Rick George, a Canadian oilsands pioneer, died Tuesday following a year-and-a-half battle with acute myeloid leukemia. He was 67. George was CEO of Suncor Energy beginning in 1991, then a fledgling operator, until he retired in 2012. He then became chairman of Penn-West Petroleum Ltd. in 2012, now Obsidian Energy Ltd. After graduating from Colorado State University, George joined Chevron Corp. predecessor Texaco, where he worked as a project engineer by day and attended law school at night, eventually passing the Texas state bar. He also worked at Sun Co. Inc., which then owned a majority stake in Suncor. George became president and COO of Suncor in 1990 and was appointed CEO a year later. In 2009, he led the takeover of Petro-Canada. The Colorado native leaves behind wife Julie, children Matthew, Zachary and Emily, and grandchildren. “With heavy hearts, we are determined to embrace challenges and adventure with the same rigor that he demonstrated every day,” his family said. Obsidian CEO David French said, “It was a privilege to know the man, and experience his leadership and devotion to our industry. Over his tenure as our Chairman, Rick reshaped our company from top to bottom. Rick’s legacy will continue with the many lives he has touched.”
George
Articles from George

Hurricane Sandy Causes Minimal Disruption in Marcellus
Hurricane Sandy appears to have posed a minimal disruption to oil and gas companies operating in the Marcellus Shale.
San Bruno Mediator Out on Conflict Concerns
Former Sen. George Mitchell will not mediate talks to resolve enforcement cases against Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) regarding the natural gas pipeline explosion in San Bruno, CA, in September 2010, as had been previously announced by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), the regulator said last Friday.
San Bruno Mediation Stumbles
Former Sen. George Mitchell will not mediate talks to resolve enforcement cases against Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) regarding the natural gas pipeline explosion in San Bruno, CA, in September 2010, as had been previously announced by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), the regulator said Friday.
Former Senator to Mediate PG&E’s San Bruno Case at CPUC
Former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell has been appointed to serve as mediator in ongoing talks aimed at resolving a series of enforcement cases against Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) stemming from a natural gas transmission pipeline rupture and explosion two years ago in San Bruno, CA, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) said.
Partners Slate $500M for NGL Midstream in Liquids-Rich Plays
Investment funds affiliated with Riverstone Holdings LLC, and Kaiser Midstream, a midstream services company owned by Tulsa, OK, billionaire George B. Kaiser, are partnering with Sage Midstream LLC to form a new company with up to $500 million of equity commitments.
People
Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future (PennFuture) recently appointed George Jugovic Jr. president and CEO. Jugovic replaces Jan Jarrett, who resigned after 13 years with the statewide environmental organization. Jugovic previously served as a senior attorney for PennFuture. Before joining the organization, he served as the southwest regional director for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection in Pittsburgh.
New York Told to Get Fracking on Deficit
One day after New York regulators announced they would extend the comment deadline on a proposed rulemaking on hydraulic fracturing (fracking), former Gov. George Pataki urged officials to move forward to develop the Empire State’s portion of the Marcellus Shale, calling it “the right thing to do.”
New York Should Get Fracking on Deficit, Some Say
Former New York Gov. George Pataki said Thursday he supports shale gas and hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in the Empire State’s portion of the Marcellus Shale, calling its development “the right thing to do.”
Geologists Preach Caution on Utica Shale
The natural gas industry is more bullish about the Utica Shale than ever before, but several geologists remain skeptical until more data is publicly available about the play.