Texas energy industry recovering

HOUSTON — Two weeks after Hurricane Harvey slammed into the Texas coast, the local oil industry is getting back on its feet even as another powerful storm bears down on Florida.

The port of Houston and the state’s other major ports are almost back to normal operations, oil and gas production in South Texas is quickly ramping up, and eight of the 20 refineries that were totally or partly closed because of the storm are operating at normal levels. Eleven of the 12 other refineries that were affected are preparing to restart.

The resumption of operations has moderated the pain at the gasoline pump. The national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline was $2.67 on Friday morning, unchanged from the day before, though it had risen 15 cents in the last week alone, according to the AAA motor club. Prices in Florida have also stabilized, with a state of emergency declaration there limiting price increases to prevent gouging. In any case, many stations there have run out of fuel, with motorists filling up as a precaution or as they evacuate to less vulnerable areas.

‘‘I think we’ve probably run the course in terms of the price reaction,’’ said Tom Kloza, global head of energy analysis for the Oil Price Information Service, in large part because refineries are rapidly coming on line and Hurricane Irma does not threaten any refineries at the moment.

‘‘There is tremendous motive for refiners to return, because you are talking about profit margins for gasoline twice what they were a year ago,’’ he added.