Gina McCarthy pledged to use a collaborative, commonsense approach if the US Senate confirms her nomination to become the US Environmental Protection Agency’s administrator.

The US Senate confirmed Sally Jewell’s nomination as US Interior Secretary on Apr. 10, clearing the way for her to succeed Ken Salazar and lead the federal department during US President Barack Obama’s second term.

Mahdi Sajjad has been named chief executive of Gulfsands Petroleum PLC, London, replacing Ric Malcolm, who resigned. Sajjad has been executive director and president.

The board of Chesapeake Energy Corp. has established a three-member office of the chairman while continuing its previously announced chief executive officer search process.

Following the resignation last week of Australian Minister for Resources and Energy Martin Ferguson, Prime Minister Julia Gillard has named Western Australian MP Gary Gray as the new minister.

Martin J. Durbin, currently executive vice-president at the American Petroleum Institute, will become president and chief executive of America’s Natural Gas Alliance effective May 1, ANGA announced.

Zhou Jiping, vice-chairman of PetroChina Co. Ltd., will serve as chairman until the election of a successor to Jiang Jiemin as chairman and director of the state-owned company.

Jim Hand has joined Laricina Energy Ltd., a private oil-sands producer based in Calgary, as senior vice-president and chief operating officer.

Christopher Bloomer, formerly with Petrobank Energy & Resources, has been named chief executive officer and a director of Connacher Oil & Gas Ltd., an independent oil sands producer based in Calgary.

Three of US President Barack Obama’s recent Cabinet nominees—Sally Jewell to be Interior secretary, Ernest J. Moniz to be Energy secretary, and Gina McCarthy to be Environmental Protection Agency administrator—potentially could have significant impacts on the country’s significantly improved oil and gas outlook, American Petroleum Institute Pres. Jack N. Gerard said.

US President Barack Obama nominated Gina McCarthy, the US Environmental Protection Agency’s assistant administrator for air and radiation, to succeed Lisa A. Jackson as EPA’s administrator. He also nominated Ernest J. Moniz, who directs the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Energy Initiative, to succeed Steven Chu as US Energy Secretary.