Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company

Nominated by: Gregory W. Smith, Manager, Oil and Gas RIK Operations, Minerals Revenue Management

Mr. Levine is nominated for the MMS Corporate Leadership Award for his outstanding efforts to assist the new MMS RIK program in gaining corporate knowledge necessary to succeed in the business world. Mr. Levine has repeawtedldsy spent hours explaining and exploring the nuts and bolts of natural gas markets and pipeline systems with various MMS RIK staff. Often, Mr. Levine has responded quickly to urgent, ad hoc requests by MMS RIK staff to meet on a subject of critical, short term importance to the RIK program. He has done so with largesse and unflagging patience. MMS first met Mr. Levine when we proposed an exchange auction on the Bluewater Pipeline System. On that first occasion, and on several more occasions since, Mr. Levine took the initiative to contact MMS and suggest that we consider a number of technical issues that we had overlooked.

Interior Secretary Gale A. Norton, Andrew Levine, and Acting MMS Director Thomas R. Kitsos

Four programs have been improved substantially from his continuing interest in the success of the RIK kprogram and his actions to proactively bring industry expertise to MMS, especially in the area of pipeline technicalities - an area where MMS has not had substantial experience. Mr. Levine continues to be an important and highly valuable industry partner in our efforts to develop a successful RIK program.