The Los Angeles City Council has confirmed David Wright to head the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), the nation’s largest city-run utility. Wright, who served briefly as interim general manager, joined the utility in February 2015 as the COO and previously headed the City of Riverside, CA, municipal utility operations for more than 10 years. He succeeds outgoing LADWP chief Marcie Edwards.

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Chairman Norman Bay announced the appointment of Andrea McBarnette as a FERC administrative law judge (ALJ). McBarnette served as an ALJ with the Social Security Administration in Baltimore since May 2015. Prior to that, she was an assistant U. S. attorney for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and the U.S. Court of Appeals, and previously was in private practice, FERC said. McBarnette earned her bachelor of political science degree from Stanford University, is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center, and is a member of the Bars of New York and the District of Columbia.

Appalachian pure-playMagnum Hunter Resources Corp. has hired John K. Reinhart to serve as CEO. Magnum emerged from bankruptcy in May after a federal court approved a deal with lenders to wipe out $1 billion in debt (see Shale Daily, May 11). Reinhart, 47, takes the place of Gary Evans, who was ousted during the bankruptcy. Prior to joining Magnum, Reinhart served as COO of Ascent Resources LLC. Evans has since founded Energy Hunter Resources Inc. (see Shale Daily, July 15).