global perspective matters in modern energy systems.

Since 2006, CES has supported 47 PhD students and 8 postdoctoral fellows, and this episode offers a firsthand look at how that training turns research into impact across industry, government, and policy.

Artificial intelligence, data centers, and industrial growth are driving a new wave of electricity demand, while also placing growing pressure on water systems that underpin energy and infrastructure development.

In this special cross-posted episode from "Talking Under Water," hosted by Bob Crossen of Endeavor Business Media, Gabriel Collins of the Center for Energy Studies at the Baker Institute examines how water availability and cost are increasingly shaping decisions across energy and industrial sectors. The conversation explores data centers, oil and gas operations, power generation, and advanced manufacturing, with a focus on trade-offs among efficiency, resilience, and scale.

This episode appears on "The Energy Forum" feed as part of an ongoing partnership between the Center for Energy Studies and Endeavor Business Media, highlighting where energy and water challenges intersect — and why those connections matter for infrastructure planning and policy.

Oil markets are entering 2026 with rising geopolitical risk and an uneasy global supply balance. In this episode of “The Energy Forum,” Abhi Rajendran and Skip York break down what recent political developments in Venezuela and Iran could mean for crude oil production, prices, and long-term investment decisions.

This episode provides a timely look at where oil markets may be headed, what could tighten or loosen global balances, and why Venezuela could once again become strategically important for long-term supply portfolios.

Featured:

• Abhi Rajendran, https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/abhi-rajendran
• Skip York, Ph.D., https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/harold-skip-york

This conversation was recorded on Jan. 12, 2026.

You can follow @BakerInstitute and @CES_Baker_Inst on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

Oil markets are heading into 2026 with more uncertainty than prices suggest.

In this episode of “The Energy Forum,” Abhi Rajendran and Skip York discuss why oil prices have remained resilient despite apparent oversupply. They examine OPEC+ supply discipline, non-OPEC production growth, China’s oil stockpiling, and what these forces mean for market balance.

The conversation also explores geopolitics, sanctions, and tightening refining capacity, raising the risk that today’s soft crude prices could give way to higher fuel prices and a sharper rebound later this decade.

This conversation was recorded on Dec. 12, 2025.

Featured guests:

• Abhi Rajendran, https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/abhi-rajendran
• Skip York, Ph.D., https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/harold-skip-york

You can follow @BakerInstitute and @CES_Baker_Inst on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.

In this episode of “The Energy Forum,” energy and transportation policy fellow Ed Emmett talks with Michael Graff, former chairman and CEO of American Air Liquide, about hydrogen’s past, present, and future. Together, they explore how this versatile fuel fits into today’s energy transition and what it will take to make it a truly global solution.

This conversation was recorded on Oct. 29, 2025.

Follow Ed Emmett on X (@EdEmmett) and LinkedIn.

You can follow @BakerInstitute and @CES_Baker_Inst on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.