Richard J. Sharples, former president of Anadarko Petroleum Corp. who has chaired the Natural Gas Supply Association and the Natural Gas Council, has been named executive director of the Center for Liquefied Natural Gas, a Washington, DC-based group representing LNG facility owners, operators, transporters and natural gas users.

Williams CEO Steve Malcolm announced that Phillip D. Wright will become senior vice president of the company’s natural gas pipeline business, effective Jan. 3. Wright will succeed J. Douglas Whisenant, 58, who is retiring. “Phil has been one of the major players in Williams’ transformation,” said Malcolm. “He led our companywide asset sales that garnered more than $9 billion in total value, a critical component of our restructuring. He is an effective leader who clearly understands the importance of Gas Pipeline’s role in Williams’ future. Wright, 49, joined Williams in 1989 after 13 years with Conoco.

OGE Energy Corp. CEO Steve Moore on Wednesday said that he will undergo radiation and chemotherapy for a recently detected, small, slow-growing tumor near his jaw. “It’s frustrating to deal with this, but the prognosis is excellent,” Moore said. “I will be away from the office while I undergo treatment, but I intend to perform my duties during this period. I expect a full and complete recovery.” OGE Energy is the parent company of Oklahoma Gas and Electric Co. (OG&E), a regulated electric utility serving approximately 733,000 customers in a service territory spanning 30,000 square miles in Oklahoma and western Arkansas, and of Enogex Inc., a natural gas pipeline business with principal operations in Oklahoma and Arkansas.

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