James

FERC Chairman James J. Hoecker announced Wednesday during theCommission’s regular meeting that he will be stepping down on Jan.18, leaving only three seats filled on the five-member panel.

NiSource Inc. has chosen James K. Abcouwer as president and CEOof its newly-merged Columbia Natural Resources subsidiary. Abcouwerhad been NiSource’s senior vice president of Merchant Energy andpresident of its unregulated supply management company, TPC Corp.He will report to Patrick J. Mulchay, president of Merchant Energy.He succeeds W. Henry Harmon, who resigned Dec. 1. Abcouwer joinedNiSource in 1994 as vice president of Gas Supply for its NorthernIndiana Public Service Co. Prior to joining NIPSCO, Abcouwer hadalso been a director of Marketing and Gas Supply for Tenneco Gas.NiSource closed the acquisition of Columbia last November.

With little fanfare from the lame-duck Clinton administration,FERC Chairman James J. Hoecker received a recess appointment lastMonday from the White House that effectively would extend his termon the Commission until the Senate adjourns next year. It alsore-designated him as chairman.

FERC Chairman James J. Hoecker held a teleconference lastThursday with officials from three trade associations representinginterstate pipelines, major producers and independent producers todiscuss spiraling natural gas prices.

With little fanfare from the lame-duck Clinton administration, FERC Chairman James J. Hoecker received a recess appointment last Monday from the White House that effectively would extend his term on the Commission until the Senate adjourns next year. It also re-designated him as chairman.

FERC Chairman James J. Hoecker held a three-way teleconferenceThursday with officials from three trade associations representingpipelines, major producers and independent producers to discussspiraling natural gas prices.

With little or no fanfare from the lame-duck Clintonadministration, FERC Chairman James J. Hoecker received a recessappointment yesterday from the White House that effectively extendshis term on the Commission until the Senate adjourns next year. Italso re-designated him as chairman.

FERC Chairman James J. Hoecker has signaled that the Commissionis investigating the causes for the rapid escalation in natural gasprices in California and elsewhere in the nation.

FERC Chairman James J. Hoecker last week proposed that state andfederal regulators work together to ensure that regionaltransmission organizations (RTOs) result in healthy regionalelectricity markets.