Leader

BP Amoco is shedding its oil interests in Canada to concentrateon natural gas, with a vow to be the lowest-cost leader in aCanadian producer community tooling up to expand exports to theUnited States.The newly-merged empire’s Canadian arm has put upfor sale assets currently producing 53,300 barrels per day ornearly all of the former Amoco Canada’s oil holdings. The only gasput on the block is about 40 MMcf/d, or 4% of BP Amoco’s Canadiandaily production of about 1 Bcf which is associated with oilproperties.

Christine Hansen, Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission(IOGCC) executive director since 1993, was named to the newCommittee on Natural Gas for the National Petroleum Council (NPC).The committee, formed at the request of U.S. Secretary of EnergyBill Richardson, has been charged with a reassessment of its 1992study “Potential of Natural Gas in the United States,” and willreport back to Richardson by mid-1999.The study will focus on thecapability of the industry to meet growing gas demands and alsowill compare the 1992-98 actual supply-demand with projections madein the 1992 study.

The distributed power movement and alternative energytechnologies got a boost from American Gas Association (AGA)Chairman David Biegler last week in his remarks at the 17thCongress of the World Energy Council (WEC) in Houston.

After searching for a leader to take the helm at EquitableResources for nearly a year, the company’s board of directorsannounced yesterday it has appointed Coral Energy CEO Murry S.Gerber, 45. Gerber will assume his position as president and chiefexecutive officer of Equitable on June 1. Gerber also will serve asa director on the company’s board.