HOUSTON -- If there’s one thing that politicians dislike, it’s being told that they’re wrong and have been for years, former U.S. Sen. John E. Sununu said Feb. 7 at an Association of International Petroleum Negotiators gathering.

Such is the case with shale oil and gas, which has made cheap, clean-burning energy available through innovation and visionary leaders.

“There’s no guarantee that faced with the facts, Congress will do the right thing,” Sununu said to laughs. “If it’s any consolation, and I’m an engineer by training, technology usually wins.”

The ...