Chaired

As the Senate took up the proposed Stop Excessive Energy Speculation Act of 2008 (S. 3268) Tuesday, an Interagency Task Force on Commodity Markets, chaired by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), released an interim staff report that found fundamental supply and demand factors are largely the cause of escalating oil prices in the futures market.

Members of the Railroad Commission of Texas elected Railroad Commissioner Michael L. Williams to serve as chair of the state’s oldest regulatory agency. Williams last chaired the Commission from September 1999 to September 2003. Since that time, both Commissioner Victor Carrillo and Commissioner Elizabeth Ames Jones have served as chairs. Williams noted how the energy industry has changed since he was last chairman. “This new century already has become an exciting one for the energy industry. Eight years ago, oil and natural gas producers were struggling to keep their businesses afloat. Today, world energy demand has swollen to such levels that producers struggle to meet the demand. Eight years ago, the Barnett Shale was a promising natural gas play in rural North Texas. Today, it is one of the largest producing fields in the nation and includes production in downtown Fort Worth. Eight years ago, the commission rolled out a pilot project for the on-line filing of one form. Today, over 20 forms can be filed on-line, with additional forms to be added this year. Eight years ago, the state had over 25,000 noncompliant wells. Today, fewer than 12,000 wells are on the Oilfield Cleanup Fund plugging list with over 12,000 plugged in the past eight years.”

A new coalition — the Energy Initiative Coalition — debuted in Washington, DC Friday. The group, which is co-chaired by former Sen. John Breaux of Louisiana and former Long Beach, CA, mayor Beverly O’Neill, will be different from other energy coalitions that focus solely on the interests of one group, said a Breaux spokesman.

A new coalition — the Energy Initiative Coalition — debuted in Washington, DC Friday. The group, which is co-chaired by former Sen. John Breaux of Louisiana and former Long Beach, CA, mayor Beverly O’Neill, will be different from other energy coalitions that focus solely on the interests of one group, said a Breaux spokesman.

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.

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.

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.

An industry group chaired by leaders of the Committee of Chief Risk Officers (CCRO) last Tuesday set up a task force to improve voluntary industry reporting of natural gas price information to publications that publish price indexes, and to establish better communications with FERC to ward off mandatory price reporting threatened by the Commission.

An industry group chaired by leaders of the Committee of Chief Risk Officers Tuesday set up a task force to improve voluntary industry reporting of natural gas price information to publications that publish price indexes, and to establish better communications with FERC to ward off mandatory price reporting threatened by the Commission.