People

Jack L. Messman, chairman and CEO of Forth Worth, TX-based UnionPacific Resources Group, will retire and UPR President GeorgeLindahl III will succeed him as well as remain president of thecompany. Messman has led UPR for more than eight years. He joinedthe company in 1991 while it was a subsidiary of Union PacificCorp. He oversaw an initial public offering in 1995 and the fullspin-off of the oil and gas company from Union Pacific in 1996.Lindahl has more than 30 years experience in the oil and gasbusiness and came to UPR in 1987 as exploration manager afterworking for 19 years in exploration and production, primarily as anexecutive with BP Amoco. He has been the company’s president since1996.

Joseph W. Sutton has been promoted to vice chairman of Enron.Sutton will join Enron’s office of the chairman, which includesChairman and CEO Kenneth L. Lay and President and COO Jeffrey K.Skilling. Sutton, previously chairman and CEO of Enron’sinternational business unit, will help oversee the day-to-dayoperations of Enron’s business units.

National Fuel Gas Co. said Philip C. Ackerman has been electedpresident of the company. David F. Smith will succeed Ackerman aspresident of National Fuel Distribution Corp. Ackerman has beenwith the company since 1968, and Smith has been with National Fuelsince 1978.

Reliant Energy’s board of directors elected Eddie Meche to thepost of vice president and chief risk control officer for Reliant.Meche joined Reliant in 1997 and most recently served as vicepresident for risk control for the company’s Wholesale Group.

James F. Whitesides has been named president of Ameren Corp.’strading and marketing subsidiary, AmerenEnergy in St. Louis, movingup from vice president of energy trading. Whitesides had previouslybeen in forward and financial trading with Cinergy Power Marketingand Trading.

Depending on who you ask, KN Energy’s (KN) choice gas program inNebraska was either a raving success or a seriously flawedoperation. Results indicate 100,000 people participated in thetwo-year program, which concluded last month. While KN was pleasedwith the turn-out, other involved parties have joined together in alawsuit accusing the Colorado-based company of breaking antitrustlaws and creating a monopoly by setting up unfair market advantagesfor itself and its affiliate, KN Gas Services.

Depending on who you ask, KN Energy’s (KN) choice gas program inNebraska was either a raving success or a seriously flawedoperation. Results indicate 100,000 people participated in thetwo-year program, which concluded last month. While KN was pleasedwith the turn-out, other involved parties have joined together in alawsuit accusing the Colorado-based company of breaking antitrustlaws and creating a monopoly by setting up unfair market advantagesfor itself and its affiliate, KN Gas Services.

Beverly Marshall, formerly a Washington representative forSouthern California Edison, has been named vice president andgeneral manager of federal government affairs for Duke Energy.

Avista Energy, emphasizing people power in its drive to become anational energy marketing and technology company, has just namedsix new vice presidents, picking up talent from IllinoisPower/Illinova Energy and Enron Capital and Trade among others.