Personnel

Land restrictions and the availability of adequate drilling services — including qualified personnel — pose the greatest challenge to increasing North American gas production, according to Ziff Energy Group’s Third Annual Gas Industry Survey, unveiled in Houston yesterday at the kickoff of its North American Gas Strategies Conference. Ironically, last year’s biggest challenge was considered to be low prices.

It’s about time everyone realized Coral Energy is a Shellaffiliate. The company initiated a corporate identity and brandingprogram yesterday supported by direct mail, Web-basedcommunications and advertisements in the Wall Street Journal, theHouston Chronicle and some trade magazines. It also has adopted anew logo design to signify its expanded commercial business andtransition from a joint venture company to a 100% affiliate ofShell’s global natural gas and power business. The logo nowincludes the Shell logo and says Coral is an affiliate of Shell.

Southern Company Energy Marketing’s new president, GaryMorsches, shifted some personnel around yesterday to optimizeperformance. John Ragan, formerly west regional vice president,becomes east regional vice president. He also will oversee SCEM’scommodities group, which handles trading in coal, emissionscredits, weather derivatives and pulp/paper markets. Bill Orr,formerly northeast regional vice president, becomes west regionalvice president. Jay Catasein, project development vice president,becomes northeast regional vice president. Ron Erd is promoted fromdirector to vice president of market development. In addition toresponsibility for market development and structuring, Erd willassume responsibility for the project development group. SCEM is ajoint venture between Southern Energy Inc. and Vastar ResourcesInc.

The Board of Directors of KeySpan Energy appointed four newofficers. Frederick M. Lowther, 54, of Dickstein Shapiro Morin& Oshinsky has been named general counsel. Steven L. Zelkowitz,49, has been named senior vice president and deputy generalcounsel. Michael J. Taunton, 42, has been named vice president ofinvestor relations. Lawrence S. Dryer, 39, has been named vicepresident of internal audit.

Seagull Energy’s board has elected James T. Hackett as its newpresident and CEO, and its future chairman. Hackett, 44, has beenpresident of Duke’s Energy Services Division. Prior to that he wasexecutive vice president of PanEnergy. He will succeed Barry J.Galt, who has been chairman and CEO since 1983. Galt will continueto serve as chairman for the remainder of the year before beingelected vice chairman, at which time Hackett will assume theadditional position of chairman. Hackett said he looks forward tothe opportunity. Seagull “has a good management team, a solidbalance sheet and a strong collection of domestic and internationalassets.” Hackett has held a variety of positions in finance,marketing and engineering in the exploration and production andmidstream sectors of the industry for Amoco, Burlington Resourcesand NGC Corp. (now Dynegy). Subsequently, Seagull announced John W.Elias resigned as executive vice president and a director. Elias,who joined Seagull in 1993, supervised the company’s domestic andinternational oil and gas operations.

PG&E Corp. has selected Joseph P. Kearney, currently seniorvice president of PG&E Corp. and president and CEO of its U.S.Generating Company (USGen), to assume the additional responsibilityof president and CEO of PG&E Gas Transmission. Kearney, 52,succeeds Jack F. Jenkins-Stark who is leaving the company to pursueother interests.