[BETA] Fortnightly

Douglas W. Smith , former general counsel to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), has joined the Washington, D.C.-based law firm of Van Ness Feldman as a member. He specializes in energy regulation topics. Prior to joining FERC in 1997, Smith served as the deputy general counsel for energy policy at the U.S. Department of Energy.

Former Energy Secretary Bill Richardson has become a consultant for Salomon Smith Barney's global energy and power group. Richardson served as Energy Secretary from 1998-2001 under President Bill Clinton. Prior to heading the Energy Department, he was U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Currently, he is senior managing director of Kissinger McLarty Associates, a strategic advisory firm in Washington, D.C.

Entergy has announced that Curt L. Hébert, Jr. , who recently stepped down as chairman of FERC, will join the corporation as executive vice president for external affairs. Hébert will succeed Horace S. Webb , who will become president and CEO of the Entergy Charitable Foundation. Entergy also announced that Shelley Hurley will assume the newly created role of chief risk officer. Hurley is a partner with Accenture LLP and a member of the leadership team of Accenture's Trading & Risk Management practice.

SCANA Corp. announced the early retirement of Charlie Zeigler , president and COO of PSNC Energy. With the successful post-merger integration of PSNC Energy and SCANA Corp. in its final stages, Zeigler chose to exercise his option under his employment agreement. Prior to the merger, Zeigler served as director, president, and CEO of Public Service Company of North Carolina (now PSNC Energy), which he joined in 1986 as senior vice president of finance.

Dan Keuter , vice president of nuclear business development for Entergy Nuclear, has been elected chairman of the Utility Advisory Board, which includes representatives from Dominion Energy, Omaha Public Power District, and Nuclear Management Co. The advisory board will be working with General Atomics and the U.S. Dept. of Energy in the development of a new reactor, called a gas turbine-modular helium reactor.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has appointed Stephen L. Rosen to its Independent Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS). He retired from the South Texas Project (STP), where he served as vice president of nuclear engineering and manager of risk management. The ACRS was established in 1957 by Congress to advise the former Atomic Energy Commission, and subsequently, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, with regard to the safety aspects of the proposed and existing nuclear facilities and the adequacy of related safety standards.

Robert S. Walker was named acting president and COO of Constellation Nuclear Services. Previously, he was vice president of license renewal services for the company. Barth Doroshuk , president of CNS since 1999, had earlier announced his intention to pursue other opportunities.

Mike Faulkenberry , chief gas engineer at Avista Corp., was awarded a gold medal by the Western Energy Institute for his facilitation of the workshop, "Gas Distribution Pipeline Construction and Maintenance." He has been with Avista for nine years, having previously worked for Pacific Gas and Electric. Last year, he won a silver