Our Punchbowl News HQ activation was a hit at the RNC in Milwaukee Wednesday where we had people gathering for coffee, snacks, live conversations and even an ice cream social in partnership with Snapchat.
The main-stage conversations included an interview on energy policy with Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas), and a fireside chat with Bart Cahir, senior vice president Upstream Unconventional at ExxonMobil. Cahir disapproved of the Biden administration’s decision to halt new approvals of liquefied natural gas exports, calling it “a huge mistake” that’s creating uncertainty across the board.
Cahir also said it’s possible to produce affordable and reliable energy responsibly.
“The first thing we always talk about is responsible operations,” Cahir said, adding that his company has been able to double its production while significantly reducing its methane intensity.
In addition, we hosted a roundtable of energy executives presented by America’s Energy. Leaders of Edison Electric Institute, the American Clean Power Association, the American Gas Association and the Nuclear Energy Institute all spoke about the future of energy in the United States and the policies they hope will drive the industry.
We’ve been conducting nightly rapid polling for our survey The Canvass, bringing you immediate responses to RNC events and speeches from senior Hill staffers and K Street leaders. We held a live conversation with our polling partners at LSG on the Punchbowl News HQ stage to break down some of the results of The Canvass polling.
Convention attendees who stopped by the Punchbowl News HQ could charge their phones at charging stations provided by Duke Energy. We also had a coffee bar by General Motors, wifi presented by Holland & Knight, an ice cream social in partnership with Snapchat and drinks provided by Sazerac. We concluded the day with a toast and reception presented by Salesforce.
You can view a gallery of the photos from the Punchbowl HQ events here. And check out a day in the life of covering the RNC with reporter Max Cohen here.
Don’t miss: We’ll be headed to Chicago for the Democratic National Convention in August — please let us know here if you are interested in attending the Punchbowl News HQ on Aug. 21.
– Team Punchbowl News
