Succeed

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again; that might as well have been the motto of natural gas futures bulls as their third consecutive attempt for a January settle north of resistance at $4.500 proved successful on Wednesday. The prompt-month contract recorded a high of $4.614 before closing the day’s regular session at $4.606, up 21.3 cents from Tuesday’s finish.

The White House is looking at two prominent female state commissioners to succeed Commissioner Suedeen Kelly at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), according to a Washington, DC, source.

Lee K. Boothby, 47, has been named president at Newfield Exploration Co. The board of directors also expects to name Boothby as CEO at the company’s annual meeting in May. Boothby would succeed David A. Trice, 60, who plans to retire in May. Trice is up for reelection to the board at the annual meeting and if elected, he would serve a one-year term as nonexecutive chairman to assist in the transition. Boothby joined Newfield nearly 10 years ago and most recently served as senior vice president of acquisitions and business development. From February 2002 to October 2007 Boothby was president of the company’s Midcontinent division, and he guided early development of the Woodford Shale play. Newfield plans to name Gary D. Packer, 46, as COO in May. Packer joined Newfield in 1995 and currently serves as president of Newfield’s Rocky Mountain division. Trice, one of Newfield’s 23 founders in 1989, had expected to retire in May 2008, but he extended his tenure following the death of Newfield President David F. Schaible, who died in late 2007. “I have been fortunate to have a great team of managers to work with and a staff of talented people who continue to make this a special place,” said Trice.

Lee K. Boothby, 47, has been named president at Newfield Exploration Co. The board of directors also expects to name Boothby as CEO at the company’s annual meeting in May. Boothby would succeed David A. Trice, 60, who plans to retire in May. Trice is up for reelection to the board at the annual meeting and if elected, he would serve a one-year term as nonexecutive chairman to assist in the transition. Boothby joined Newfield nearly 10 years ago and most recently served as senior vice president of acquisitions and business development. From February 2002 to October 2007 Boothby was president of the company’s Midcontinent division, and he guided early development of the Woodford Shale play. Newfield plans to name Gary D. Packer, 46, as COO in May. Packer joined Newfield in 1995 and currently serves as president of Newfield’s Rocky Mountain division. Trice, one of Newfield’s 23 founders in 1989, had expected to retire in May 2008, but he extended his tenure following the death of Newfield President David F. Schaible, who died in late 2007. “I have been fortunate to have a great team of managers to work with and a staff of talented people who continue to make this a special place,” said Trice.

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. After being rebuffed in its first bid for Baltimore-based Constellation Energy in mid-October, European electricity giant Electricité de France S.A. (EDF) is attempting an end-around as subsidiary EDF International proposes to acquire through a joint venture a 50% ownership interest in Constellation’s nuclear generation and operation business for $4.5 billion.

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. After being rebuffed in its first bid for Baltimore-based Constellation Energy in mid-October, European electricity giant Electricité de France S.A. (EDF) is attempting an end-around as subsidiary EDF International proposes to acquire through a joint venture a 50% ownership interest in Constellation’s nuclear generation and operation business for $4.5 billion.

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. After failing to sell its natural gas utilities in Pennsylvania and West Virginia to Pittsburgh-based Equitable Resources, Dominion Resources last Wednesday announced plans to sell its Dominion Peoples and Dominion Hope gas distribution companies to San Francisco-based Babcock & Brown Infrastructure Fund North America for $910 million under an agreement expected to close in 2009.

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. After failing to sell its natural gas utilities in Pennsylvania and West Virginia to Pittsburgh-based Equitable Resources, Dominion Resources Wednesday announced plans to sells its Dominion Peoples and Dominion Hope gas distribution companies to a San Francisco-based infrastructure investment fund for $910 million under an agreement expected to close in 2009.

Greg Ebel, currently Spectra Energy CFO, has been selected to succeed Fred Fowler as president and CEO when Fowler retires at the end of the year. Ebel also was elected to the board of directors. “Some time ago, Fred advised the board of his intention to retire at the end of this year,” said Spectra Chairman Paul Anderson. “We are announcing his successor at this time to allow for a smooth transition and to allow Greg the opportunity to develop the company’s 2009 budget and underlying strategy for 2009 and beyond that he will be responsible for delivering. Fred will continue to be responsible for delivering the company’s 2008 commitments.” Fowler said he would set up an office of the CEO to include Ebel to coordinate the transition. Before becoming Spectra CFO, Ebel served as president of Union Gas Ltd., Spectra Energy’s Canadian natural gas distribution company. He previously was Duke Energy’s vice president of investor and shareholder relations from 2002 to 2005 and prior to that was managing director of mergers and acquisitions. From 1998 to 2002 Ebel was vice president of strategic development for Westcoast Energy. He also has worked at the World Bank in Washington, DC, and in the Canadian government.