Serve

President Obama plans to renominate John Norris as a Commissioner at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to serve a full five-year term to mid-2017. In January 2010 Norris, a former Iowa regulator, joined the Commission to complete the term of former Chairman Joseph Kelliher (see NGI, Jan. 11, 2010). Norris previously was a board member and chair of the Iowa Utilities Board. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee plans to hold a combined confirmation hearing for Norris and North Dakota regulator Tony Clark, who recently was nominated to succeed former Commissioner Marc Spitzer (see NGI, Jan. 30). Spitzer, a Republican, stepped down in December after completing a five-year term at FERC. “It would make sense to do the two FERC nominations together” in one confirmation hearing, said Bill Wicker, a spokesman for Senate Energy Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-NM). “It would be like one-stop shopping.” He further noted that there was no rush for the Senate energy panel to vote out the nominations. “The Commission has got a good working quorum…We’re not foot-dragging, but we’re not in a rush either.”

President Obama on Friday announced his intent to renominate John Norris to remain as a commissioner at FERC and serve a full five-year term to mid-2017.

The Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC) said Monday it would hold a public hearing in February as it reconsiders about 20 water withdrawal permits it approved for Marcellus Shale gas drillers during a raucous meeting in December.

Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead named a new Wyoming State Geologist, Tom Drean, formerly ConocoPhillips’ president for Iraq. Drean will serve on the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission and the Wyoming Board of Professional Geologists. The state geologist leads the Wyoming State Geological Survey. Drean worked for ConocoPhillips for more than 26 years, serving in various areas of the world. He replaces Wallace Ulrich.

Michael C. Linn, who founded Linn Energy LLC in 2003, is retiring from the company and is stepping down as executive chairman at the end of the year. Linn is to continue to serve as a director. Linn President and CEO Mark E. Ellis is to add the role of chairman to his responsibilities. Under Linn’s leadership, the Houston-based producer became the first publicly traded exploration and production (E&P) limited liability company in 2006 (see Daily GPI, March 9, 2007). The company now has an enterprise value of close to $10 billion with focus areas in the Midcontinent and Permian and Williston basins, as well as Michigan and California — “far more successful than I ever envisioned,” said Linn. Linn Energy grew from a “small company in Pittsburgh, with a few natural gas wells and three employees, to a company that ranks among the largest independent E&P companies in the U.S. and has 800 employees across the nation. Throughout that growth, we have increased our quarterly cash distribution to unitholders by more than 70%,” Linn said.

A staff member of Rep. Tom Reed (R-NY), with a background in Marcellus Shale issues and energy taxes, has joined the government relations staff of the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA). Before joining the IPAA, Matthew Kellogg was legislative assistant to Reed, who is co-chair of the Marcellus Shale Caucus, which was formed earlier this year, and a member of the House Ways and Means Committee. “Matt’s legislative background in energy policy, particularly as the head staffer of the Marcellus Shale Caucus, will provide a unique perspective on the industry’s public policy challenges,” said IPAA President Barry Russell. Prior to his stint in Congress, Kellogg worked at the New York State Assembly Minority Counsel’s Office in Albany, where he researched legislation and agency regulations regarding the state’s moratorium on horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing. At the IPAA, Kellogg primarily will be responsible for the legislative and regulatory issues surrounding Marcellus Shale development. He will also serve as a legal adviser on environment and tax policy.

Despite last Thursday’s announced delay in U.S. State Department processing and earlier criticisms of inflated economic benefits from the project (see Shale Daily, Nov. 9), the Keystone XL oil pipeline from Alberta, Canada to the U.S. Gulf of Mexico ultimately should be approved, according to project sponsor TransCanada.

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) has tapped former National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chairman Jim Hall to serve as an outside adviser to help the utility oversee the extensive safety improvement initiatives under way within its natural gas operations. Hall and his firm, Hall & Associates, are to focus in particular on ensuring that PG&E’s plans are effectively addressing the safety recommendations that have emerged during the past year through various audits and other inquiries into the San Bruno, CA, pipeline accident in September 2010. The recommendations are included in the final reports issued by the California Public Utilities Commission Independent Review Panel and the NTSB (see NGI, Oct. 3).

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) has tapped former National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chairman Jim Hall to serve as an outside adviser to help the utility oversee the extensive safety improvement initiatives under way within its natural gas operations.