Columbia Energy Exchange

Recent Episodes

1. Six Months In: Iran War Widens as Energy Markets Feel the Shock

   Sep 15, 2026

   Jason Bordoff hosts three scholars from Columbia University's Center on Global Energy Policy to discuss the widening Iran conflict six months after the collapse of the Memorandum of Understanding. The conversation covers the tightening oil markets, attacks on Saudi infrastructure, Houthi advances in the Red Sea, and the strain on global energy supply—with crude breaking $100/barrel and diesel prices exceeding $6/gallon in the US. The guests analyze whether this is becoming a multi-front regional war, the exhaustion of strategic buffers, and the possible paths to resolution.

2. Luisa Palacios and Bob McNally on Why the US-Venezuela Oil Deal Matters

   Sep 8, 2026

   Jason Bordoff interviews energy experts Luisa Palacios and Bob McNally about the Trump administration's controversial August 2024 deal granting North American Blue Energy Partners (NABEP) development rights to 17 Venezuelan oil fields containing approximately 65 billion barrels of reserves, with the U.S. government taking a 35% equity stake. The discussion examines the legal ambiguities under Venezuelan law, the lack of transparency and competitive bidding, concerns about durability given Venezuela's political instability, and whether this arrangement—intended to mobilize investment—actually creates more risk than it mitigates. The guests debate whether the deal serves U.S. energy security interests and compare it to the long, volatile history of U.S.-Venezuela oil relations.

3. DOE's Audrey Robertson on Growing US Critical Mineral Supply

   Sep 1, 2026

   Assistant Secretary of Energy Audrey Robertson discusses her office's mission to restructure and secure America's critical mineral and energy supply chains. The conversation covers vulnerabilities in domestic mineral processing, initiatives like Project Vault, and how the administration evaluates return on investment for taxpayer dollars. Robertson shares insights on emerging technologies including advanced geothermal and small modular nuclear reactors, and explains why the U.S. approach to critical minerals differs from its successful shale revolution.

4. Editor's Pick: Rajiv Shah on Delivering Universal Abundant Energy Access

   Aug 25, 2026

   Rajiv Shah, President of The Rockefeller Foundation, discusses the launch of a high-level panel on universal energy abundance in partnership with Columbia University's Center on Global Energy Policy. Shah explains why energy access—specifically reliable, affordable, productive power—is central to economic development and human dignity in emerging economies. The conversation explores the gap between basic electricity access (700 million people) and productive energy abundance (2+ billion people needing ~1,000 kWh per capita annually), and examines the institutional, financial, and policy challenges required to mobilize investment at scale while navigating geopolitical fragmentation and climate considerations.

5. Matthew Yglesias on Abundance and the Politics of Energy

   Aug 18, 2026

   Matthew Yglesias, author of the Slow Boring newsletter and co-host of The Argument podcast, discusses how energy policy has become disconnected from economic policy in Democratic politics. He argues that clean energy progress is more durable when tied to economic growth, industrial capacity, and affordability rather than climate sacrifice narratives, and examines political lessons from the Inflation Reduction Act and the challenges of balancing permitting reform with community concerns.

6. Luisa Palacios on Rebuilding Venezuela's Oil Industry After the Quakes

   Aug 11, 2026

   Dr. Luisa Palacios, adjunct senior research scholar at Columbia's Center on Global Energy Policy and former chairwoman of Sitco Petroleum (PDVSA's U.S. refining arm), discusses the state of Venezuela's energy sector following the January 2025 removal of President Nicolás Maduro and the devastating June earthquakes. The conversation covers oil production recovery, the reorientation of Venezuelan crude exports from China to U.S. Gulf Coast refineries, new hydrocarbon law reforms intended to attract foreign investment, and the critical role of institutional capacity-building and political transition in Venezuela's economic recovery.

7. Javier Blas on Lessons from Closing Hormuz (So Far)

   Aug 4, 2026

   Javier Blas, Bloomberg opinion columnist covering energy and commodities, discusses why the Strait of Hormuz closure and Middle East crisis—disrupting 10-15 million barrels per day for five months—has not triggered a catastrophic global energy crisis, despite historical precedent. The conversation explores the roles of China's strategic petroleum reserves and demand reduction, refining constraints, coal's resurgence, and structural shifts in energy markets including the energy transition, oversupply conditions, and presidential rhetoric's market impact.

8. Senator Alan Armstrong on Building American Energy Infrastructure

   Jul 28, 2026

   Senator Alan Armstrong, the newly appointed junior U.S. Senator from Oklahoma and former CEO of Williams Companies, discusses the urgent need for permitting reform to accelerate energy infrastructure development. Armstrong explains the structural barriers blocking projects—particularly NEPA litigation, state water quality certificate reviews, and judicial vacatur of lawfully issued permits—and outlines his legislative approach to streamline federal processes while maintaining environmental standards. The conversation covers the disconnect between broad bipartisan agreement on permitting reform's importance and the political obstacles preventing passage, as well as Armstrong's transition from 15 years leading a major natural gas company to serving in the Senate.

9. Tom Moerenhout and Tomasz Nadrowski on Fixing the Mineral Supply Chain

   Jul 21, 2026

   Tom Moerenhout, a professor at Columbia University and lead of the Critical Minerals Initiative at the Center on Global Energy Policy, and Tomasz Nadrowski, co-founder and portfolio manager at Amvest Teraden with 25 years of mining investment experience and author of "Mineral War," discuss China's dominance in critical mineral supply chains and strategies to build resilient Western alternatives. The conversation explores why private capital has underinvested in critical minerals despite their strategic importance, examines financial models that could accelerate domestic supply chain development, and analyzes how China weaponized its mineral monopoly as a geopolitical tool. The speakers argue that governments must address demand-side certainty, understand specific capital constraints across supply chain stages and jurisdictions, and implement comprehensive industrial policy rather than applying blunt investment instruments.

10. Suzanne Maloney on Whether Perpetual Conflict is New Normal for the Gulf

    Jul 14, 2026

    Suzanne Maloney, Vice President and Director of the Foreign Policy Program at the Brookings Institution, discusses the collapse of the US-Iran ceasefire and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. The conversation covers the current state of the Strait following the breakdown of the memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran, Iran's nuclear capabilities, energy market implications, and the broader geopolitical consequences for the Gulf region, including impacts on Israel, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia.