Organization

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) on Thursday warned that using water from the Colorado River Basin to produce oil shale could impact agricultural and municipal water uses affecting 15% of the nation’s crops and up to 30 million people from Wyoming to Southern California.

Officials in a New Jersey township have joined environmental groups in opposition to plans to expand one of the state’s natural gas pipelines, which would bring Marcellus Shale gas to markets in the state and the New York City metropolitan area.

Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley on Monday signed an executive order requiring the state to undertake a study of natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale, with recommendations on a possible state-level severance tax and a report on potential impacts of drilling on groundwater among the items due over the next three years.

San Francisco-based Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) said last Thursday it has hired a seasoned senior executive to run a realigned natural gas organization following the announcement that it obtained a decision from state regulators on its settlement in a $1 billion general rate case. In a busy week, the huge combination utility also began closely watched pressure testing of its natural gas transmission pipeline system.

San Francisco-based Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) said Thursday it has hired a seasoned senior executive to run a realigned natural gas organization following the announcement that it obtained a decision from state regulators on its settlement in a $1 billion general rate case.

The Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC) has hired three full-time senior staff members to advance the organization’s communications, outreach, education and policy objectives. Steve Forde, the new policy and communications director, was senior director of corporate communications for Education Management Corp. He previously was deputy communications director for House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio and also served as communications director for the House Education and Workforce Committee. Christopher Heck, who will lead membership services, joins the MSC after serving as vice president and relationship manager at Fifth Third Bank. Heck is current chair of the Enterprise Forum Pittsburgh. The new conference director, Helen Goodman, founded Pittsburgh-based Event Resources 20 years ago to provide services to corporate, nonprofit and public-sector organizations. She also worked for the Pittsburgh Technology Council. “Having our membership more than double over the past year, we’re continuing to grow our core team of experts with our focus remaining on effectively conveying our industry’s long-term commitment to the environment, safety, and a cleaner, more competitive energy economy,” said MSC President Kathryn Klaber.

San Diego Gas and Electric Co. CEO Jessie Knight has been named the cochair of the Southern California Leadership Council, a regional economic development organization he helped found six years ago. Knight and former California Gov. Gray Davis co-chair the group, which seeks to provide a “platform” for business and community leaders to speak “as one voice” on public policy issues such as job creation.

The Riverstone/Carlyle Global Energy and Power Funds Monday announced completion of the acquisition of USA Compression Holdings LP, the parent company of USA Compression Partners LLC, a natural gas compression services company headquartered in Austin and Dallas, TX. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

If these feel like hot times, that’s because they are, at least according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), which Friday said “2010 is almost certain to rank in the top three warmest years since the beginning of instrumental climate records in 1850.”