President Obama announced his intent to nominate Richard C. Newell, an associate professor of energy and environmental economics at Duke University, for administrator of the Energy Information Administration (EIA). He succeeds Guy Caruso, who headed up the EIA under the Bush administration. Howard Gruenspecht has served as acting EIA administrator in the interim. Newell has written widely on the economics of markets and policies for energy, the environment and related technologies, particularly alternatives for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and achieving other energy and environmental goals. He received his Ph.D. from Harvard University, his master’s from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School and his bachelor’s from Rutgers University.

El Paso Corp.‘s board elected Doug Foshee as chairman. Foshee has held the titles of president and CEO since joining the company in 2003. The election follows the retirement of Ronald L. Kuehn Jr., who had been chairman since 2003. In addition, the board elected J. Michael Talbert to serve as lead director. Talbert has served as an El Paso director since 2003. He is also a director of Transocean Ltd., where he previously served as chairman and CEO. Talbert also served as chairman of The Offshore Drilling Co., president and CEO of Lone Star Gas Co. and president of Texas Oil & Gas Co.

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