The U.S. Department of the Interior's Minerals Management Service (MMS) today announced the recipients of its 1999 Corporate Leadership Award (CORLA). Winners of the Corporate Leadership Award are chosen for performing an act or service that enhances MMS's ability to meet Offshore or Royalty Management mission objectives.

        "Cooperation and support from our corporate customers and individuals are essential to the success of the Nation's offshore mineral development and minerals revenue collection," said MMS Director Walt Rosenbusch. "These annual awards publicly recognize voluntary compliance with MMS offshore and royalty programs."

The following CORLA recipients will be recognized at an MMS-sponsored awards program and luncheon in Houston, Texas on April 14, 2000:

Gene Barfield, GEB Consulting

Bob Bea, Professor, Dept. of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of California at Berkley

Jack Caldwell, Schlumberger

Jack Clark and Judith A. Wittich, C-CORE

Jodie Connor, President, J. Conner Consulting, Inc.

James Cospolich & David R. Stewart, Waldemar S. Nelson & Company Inc., Engineers and Architects

Bill Hartzler, RAG International Mining

Paul Kelly, Senior Vice President, Rowan Companies, Inc.

Mark A. Lawrence, Fairfield Industries

Rob Lease and Ben Waring, Presidents of LEXCO and Waring & Associates (respectively)

David McCallum and Bruce Smith, Energy Graphics, Inc. and IHS Energy Group

Nicholas Lee Odinet, Twachtman, Snyder & Byrd, Inc.

Mike Safford, Petroglyph Operating Company

Francis Stone, Shell International Exploration & Production, Inc., Deepwater Services

Robert Stewart, President National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA)

Sara K. Tays, Exxon Company, USA

Allen J. Verret, Texaco, Retired 1999 Deep Star

Lee Warren, Conoco, Inc.

The following CORLA winners were selected from the Council of Petroleum Accountants Societies, Inc. (COPAS):

John Clark, Conoco, Inc.

Pat Kent, Exxon Company, U.S.A.

Alpheus Moss, Coastal Oil & Gas Corporation

Marvinette Ponder, Devon Energy Corporation

Pam Williams, Shell Services International

Kathy Dawkins, Chevron USA

Bill Laughlin, Coastal Oil & Gas Corporation

Don Lynch, Texaco Exploration & Production, Inc.

Bob Wilkinson, Price Waterhouse Coopers

        For more information about the MMS awards program and luncheon scheduled for April 14, 2000 in Houston go to our web site at: http://www.mms.gov/awards.

        MMS is the federal agency that manages the Nation's natural gas, oil and other mineral resources on the OCS, and collects, accounts for and disburses about $4 billion yearly in revenues from offshore federal mineral leases and from onshore mineral leases on federal and Indian lands.