President

Ukraine's energy minister said his country is paying "politically motivated" prices for natural gas from Russia's OAO Gazprom following Russia's seizure of Crimea, while Ukraine discusses a European Union (EU) proposal to upgrade its pipeline network and add the ability for reverse flows.

President Obama will call on Congress to work with states and local governments to create “sustainable shale gas growth zones” that help regions come together to ensure unconventional natural gas is developed safely and responsibly.

President Obama, in the State of the Union (SOTU) speech Tuesday night before Congress, praised natural gas and oil development in the United States, as well as its importance in fueling energy independence and creating jobs, but said $4 billion in fossil fuel subsidies could be better deployed elsewhere.

In the annual State of the Union address to the nation Tuesday, President Obama praised domestic natural gas production and said if it’s “extracted safely,” gas would be “the ‘bridge fuel’ that can power our economy with less of the carbon pollution that causes climate change.”

In a flurry of activity this week, WPX Energy Inc. said farewell to CEO Ralph A. Hill, who stepped down unexpectedly, named an interim replacement, increased the size of its board of directors, and promised to add a new board member nominated by one of its major shareholders.

Azure Midstream Holdings LLC, launched last year by a team of industry veterans, on Thursday agreed to pay $910 million to buy TGGT Holdings LLC, a Haynesville Shale gathering system, in a transaction valued at $910 million.

Encana Corp., in the midst of a strategic review of its North American onshore business, on Tuesday announced an organizational restructuring following the retirement of formerly key executives.

Amid controversy over his pro-renewable energy and anti-fossil fuel sentiments, former Colorado regulator Ron Binz has asked President Obama to withdraw his name from further consideration as a nominee for FERC chairman.

Marcia Backus, 59, has been named vice president and general counsel ofOccidental Petroleum Corp.effective Oct. 1. Backus is a partner atVinson & Elkins, where she has run the law firm’s energy transactions/projects practice group. Backus earned her law degree from theUniversity of Texasat Austin, where she co-founded the law school’s Center for Women in Law.