America’s Natural Gas Alliance (ANGA) has tapped Tom Hassenboehler as vice president of policy development and legislative affairs. He joins ANGA after nearly a decade on Capitol Hill, serving as minority counsel to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, and as counsel on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Hassenboehler previously worked in the offices of former Reps. Billy Tauzin (R-LA) and Bob Riley (R-AL). “[His] knowledge of energy and environmental policy, coupled with his deep understanding of Congress and the many benefits of natural gas, will be a tremendous asset to ANGA’s efforts to promote greater utilization of this clean, domestic energy source,” said ANGA President Regina Hopper. Hassenboehler earned a bachelor’s degree and juris doctorate from Louisiana State University.

Tom Strickland, assistant secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks and chief of staff for the Interior Department, plans to leave the department in February, an Interior spokeswoman said. Fish and Wildlife and Parks oversees the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service. Laura Daniel Davis, who has been serving as deputy chief of staff and associate deputy secretary, will become the new chief of staff. And Will Shafroth, principal deputy assistant secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks, will serve as acting assistant secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks until a new assistant secretary is confirmed by Congress. Matt Lee-Ashley, director of communications for the Office of the Secretary will assume the duties of deputy chief of staff. Strickland, who was confirmed as assistant secretary in April 2009, led efforts to protect Gulf coastlines during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill last year. “The departure of Tom Strickland means Louisiana will lose a good friend in the Interior Department. The entire Gulf Coast will lose an advocate who has been at the forefront of our response to the [BP Deepwater Horizon] oil spill,” Sen Mary Landrieu (D-LA) said.

Portland, OR-based NW Natural announced late Friday that Rick Daniel, who came down from Canada to help the natural gas distribution utility expand its independent storage operations through an affiliate, is leaving the gas-only utility to return to consulting work based in Western Canada. Daniel is leaving his post as president of NW Natural Gas Storage LLC the end of January, returning to Canmore, AB to resume his natural gas storage consulting practice. He began consulting with NW Natural in 2007 and assumed the job heading its storage affiliate in 2009, helping to build the unit storage organization. NW Natural CEO Gregg Kantor said Daniel’s departure signals the fact the that utility affiliate now has the people and systems in place to operate its new Gill Ranch Storage facility near Fresno, CA. Dave Weber, CIO at NW Storage, will serve as the company’s president on an interim basis after Daniel leaves and while NW Natural senior management conducts a search for a permanent replacement. Weber became the utility’s CIO in 2001 after a 15-year career at IBM.

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