Tapped

FERC Chairman Jon Wellinghoff has tapped Thomas R. Sheets, a partner in the Las Vegas law firm of McDonald Carano Wilson, to be general counsel of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, succeeding Cynthia Marlette. Sheets has more than 32 years of energy industry, administrative practice and regulatory hearing experience. He has served as chairman of the Nevada Tax Commission for the past four years and was senior vice president and general counsel of Southwest Gas Corp. As FERC general counsel, Sheets will represent the Commission before the courts and Congress and will be responsible for the legal aspects of the agency’s activities.

President Obama has tapped Robert Abbey, a veteran public land policy leader, to be the next director of the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Abbey has more than 32 years in public service, working with state and federal land management agencies before retiring from the federal government in July 2005. He was the Nevada state director for the BLM for eight years. Abbey’s nomination requires Senate confirmation.

Taking the reins last week in the first open FERC meeting since President Obama tapped him to serve as chairman, Jon Wellinghoff listed his priorities, a number of staff changes within the Commission and also announced the formation of an office to tackle new challenges and issues while evolving the decision-making process.

Taking the reins Thursday in the first open FERC meeting since President Obama tapped him to serve as chairman, Jon Wellinghoff listed his priorities, a number of staff changes within the Commission and also announced the formation of an office to tackle new challenges and issues while evolving the decision-making process.

President Obama Friday tapped Commissioner Jon Wellinghoff, a favorite of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), as acting chairman of the five-member Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Mark Quartermain has been tapped to take over as president of Royal Dutch Shell plc’s North American natural gas and power marketing and trading subsidiaries effective May 1. Quartermain will lead Shell Energy North America (US) LP and Shell Energy North America (Canada) Inc. as well as UK-based Shell Energy Trading Ltd.’s leadership team. Quartermain currently serves as senior vice president, South Region, for Shell Energy North America, with responsibility for managing gas and power trading, including emissions trading, and marketing in 14 states. Quartermain, who joined Shell in 1983, also helped establish Shell’s European natural gas trading activities. Shell last year announced it would merge its active U.S.-based Coral operating companies into Shell Energy North America entities (see Daily GPI, Nov. 14, 2007).

BP plc CEO Tony Hayward, who was tapped last year to lead the troubled UK-based major, called 2007 a year “which most of us will be glad to leave behind.” He said BP’s final quarter’s profits were “very disappointing,” but BP is making “good, step-by-step progress” to ramp up new oil and natural gas fields and trim excess overhead.

BP plc CEO Tony Hayward, who was tapped last year to lead the troubled UK-based major, said Tuesday that 2007 was a year “which most of us will be glad to leave behind.” He called the final quarter’s profits “very disappointing,” but he said BP is making “good, step-by-step progress” to ramp up new oil and natural gas fields and trim excess overhead.

The White House has tapped Walter Lukken to be chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Lukken has been acting chairman since late June, when then-Chairman Reuben Jeffery III resigned the agency.