Gary

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission elected Commissioner Michael V. Dunn to serve as acting chairman until President Obama’s nominee, Gary S. Gensler, has been confirmed by the Senate. Dunn succeeds Walter Lukken, who served as acting chairman since June 27, 2007 and announced his resignation effective Jan. 20. Lukken will remain a commissioner.

Albuquerque, NM-based PNM Resources Inc. announced Wednesday it had reached agreement with New Mexico Attorney General Gary King and union workers regarding the company’s pending $620 million sale of its natural gas utility operations in the state. The agreement comes a month after PNM’s broader sales agreement with Texas-based Continental Energy Systems LLC was narrowed to only include the natural gas assets.

Canadian Minister of Natural Resources Gary Lunn, joined by Minister of the Environment John Baird, announced last week in Ottawa, ON that Canada’s new government is taking “another important step” to protect the environment and the health of Canadians by introducing national standards for lighting efficiency to come into force by 2012. The standards include the banning of all inefficient incandescent light bulbs.

NiSource Inc. announced last week that effective July 1, current president Robert C. Skaggs Jr. will take over as CEO. Skaggs will succeed Gary L. Neale, who will retire in June but who will continue to serve as chairman.

NiSource Inc. announced Tuesday that effective July 1, current president Robert C. Skaggs Jr. will take over as CEO. Skaggs will succeed Gary L. Neale, who will retire in June but who will continue to serve as chairman.

NiSource Inc. Chairman Gary L. Neale said Thursday he has had his fill of what he called the “flag-wavers” who continue to warn that short-term natural gas supplies are at dangerously low levels.

NorthWestern Corp. said Wednesday that its board has decided to stick with interim CEO Gary G. Drook as its permanent president and chief executive. Drook has been interim CEO since Jan. 3, around the time the company announced a corporate restructuring program, cut its dividend and took large write downs for several unregulated businesses (see Daily GPI, Feb. 20). On Wednesday, the board also elected Michael J. Hanson COO. Drook said that Hanson will continue to lead the operations of NorthWestern’s core electric and natural gas utility operations and will have responsibility for the strategic direction of the utility business along with taking on the additional responsibility for human resources management. Drook previously was president and chief executive officer of AFFINA Inc. a Peoria, IL, provider of customer relationship management programs.

Former Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line General Manager Gary D. Lauderdale has joined Houston-based consulting firm Lukens Energy Group as a managing director in the firm’s Strategy Advisory practice area. Lauderdale recently retired from Williams Companies after more than 30 years of service. At Lukens, Lauderdale will offer consulting services related to the overall commercial and operational management of natural gas companies, including issues related to corporate strategy, post-merger integration, corporate downsizing, business process improvement, contract negotiation and dispute resolution. Jay Lukens, president of Lukens Energy Group, said Lauderdale will be “a key player as Lukens Energy Group helps the industry consider ‘what’s next?’ The energy industry is at a precarious point in its evolution. With the melt-down of merchant energy, high natural gas prices and concerns about future energy supplies, many companies are uncertain as to where to go from here.”

The board of directors of Magnum Hunter Resources Inc. reported late last week that they have elected Gary C. Evans as chairman of the company. He will also retain his position as the company’s president and CEO. Magnum Hunter said Evans, 44, succeeds Matthew C. Lutz who retired as chairman and executive vice president at the beginning of September. Evans previously has served as president, CEO and a director of Magnum Hunter Resources Inc. since Dec. 1995 and chairman and CEO of all of the Magnum Hunter subsidiaries since their formation or acquisition. Evans founded the predecessor company, Hunter Resources Inc., in 1985.