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New Positions

Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, stepped into the role of chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, succeeding Rep. Billy Tauzin, R-La., who is leaving Congress.

Duke Energy named David Hauser as its permanent CFO. He had been acting CFO since November. He succeeds Robert Brace, who resigned.

Entergy named Leo Denault executive vice president and CFO, replacing C. John Wilder, who assumed the role of CEO at TXU Corp. Denault has been with Entergy since 1999. Wilder's predecessor, Erle Nye, will remain as chairman of TXU's board until next May. TXU also said Dr. Gail de Planque had joined its board of directors.

American Electric Power Co. appointed Michael Morris as its chairman, succeeding E. Linn Draper Jr., who plans to exit the company by April of this year, Reuters says. Morris was serving as the company's CEO at the time of his appointment to the chairmanship.