The NewsRoom
Release: # 3766
Date: December 5, 2007

MRM Chief of Enforcement Recognized

Recipient of Prestigious Justice Department Award

DENVER – The Civil Division of the Justice Department awarded John Price its prestigious Special Commendation Award December 5 during a ceremony at the RFK Main Justice Building in Washington, D.C. Price is the Chief of the Office of Enforcement for the Minerals Revenue Management (MRM) Program of the Minerals Management Service (MMS), with offices in Denver, Colorado.

Earlier this year, Price helped conclude a $97.5 million settlement agreement that resolved several long-standing issues related to natural gas produced from Federal leases, and non-allowable deductions that a company had claimed when making royalty payments.

"We are very proud of John and the team of people who helped bring about this settlement agreement,” said Randall Luthi, director of MMS. “We are committed to ensuring the American people receive fair value for energy produced from Federal and American Indian lands and on the Outer Continental Shelf. This is a great example of the hard work being done every day by our Minerals Revenue Management team."

Price’s office is responsible for resolving issues associated with disputes between MMS and the energy industry regarding royalty issues from energy production on Federal and American Indian lands, and in the Outer Continental Shelf.

“This was truly a team effort,” Price said, noting the work of the Justice Department, the State of New Mexico, the Department of the Interior’s Solicitor’s Office, MRM’s Onshore Compliance and Asset Management Program, and Office of Enforcement employees who contributed to the effort.

During Fiscal Year 2007, the MRM Office of Enforcement collected more than $125 million through settlement agreements, and more than $86 million from Fiscal Year 2004 through 2006.

Price has more than 30 years of experience with Department of the Interior minerals leasing programs, holding a number of technical and managerial positions during his career. He began his career in 1975 as a Petroleum Engineer in the MMS’s Gulf of Mexico Regional Office before serving as the District Supervisor of the Grand Junction, Colo., Oil and Gas District Office with responsibility for all oil and gas operations on Federal and Indian lands in Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska. He has held various positions within MMS and the Minerals Revenue Management Program, including serving as the Onshore Oil and Gas Team Lead in the development of the Production Accounting and Auditing System, Chief of the Oil and Gas Valuation Branch, Principal Technical Advisor to the Chief, Office of Enforcement, and Division Chief of the MMS Appeals Division in Washington, D.C. He was named Chief of the Office of Enforcement in Denver in March 2006.