WASHINGTON, September 13, 2017 - The White House nominated Bill Wehrum of Delaware to serve as the assistant administrator for Air and Radiation at the Environmental Protection Agency, a job he previously held for two years. Wehrum is currently a partner and the head of the Administrative Law Group at Hunton & Williams… The president is also tapping Howard R. Elliott to be administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration within Department of Transportation. Elliott is a 40-year veteran of the U.S. freight rail industry, serving over the last decade as group Vice President of Public Safety, Health, Environment and Security for CSX Transportation in Jacksonville, Fla.

Vladimir Voronkov has retired from his OPEC post as Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the International Organizations. OPEC Secretary General Mohammed Sanusi Barkindo and members of OPEC Secretariat management held a farewell luncheon for the ambassador in which they honored Voronkov with a plaque and lauded his contributions to 2016’s Declaration of Cooperation, establishing oil production caps.

House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster, R-Pa., has announced a number of appointments and promotions for the committee’s staff. Johanna Hardy was named staff director of the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management, after serving as counsel for the panel since 2008. Denny Wirtz is the new staff director of the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials. Wirtz has been Shuster’s legislative director since 2015. And Ian Bennitt was appointed to the position of staff director of the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment. Bennitt had been legislative director for Rep. Garret Graves of Louisiana, who chairs that subcommittee. ... Shuster also appointed Collin McCune as the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s director of coalitions and outreach, Kathy Loden as parliamentarian, Brittany Smith as director of member services, and Hannah Matesic as legislative operations assistant.

Connor Hamburg has joined the National Corn Growers Association as its manager of public policy and regulatory affairs. The James Madison University alum previously worked as a legislative assistant to Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill, advising on issues including the environment, energy and agriculture. Hamburg also worked for former Reps. John Carney of Delaware and Steve Israel of New York. Hamburg succeeds Ethan Mathews, who moved to CropLife America as director of government relations. At NCGA, Mathews’ portfolio included environmental legislation and regulation.

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