U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral James A. Watson IV has been tapped to be director of the Interior Department‘s Bureau of Safety and Environment Enforcement (BSEE). Watson will assume his new post on Dec. 1, succeeding Michael R. Bromwich. Bromwich will stay on through December as counselor to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to ensure a smooth transition of leadership. BSEE is one of two agencies that were created to succeed the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement on Oct. 1 (see NGI, Sept. 19). It is responsible for enforcing safety and environmental regulations for oil and natural gas operations on the Outer Continental Shelf, including permitting and research, inspections, offshore regulatory programs, and oil spill response. Watson currently is the Coast Guard’s director of prevention policy for marine safety, security and stewardship in Washington, DC. He served as deputy commander of the Coast Guard Atlantic Area Command in April 2010. And in June 2010 he was designated the federal on-scene coordinator for all-of-government response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

A staff member of Rep. Tom Reed (R-NY) with a background in Marcellus Shale and energy taxes has joined the government relations staff of the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA). Before joining the IPAA, Matthew Kellogg was legislative assistant to Reed, who is co-chair of the Marcellus Shale Caucus, which was formed earlier this year, and a member of the House Ways and Means Committee. “Matt’s legislative background in energy policy, particularly as the head staffer of the Marcellus Shale Caucus, will provide a unique perspective on the industry’s public policy challenges,” said IPAA President Barry Russell. Prior to going to Congress, Kellogg worked at the New York State Assembly Minority Counsel’s Office in Albany, where he researched legislation and agency regulations regarding the state’s moratorium on horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing. At the IPAA, Kellogg primarily will be responsible for the legislative and regulatory issues surrounding Marcellus Shale development. He will also serve as a legal adviser on environment and tax policy.

The Marcellus Shale Coalition has elected Chesapeake Energy Corp. Vice President Dave Spigelmyer as chairman of the industry coalition beginning Jan. 1. He succeeds Ray Walker, senior vice president of Range Resources Corp. Rob Broen, president of Talisman Energy USA, is to serve as vice chairman. Scott Roy, vice president of Range Resources, was elected treasurer, while MarkWest Energy Partners LP COO John Mollenkoph is secretary. Also serving on the 11-member executive board will be Consol Energy‘s Randy Albert; Frank Billings of Williams; Terry Bossert, Chief Oil & Gas; Heather Lamparter, Exco Resources; Tom Lopus, J-W Energy; Craig Mayer, Pennsylvania General Energy; and Jack Williams, XTO Energy Inc.

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