Rapid City, SD-based Black Hills Corp. has named board member John Vering as interim president and general manager of its oil and gas exploration and production unit. Vering is being moved in temporarily to run Black Hills Exploration & Production (BHEP) to replace existing management at BHEP, which the parent company acknowledged has had “disappointing” results. Vering is a former CEO of Union Pacific Resources Inc., a Canadian affiliate of Union Pacific Resources Group, a $7 billion oil and gas company prior to its acquisition 10 years ago by Anadarko Petroleum Corp. While reiterating that Black Hills senior management still thinks the oil and gas business has value for Black Hills shareholders, CEO Dave Emery said BHEP results have been “disappointing, and we are pleased that Vering has agreed to lead the effort to strengthen our long-term strategic plan and make improvements with an objective of achieving stronger financial and operational results.”

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