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Stone Energy Corp., headquartered in Lafayette, LA, has elected David H. Welch as its new president and CEO and as a member of the board of directors, effective April 1. Current President and CEO D. Peter Canty is retiring, however, he will continue as a director. Welch, 55, began working at Amoco in 1978 and subsequently, at BP America Inc. where he most recently served as senior vice president responsible for all external affairs in North America. He also was president of BP Alaska Canada Gas, and was earlier president of BP’s Deepwater Gulf of Mexico Development and Production business. Canty’s association with Stone began in 1981 when he joined a predecessor company. He was the primary designer of the acquisition and exploitation strategy that has been responsible for the successful development and growth of Stone since its formation.

Montana’s five-member, elected Public Service Commission Thursday voted unanimously to launch an investigation of past wholesale electricity and natural gas deals in its open-access energy market. Details of how the PSC will pursue possible market manipulation in the past will come in the next two weeks when a formal order is drafted, according to one of the PSC commissioners, Tom Schneider, in an interview with NGI.

In its usual split fashion, the five-member California Public Utilities Commission Thursday voted 3-2 to allow Southern California Edison Co. on an interim basis to hedge a portion of its natural gas price risk in power supply contracts with small qualifying facility (QF) electricity generators. Specifics of the authority are kept confidential for proprietary reasons. The hedges cannot extend beyond June 30, 2004.

In its usual split fashion, the five-member California Public Utilities Commission Thursday voted 3-2 to allow Southern California Edison Co. on an interim basis to hedge a portion of its natural gas price risk in power supply contracts with small qualifying facility (QF) electricity generators. Specifics of the authority are kept confidential for proprietary reasons. The hedges cannot extend beyond June 30, 2004.

Challenging the rules governing the elected, five-member New Mexico Public Regulation Commission, one of its charter commissioners is trying to get on the ballot for a third term. Currently the 1998 law forming the commission restricts commissioners to two four-year terms. The state attorney general’s office is conducting an investigation to see if a third term is in the cards for Jerome Block.

In letters sent out to every member of Congress on Thursday, the American Chemistry Council (ACC), which represents America’s largest industrial users of natural gas, the chemical industry, warned of an impending natural gas crisis that will trigger an economic recession.

In letters sent out to every member of Congress on Thursday, the American Chemistry Council (ACC), which represents America’s largest industrial users of natural gas, the chemical industry, warned of an impending natural gas crisis that will trigger an economic recession.

Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), ranking member on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, has reintroduced a bipartisan bill intended to spur development of energy resources on Indian lands, where only a quarter of the oil and less than a fifth of the natural gas resources have been developed, according to the Department of the Interior.

Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), ranking member on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, has reintroduced a bipartisan bill intended to spur development of energy resources on Indian lands, where only a quarter of the oil and less than a fifth of the natural gas resources have been developed, according to the Department of the Interior.