Member

The Pennsylvania Independent Oil and Gas Association (PIOGA) is considering legal action against Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration for a series of moves that led to changes at the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and new draft rules for the industry that are expected to be implemented next year.

B.M. “Mack” RankinJr., 83, who co-foundedFreeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc.and served as vice chairman of the board, died Wednesday. Rankin foundedMcMoRan Oil & Gas Co.in 1969 with partnersW.K. McWilliams, who is deceased, and current ChairmanJim Bob Moffatt. In 1981, McMoRan merged withFreeport Minerals Co.to form Freeport-McMoRan Inc., the predecessor parent company, which has since become one of the largest natural resources companies in the world (seeDaily GPI,July 24;Dec. 6, 2012). “We lost a brother, a friend and a valued member of our board of directors,” Moffatt said. “Mack has been a great partner and adviser for many years.” Rankin, who had more than 50 years of experience in the natural resources industry, was a member of the All American Wildcatters and from 2008 to 2010 was chairman of theU.S. Oil and Gas Association. In 2010 the Dallas native received theTexas Oil & Gas AssociationDistinguished Service Award. Rankin, a graduate of theUniversity of Texas at Austin(UT), was a member of the McCombs School of Business Hall of Fame and had received a Distinguished Alumnus Award from the College of Business Administration. Rankin was an avid supporter of UT and endowed, among other things, a professorship in petroleum land management. The UT Longhorn athletic dining hall is named in his honor. Rankin is survived by his wife, Ashley, and son, Richard.

Ben van Beurden, 55, who was appointed downstream director and a member of the executive committee for Royal Dutch Shell plc in January, was named to succeed Peter Voser as CEO on Jan. 1 (see NGI, May 6). Van Beurden has been responsible for refining and marketing businesses, as well as overseeing the trading companies. He also is responsible for the petrochemicals manufacturing and marketing business, which has been eyeing expansions in the United States because of increased natural gas activity, as well as the gas-to-liquids business. He joined Shell in 1983 and has worked in Houston, the Netherlands, Africa, Malaysia and most recently, the UK. He is credited with helping to turn the petrochemicals operations to profitability after several quarters of big losses. The Dutch national earned a master’s degree in chemical engineering from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands.

President Obama has tapped former Colorado regulator Ron Binz to sit on the five-member FERC, succeeding Jon Wellinghoff.

President Obama has tapped former Colorado regulator Ron Binz to sit on the five-member Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, succeeding Jon Wellinghoff.

Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), chairwoman of the Senate Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee, Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, have called on FERC and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to execute more robust memorandums of understanding (MOU) to resolve their jurisdictional disputes, which the lawmakers said are hampering oversight of the nation’s energy markets.

Shareholders once again are urging ExxonMobil Corp. to report how its natural gas operations in shale formations impact the environment. The oil major once again is recommending the proposal be defeated.

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and ranking member Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) sent a letter last Wednesday to FERC asking that it provide more detailed information about the Section 5 complaint investigations that were initiated in past years into allegations that certain interstate gas pipelines were charging unjust and unreasonable rates.

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and ranking member Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) sent a letter Wednesday to FERC asking that it provide more detailed information about Section 5 complaint investigations that it initiated in past years into allegations that certain pipelines are charging unjust and unreasonable rates.