Interviewer: Bruce Causey

Affiliation: University of Houston

Joe Pratt is the coordinator of the Energy Management and Policy Group and teaches courses in international business and energy history and regulation. He became interested in oil through his family’s connection to the industry and his upbringing in Port Neches. His father worked in a refinery in the early days of the wildcatters and Pratt also worked at the refinery during his school breaks. This interview centers on the oil refining industry of Houston beginning with the discovery of Spindletop, how it helped introduce Houston as the oil capital of the world and attracted a flow of industrial workers. Dr. Pratt visits modern day refineries and compared them to the plants of the past by discussing the technological advances and the increasing amount of usable product per barrel of oil. There is an emphasis on sustainability and the future of oil refining in Houston and how it may affect the economy and climate. Dr. Pratt highlights the mutually beneficial relationship between the Houston Ship Channel and Houston’s oil industry.