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Leslie Chats with Charles Boustany on the US Energy Boom and the Need for a Long-Term Energy Policy
55 Plays4 days ago
The United States is celebrating roughly a decade of transforming the shale revolution into a global LNG export powerhouse. But as geopolitical tensions rise and electricity demand surges from AI and data centers, new questions are emerging about America’s long-term energy strategy.
In this new Energy Vista episode, Leslie Palti-Guzman sits down with former Congressman Charles Boustany to discuss the extraordinary transformation of Louisiana and the United States into a dominant force in global energy markets.
The conversation explores how the US became a net exporter of oil and gas, whether America’s energy abundance strengthens its geopolitical leverage, and how policymakers should think about energy planning in an era of growing power demand, industrial competition, and global instability.
The conversation also explores the importance of historical perspective in energy and geopolitics. Charles reflects on his long-standing passion for history and his decision to pursue a PhD in the field.
This is an insightful exchange at the intersection of energy, industrial policy, geopolitics, and American competitiveness.
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Transcript
Introduction to Energy Vista
00:00:05
lpaltiguzman
Welcome to Energy Vista, a podcast on energy issues where we make experts great again and contribute actively to the public debate and policymaking around commodities, the geopolitics of energy and trade. I'm your host, Leslie Palti-Guzman.
00:00:20
lpaltiguzman
It's May 8, 2026, and time for a new Energy Vista episode.
Career of Charles Bustin
00:00:26
lpaltiguzman
Today my guest is Charles Bustin, who served for the US Congress from 2005 to 2017 and seventeen and a rib represented a coastal district in Louisiana known for its agricultural production, oil and gas industry, chemical industry, manufacturing, and international trade.
00:00:47
lpaltiguzman
In the area of foreign policy, ah Charles had a pivotal role in positioning the US as an exporter of LNG.
Charles's Expertise and Education
00:00:56
lpaltiguzman
And we're going to discuss some of that today. Charles was also recognized for his expertise in foreign policy, international trade, energy policy, healthcare, care and US-China relations.
00:01:07
lpaltiguzman
ah Prior to Congress, Charles was a cardiovascular um and thoracic surgeon in Louisiana. And so that's a very interesting background. And I'm very delighted to have Charles here with us.
Reconnection of Leslie and Charles
00:01:22
lpaltiguzman
I must add also that currently Charles is pursuing a PhD in history focused on modern Europe. And he just um received a master's degree in history. So congratulations.
00:01:37
lpaltiguzman
Hi, Charles.
00:01:38
Charles Boustany
Well, Leslie, it's great to be with you.
00:01:41
lpaltiguzman
Thank you. And I must say that recently I was in Louisiana and I crossed a part of the state. And as I was on the highway, I noticed a big billboard with your picture. And I said, oh, I know Charles. And so that's how we reconnected. But we've been in touch for a couple of years now.
00:02:00
lpaltiguzman
And I think the first time we had met may have been at the asian and National Asian Research Bureau. in Washington DC at some of the events. so I'm very happy to have you today on the podcast.
00:02:13
Charles Boustany
Well, I'm really happy to join you. I do remember the first time we met, I think we were both on a panel dealing with liquefied natural gas and its relevance relevance to energy security in Asia.
00:02:26
Charles Boustany
So a lot has happened since then um in many respects and in many in in some respects, nothing's changed.
00:02:29
lpaltiguzman
Yeah.
00:02:33
Charles Boustany
There's still crises going on in the energy world and and with regard to energy security.
US LNG Export Journey and Energy Crisis
00:02:40
lpaltiguzman
Absolutely. So actually, the US has just celebrated its 10-year anniversary of US LNG exports. It's been a decade or so that we've seen the impact of transforming the Shell Gas Revolution into a big, successful global export story. And the US has become a net exporter of oil and gas.
00:03:03
lpaltiguzman
So a major transformation you've witnessed all of that, like, because you were in the Congress starting in 2025 and the Shell Gas Revolution, 2005, and the Shell Gas Revolution happened around 2008, 2009, like a major ah transformation for the country.
00:03:21
lpaltiguzman
So as you mentioned, like we are witnessing an energy crisis. Then in some ways, the US is more isolated and more protected than any other ah countries maybe around the world, with China maybe.
00:03:35
lpaltiguzman
ah But at the same time, there are still some hiccups, right? where We see higher gasoline prices, maybe risk of inflation. so You know, are we in a good place now ah in the US? Are we well positioned thanks to this shale gas revolution? or do you still think that the US is still lacking a coherent long term energy strategy?
00:04:00
lpaltiguzman
And ah should we move more towards some kind of planification or at least coordination when it comes to energy energy security and infrastructure?
00:04:11
Charles Boustany
Well, I think we're certainly
Infrastructure Challenges in Energy Export
00:04:12
Charles Boustany
in a better place since the shale revolution because it's it's created better opportunities now for us um to supply, but you know meet our needs with oil and gas.
00:04:25
Charles Boustany
ah And we can help our allies as well with exports. So I think that's a positive, but I still think we lack ah a true energy policy in this country.
00:04:37
Charles Boustany
And if you... Clearly, the Iran crisis has unmasked many problems. And yes, we are somewhat insulated, but we're still seeing elevated prices of oil with West Texas Intermediate kind of
00:04:55
lpaltiguzman
Not of natural gas, by the way, with Henry re Hub, which is still lower than $3 million BTU.
00:05:00
Charles Boustany
Right, right. But, you know, with oil up um and the price of gasoline and refined products rising, that's a problem. And it's creating hardship across the country the longer this goes.
00:05:15
Charles Boustany
But it's very interesting with natural gas because we have such ah ah an an immense supply of natural gas. um it's It's basically keeping the price low here in this country because we cannot export as much as what's needed around the world right now because of the crisis. The infrastructure is just not there.
00:05:39
Charles Boustany
We built out LNG facilities to export, but the demand in Asia, the demand in Europe and other places is higher than what we can meet with our current infrastructure.
00:05:52
Charles Boustany
And so when
00:05:53
lpaltiguzman
And also so the the infrastructure in the US is still ramping up. So we have many projects that are still under construction. And you know by 2030, we'll have like almost a double of the current export capacity that we have right now.
00:06:08
Charles Boustany
Right. That's right. That's right. But
Need for Diversified Energy Policy
00:06:10
Charles Boustany
that's that's not going to take care of the crisis now. And I think what's happened is we're really realizing the limitations we have um because of the iran crisis the Iran war and the crisis that's followed that.
00:06:13
lpaltiguzman
Yeah.
00:06:25
Charles Boustany
um Of course, the Europeans and the Asian countries are all feeling ah ah a strong pinch because of the the lack of supply and the price problems.
00:06:37
Charles Boustany
So, again, we're we're experiencing a significant energy crisis because the Strait of Hormuz is closed. But at the same time, um The US could do more, but we lack the infrastructure to deal with it.
00:06:52
Charles Boustany
And so um we still haven't solved the energy crisis problem and and and there will be future wins likely, which is why I say we do need a we need a better energy policy.
00:07:03
lpaltiguzman
Mm-hmm.
00:07:04
Charles Boustany
we need ah We need a real energy policy in this country, which looks at the diversity of sources, looks at our needs, it It takes into account that we're not seeking energy independence in the US so much or energy dominance, but really energy security broadly. What provides energy security for the United States along with our partners around the world in Europe and in Asia?
00:07:30
Charles Boustany
So that's what's missing. And, you know, an energy policy that looks at diversity of sources takes into consideration affordability for the consumer.
00:07:42
Charles Boustany
an energy policy that looks at the most appropriate use of different types of sources of energy, whether it's for electricity or for transportation. These things, we really haven't we really haven't put those things into policy.
00:07:56
Charles Boustany
And and i think that that overall lack of policy and the and the wrong mindset
00:07:56
lpaltiguzman
Mm-hmm.
00:08:03
Charles Boustany
You know, leaning toward energy dominance rather than an energy security is is the way we need to go. We need to focus on energy security in a broad sense. um If we're going to have if we're goingnna like going to avoid future energy crises.
00:08:19
lpaltiguzman
Yeah, it's very interesting to me, the evolution of also the notion of all the above energy. Because, for example, under the Obama or Biden administration, it was more like about balancing oil and gas with renewables and emerging technologies and maybe create more space for energy.
00:08:39
lpaltiguzman
low carbon ah technologies and ah lower emission sources of energy. Well, right now, as you mentioned with the Trump administration, we hear more about um energy dominance, unleashing oil and gas, but also when you go beyond the the rhetoric, there is also an all of the above beyond strategy, all of the above strategy, which is more about not becoming too dependent on one sources, but diversifying the energy mix, especially at some state level.
Louisiana's Energy Diversification
00:09:13
lpaltiguzman
And as I mentioned, I was just back from Louisiana and I was struck by the fact that in general, the state, in terms of regulators and ah utilities, I think they are policy proofing themselves not to become overly dependent on natural and gas, for example. And also looking at ways that, um what the energy mix will look like in the future and prepare for those and making room for those additional sources of energy. So yes, oil and gas is a legacy and it's a boom for the states, but in the future, it might be a much more diversified energy mix too.
00:09:53
Charles Boustany
Yeah, fully agree with that. And I think um one of the problems we may have if we don't consider an all of the above strategy is we'll fail to promote innovation in the energy sector and Clearly, innovation is going to be necessary going into the future.
00:10:14
Charles Boustany
you know In China, there's a lot going on with battery technology. The US has now awakened to the need for developing advanced batteries and energy storage. And so I think these things are really important going into the future. and You know, if we embrace an energy strategy that looks at renewables, you know of course, solar and wind as well, but nuclear power and geothermal and and then storage capacity, then I think you create the kinds of diversification and redundancies to avoid
Energy Grid Redundancy Needs
00:10:50
Charles Boustany
major problems. So, for instance,
00:10:52
Charles Boustany
A few years ago when Texas experienced a deep freeze and their grid went down, significant and significant numbers of homes where and businesses were without were without electricity.
00:11:07
Charles Boustany
um This was a crisis and and there was no redundancy to replace what was down.
00:11:09
lpaltiguzman
Thank you.
00:11:14
Charles Boustany
and And so it became a problem. And so I think we need to continue to look at these kinds of these potential problems that can create disruption and understand what kind of policies help us mitigate those risks.
Federal vs State Energy Policy Debate
00:11:31
Charles Boustany
and And so that's why in all of the above policies, critically important in my view.
00:11:36
lpaltiguzman
And do you think the impulse for this kind of energy policy should come from the federal government or is it at the state level? I mean, we know that in the US it's a very complex system. If you look at the electricity, the way electricity works in the US, it's like a multitude of players.
00:11:53
lpaltiguzman
ah Utilities have a big role, but also some more local and like regional organizations and ah and regulators.
00:12:05
lpaltiguzman
and So what what do you think is the right approach, especially at a time when we see that some states are facing facing a surge in power demand due to the AI boom and some are hosting increasingly more data centers and it creates some backlash by fear of having ah an increased price in the electricity.
00:12:26
lpaltiguzman
So do you think that should trigger and more coordination and ah more um top to bottom approach?
00:12:39
Charles Boustany
The key word is coordination.
Balancing Energy Policy Elements
00:12:41
Charles Boustany
I think there's room for um regulation at the level local level, state level, and then federal level as well.
00:12:52
Charles Boustany
And then I think... um Coordination between states. So you could have regional regional compacts with regard to electricity that could be useful as well. You know, I saw the statistics a while back on the number of states that depend on Canada, for instance, for their electricity.
00:13:13
Charles Boustany
And um so i think I think you need a coordinated approach where policy is coordinated among local, state, federal, and maybe even some regional approaches through regional compacts that could be really useful in helping us to to harden our energy infrastructure in this country going forward, especially as new types of energy come on online.
00:13:43
lpaltiguzman
It's going to be ah also like trying to balance, you know, all the different priorities in terms of affordability, reliability, energy security, um lower emissions.
00:13:57
lpaltiguzman
ah Yeah, a lot of things to to jungle.
00:14:00
Charles Boustany
Right.
Role of Nuclear Power in Energy Diversification
00:14:01
Charles Boustany
Well, i think the other the other area is nuclear power and embracing nuclear power for what we can use it for and and and and also continuing with innovation in that area.
00:14:01
lpaltiguzman
Yeah.
00:14:17
Charles Boustany
um with regard to all the different issues that come up with it. So I think we shouldn't neglect nuclear power. I mean, you look at Europe right now, France, I think i think it's somewhere around between 70 and 80% of its electricity come from nuclear power.
00:14:33
Charles Boustany
Germany used to have significant nuclear power sources and they backed away from that.
00:14:34
lpaltiguzman
Yeah.
00:14:40
Charles Boustany
Now they are, they're in a, they're in a difficult situation where they're reliant upon exports of oil gas.
00:14:48
lpaltiguzman
Yeah. And, you know, the same the same happened in a way to the US, too, where, you know, before the Shell Gas Revolution, some states were doubling down on coal.
00:14:50
Charles Boustany
so
00:14:59
lpaltiguzman
Then, you know,
00:14:59
Charles Boustany
Right.
00:15:00
lpaltiguzman
There was a whole wave of coal closure because the US became ah washed with an abundance of natural gas. And then the Fukushima disaster happened and some of the nuclear plants that were in the pipelines, yeah you know, never got built. And there was kind of a a setback for for nuclear
Regional Energy Disparities
00:15:20
lpaltiguzman
powers. Now that we have this surge in electricity, again, we're into this thinking about bringing back nuclear and there are new technologies and some... um research and development happening around small small modular reactors, small scale reactors. So, you know, for regulators and um also for the private sector, it's like nobody knows, you know, what the next cycle will be. Like if there are is and a major incidence, a major supply shock, you know, demon shock, whatever is happening next,
00:15:58
lpaltiguzman
how do states and at this the federal level also can you policy proof your energy policy
00:16:05
Charles Boustany
Right. i think that I think a lot more thought needs to go into um addressing all those problems.
Energy Policy and Political Vulnerability
00:16:13
Charles Boustany
You know, we see shortages oftentimes up in the northeast of the country because it's hard to get gas and oil up there.
00:16:22
Charles Boustany
It has to be shipped. We don't have pipeline networks, and I understand all the issues around that.
00:16:23
lpaltiguzman
yeah
00:16:27
Charles Boustany
But um But then you end up with price discrepancies, for instance, where, um you know, gasoline and natural gas sources of energy are much cheaper in the south than they are up in the northeast.
00:16:44
Charles Boustany
And the northeast is more prone to shortages. So I think addressing those regional disparities in this country is an important part of energy policy. And again, I think it's going to require some combination of local, federal, and state coordination.
00:17:03
lpaltiguzman
And how do you make it bipartisan? Because the problem is that each time we have a switch in administration, you know the where we're flip-flopping the support for certain technologies or energies.
00:17:20
lpaltiguzman
and um And I think you know it' it it doesn't bring consistency in the long term and it could hurt you know the US national interest actually. i
00:17:32
Charles Boustany
Well, that's very true. And, you know, we saw a major shift between the Biden administration and this second Trump the trump administration. And there was a lot of investment, including federal money invested, as well as private sector money into renewables.
Non-partisan Leadership in Energy Policy
00:17:48
Charles Boustany
And then suddenly the the political environment changed and and that's created, you know a complete shift in policy. And so a lot of money was, you know, deployed in, in renewables and now it's it's sort of at a standstill.
00:18:05
Charles Boustany
um I think you're absolutely right. This should not be a partisan issue. um How do we get beyond that remains to be seen. There's no ready answer.
00:18:16
Charles Boustany
really comes down to leadership. And if leadership coming from the White House, leadership in the in the House and Senate decide to make energy a partisan issue, then it's going to be a partis partisan issue. And i think I think people in the country need to understand that if we want to solve these problems and have affordable energy and and and and certainty with regard to supply,
00:18:40
Charles Boustany
then let's not make it a partisan issue and demand that politicians at every level not make it partisan and and and so and solve problems. Let's base it on science. This is something that's easily based on science and engineering.
00:18:54
lpaltiguzman
Yep.
00:18:54
Charles Boustany
It's it's not like other areas of policy that you know that are more partisan by nature.
00:18:54
lpaltiguzman
Yep.
00:19:02
Charles Boustany
this This should be driven by science and yeah and real information. and and And as you said, I mean, as they build out these data centers, a lot of communities that are building these are going to have to address the you know some acute problems that could arise with regard to to energy.
00:19:08
lpaltiguzman
yep
00:19:20
Charles Boustany
So um it's time it's time to ah lower the temperature on the partisan politics and really focus on what science says about the policies.
00:19:30
lpaltiguzman
Yeah. ah Yeah. And also the point with data centers is that all the above energy is required to feed this ample thirst for electricity and energy.
00:19:43
Charles Boustany
Right.
00:19:43
lpaltiguzman
So I don't think, you know, we need oil and gas and we need all the rest and nuclear in the future. And maybe some states, you know, would produce more geothermal and some others would produce more solar. And and so it's it's going to be diverse in terms of the you know, depending on the states
Charles Bustin's Historical Passions
00:20:03
lpaltiguzman
within the US. s um But ideology should be left at the door to to make it a success.
00:20:12
Charles Boustany
right
00:20:14
lpaltiguzman
um So Charles, let's move to your personal non trajectory, which I think is fascinating.
00:20:21
lpaltiguzman
um So you just restarted studies on history and actually we're in May 8th, so there is no better way you know to address history, which is the victory day for world War II.
00:20:33
lpaltiguzman
and If you were talking to my kids, you know they know I'm a big advocate in teaching history to kids and teaching it well. And as a parent, you know, i worry a lot on how history is being taught these days at school.
00:20:48
lpaltiguzman
And I was wondering if you had any good advice for parents on how to to guide your kids in loving history.
00:20:57
Charles Boustany
Well, it's um for me, history ah really applies to all of us in terms of how we understand the world around us and the things that we do.
00:21:09
Charles Boustany
So take a few simple examples. if you If you're going to go into business, and you're going to try to put a business plan together. Surely surely you want to look at the market conditions and you know the supply and what's and and the potential customers. But it's it's also useful to understand the history behind the business um and the history of the community. It's just history is a tool that gives you ah knowledge that that prompts you to ask the right questions about things coming up in the future.
00:21:46
Charles Boustany
I don't know of any better guide than history ah for doing that kind of analysis. um You know, people come up with theories, but the only way to test a theory is to test it against history and see if the theory holds.
00:22:01
Charles Boustany
um But, ah you know, even i can say even in my medical career, the first thing I did when I saw a patient was ask them, OK, you came in with these symptoms. How did this all develop? and You start to put a story together to understand what your your approach will be to testing and x-rays and things of that of that nature to get to a diagnosis.
00:22:23
Charles Boustany
So I do think history is critically important for for any subject or endeavor that people take on. Because it again, it's the only guide ah that can prompt you to ask the right questions to make decisions about what's coming.
Ignoring Historical Precedents in Policy
00:22:42
lpaltiguzman
and Do you think we put enough emphasis on teaching history these days at school?
00:22:47
Charles Boustany
Yeah, I think it's it's been downplayed. um I think, and and it's also lately been subject to partisan approaches, and I think that's dangerous.
00:22:59
lpaltiguzman
Yeah.
00:22:59
Charles Boustany
I think it's important to to recognize that history is about trying to uncover as many facts as possible from the sources closest to what you're you're studying. and to And to have the analysis, but not to not to to use it for partisan purposes.
00:23:17
Charles Boustany
um I mean, if if it's being used as an analytical tool, But i think it's um and I think it's important for a country to understand its history, um the good and the bad, because that's what keeps us from making mistakes.
00:23:33
lpaltiguzman
Mm-hmm.
00:23:34
Charles Boustany
And that's what keeps us from being overly arrogant and subject to hubris. um And I'll take the Iran situation, for instance. The administration went into this war with Iran and ignored historical precedents.
00:23:50
Charles Boustany
They ignored the historical precedent and and basically law, the Constitution of the United States, by informing the Congress and the American people about why we were going to war and what the cost would be.
00:24:03
Charles Boustany
um So, you know, that's that's the kind of hubris that comes ah without understanding our own history. Secondly,
00:24:14
Charles Boustany
If this administration had spent time looking at ah the history of Iran and the potential for the use of the Strait of Hormuz as a choke point, they they would have planned ahead of time for how to deal with that.
00:24:30
Charles Boustany
and
00:24:30
lpaltiguzman
on On that point, like since I've been an expert on, I mean, an analyst, since I started my career as an energy analyst, I think every few years, you know, that topic of Iran threatening the threat of Hormuz and its closure came up like every two or three years, like as a threat.
00:24:47
Charles Boustany
Oh, right.
00:24:48
lpaltiguzman
But currently, it's the first time it has been applied. Yeah.
00:24:53
Charles Boustany
Right. So, you know history, history, again, it teaches us the right to ask the right questions before taking action.
00:25:02
lpaltiguzman
Yeah, but you can also you know pick your angles and decide to see what you want to see when you look at history. You know you you could decide to look at Iran and check, okay, how many wars did they won?
00:25:17
lpaltiguzman
you know The war with Iraq was a stalemate and neither Iraq or Iran won. and you know like There are different ways to look at things, as always. um But for sure, yeah it prevents you to make mistakes, to know history, and to know where you are going next.
Charles's Transition from Medicine to Politics
00:25:35
Charles Boustany
It's really important for policymakers.
00:25:38
lpaltiguzman
Yeah.
00:25:38
Charles Boustany
And i found in my 12 years serving in office, whether dealing with ah the you know various agencies of the federal government or within the halls of Congress, there was ah there was a significant ignorance of history and that oftentimes led to problems.
00:25:55
lpaltiguzman
Yeah. And so is it your third act? So first act was a doctor, second act a policymaker, third art act a historian. How did you move from one sector to another?
00:26:09
Charles Boustany
Yeah, well, I've always, but I've always loved history going way back to when I was in grade school and, and, and throughout my life, I've read history.
00:26:20
Charles Boustany
And when i retired, from the Congress, I, uh, I kind of doubled down on my reading of history and the more I i was reading, the more I was thinking, why not take some courses? So i I took a course in history at the university and realized I really like this. And so I decided that I would like to contribute to that field. and And so um my goal is to become a historian with a doctorate and maybe do some teaching and certainly research and writing.
00:26:52
Charles Boustany
and and also apply it in work as an analyst yeah
00:26:57
lpaltiguzman
Terrific. That's amazing. And you know you're you're kind of encompassing the definition of a humanist, like the Latin way where you know you endorse like culture and knowledge in different disciplines.
00:27:10
lpaltiguzman
So congratulations.
00:27:11
Charles Boustany
right
00:27:11
lpaltiguzman
ah
00:27:12
Charles Boustany
yeah
00:27:13
lpaltiguzman
Great. Well, Charles, it was a pleasure to exchange and I can't wait to hear, to maybe read your dissertation, your PhD dissertation soon.
00:27:22
Charles Boustany
Excellent. Yeah, it may take me a while, but all right.
00:27:23
lpaltiguzman
Well,
00:27:27
lpaltiguzman
well we'll be in touch.
00:27:28
Charles Boustany
But it was a pleasure to be with you today.
Conclusion and Reflection
00:27:30
lpaltiguzman
Same. Bye-bye.
00:27:31
Charles Boustany
Okay.
00:27:41
lpaltiguzman
This episode was recorded on May 8, 2026. man saying good day and good luck.