Staffer

Range Resources Corp. came away from its deposition last week of an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) staffer — who investigated alleged contamination of North Texas water wells by the company — touting more than a dozen revelations that the company says support its claim of innocence. And Range is going back to get more information from additional depositions of EPA officials.

Range Resources Corp. came away from its deposition last week of an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) staffer — who investigated alleged contamination of North Texas water wells by the company — touting more than a dozen revelations that the company says support its claim of innocence.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) offered a motion Friday to go to conference on the energy bill, a Senate committee staffer said. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) objected to the motion due to the number of senators who were traveling.

In testimony to a Congressional committee last Wednesday, a FERC staffer downplayed the assertion made in a recent General Accounting Office (GAO) report that there is disagreement among experts over the distance at which a fire from a liquefied natural gas (LNG) spill would pose a threat of burns.

In testimony to a Congressional committee Wednesday, a FERC staffer downplayed the assertion made in a recent General Accounting Office (GAO) report that there is disagreement among experts over the distance at which a fire from a liquefied natural gas (LNG) spill would pose a threat of burns.

Chairman Pat Wood announced the appointment of FERC veteran staffer Susan Court to a newly-created position as the Commission’s chief of staff. Only a couple of chairmen in the past have designated a chief of staff. Court’s primary job will be to ensure coordination among the Commission’s nine main offices and auxiliary offices to achieve its strategic plan. Since March 2001, Court has served as associate general counsel for general and administrative law and as the Designated Agency Ethics Official (DAEO). She will continue to perform those functions until the end of July. Previously, Court served as deputy solicitor, associate general counsel for gas and oil, assistant to a commissioner, and executive assistant to an acting chairman. She started her career at the Commission in the Office of General Counsel’s rulemaking section in 1982. Among her accomplishments during her 22 years at the Commission, Court was in charge of the legal staff responsible for implementing Order No. 436 and drafting Order No 636 — the landmark rules intended to introduce greater competition in U.S. natural gas markets. She also led the team that successfully defended Order No. 636 in the federal courts.

A top-level FERC staffer last week asked El Paso Natural Gas toconsider switching its Line 2000 crude-oil conversion from areplacement project to an expansion of its existing system to easepipeline capacity constraints to the California border.

A key FERC staffer this week asked El Paso Natural Gas toconsider switching its Line 2000 crude-oil conversion from areplacement project to an expansion of its existing system to easepipeline capacity constraints to the California border.

In a daring move, a staff member of the Federal EnergyRegulatory Commission’s new office that monitors the electric andnatural gas markets has accused the Commission of being powerlessto monitor and correct abuses in the electricity industry.