U.S. Department of the Interior
Minerals Management Service
Office of Communications

NEWS RELEASE

MMS Announces Winners of Corporate Leadership Award

    The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Minerals Management Service (MMS) today announced the recipients of its 1998 Corporate Leadership Award (CORLA). Winners of the award are chosen for performing an act or service that enhances MMS’s ability to meet offshore or royalty management mission objectives. CORLA recipients will be recognized at an MMS-sponsored awards program and luncheon in Houston on April 16, 1999. Information about the awards program can be found on the MMS website at: www.mms.gov/eod/awards/1.htm.

    "Cooperation and support from our corporate customers and individuals are essential to the success of the Nation's offshore mineral and royalty programs," said MMS Acting Director Tom Kitsos. "These annual awards, honoring exemplary contributions made by our customers and certain members of the business community, publicly recognize their individual efforts to improve Government."

Winners of the 1998 Corporate Leadership Award are:

• Cort Cooper, Tim Finnegan and Dan Allen (Chevron), for forging an industry/MMS relationship that has resulted in co-funding research on deep ocean spills.

• Charles Duhon (Kerr-McGee), for leading the industry in moving to adopt SEMP/RP 75 as a working safety management system approach.

• Mark Witten (Chevron), Steve Brooks (Exxon), and Peter Hill (Shell), for their leadership role to update the Memorandum of Understanding between the U.S. Coast Guard and MMS.

• Moe Plaisance (Diamond Offshore Drilling Incorporated), for his leadership on the International Association of Drilling Contractors/Offshore Operators Committee Deepwater Well Control Guidelines Task Force.

• Bill Greenfield (Amoco Energy Trading Corporation), and John Hunter Sharp (Natural Gas Supply Association), and Rebecca McDonald (Enron (formerly with Amoco)) for providing valuable training and work experience to MMS employees on natural gas marketing.

• William Schmidt (MAR Inc.), for his achievements in improving the safety, efficiency and environmental sensitivity of operations at the OHMSETT facility.

• Sandi Fury (Chevron U.S.A. Production Company), for her diligence and assistance in providing information to assess the environmental impacts of a proposed project in the Gulf of Mexico.

• Jeffrey S. Harris, Consultant (formerly with Mobil), Pat Pocock (Amoco), Larry Michel (Texaco), Faye Schubert (Shell Offshore), Jonathon Barnett (Chevron), for initiating and championing a Gulf of Mexico OCS data management workgroup comprised of industry experts and MMS representatives to address well information needs of the Region.

• Octavio Pastrana and Mike Skitmore (BP Exploration, Inc.), for leadership and commitment to the highest professional standards for oil and gas activities on Alaska’s North Slope, promotion of open dialogue, and actions that promote the safety of MMS’s offshore program.

• Bob Wilkinson (BP Amoco), Kathy Dawkins and Bill Strain (Chevron), and Wayne Pachall (Texaco), for their partnership with the Royalty Management Program’s Reengineering Initiative.

-MMS-

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