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IN BUSINESS UTILITIES SOUTHWEST GAS SEEKS MONEY TO SPEED PIPELINE REPLACEMENT construction cost to replace the pipeline By Cy Ryan staff writer S outhwest Gas Corp. wants to speed up replacement of a plastic pipeline in Southern Nevada, and it wants the cus- tomers to pay for it on the front end. The state Bureau of Consumer Protec- tion has taken issue with the plan, saying ratepayers could be shelling out for the project before it is thoroughly studied. The bureau said the advance charges are not legal and urged the state Public Utility Commission to reject these "un- precedented steps." According to Phillip Andrews, direc- REAL ESTATE FORMER HEAD OF HOME BUILDERS ASSOCIATION DIES AT 68 Vegas Inc staff I rene Porter, former executive di- rector of the Southern Nevada Home Builders Association, died June 28. She was 68. A pioneer, she headed the Home Builders Association for 35 years in an industry dominated by men. She also led the way for other women as she was the first female planning di- rector in North Las Vegas, served with American Nevada Corporation during the early days of what is now Green Val- ley and became the first female lobbyist in the Nevada Legislature. Porter was known throughout Ne- vada as a tireless leader, a champion of first-time homebuyers, an advocate of equal rights and a mentor to women in her industry. Honored and recognized for her at- tention to detail and sense of fair play, she had a sweeping impact on legisla- tive policy in the state. Porter was preceded in death by her husband of 50 years, Dick. She is sur- vived by her brother, Charles Gulland of Roseville, Calif., and her daughter, Sherry Porter Rosch, and her husband, Tom, of Las Vegas. Nathaniel "Nat" Hodgson, a construc- tion industry veteran and longtime member of the association, replaced Porter as executive director of the asso- ciation this year. | 9 JULY 2012 | City National Business Banking Eric Rauch President & CEO, Ametherm, Inc. Mehdi Samii Vice President of Engineering, Ametherm, Inc. Hear Ametherm's complete story at cnb.com/thewayup. Experience the City National Diff erence. Call (702) 425-6559 or visit cnb.com to fi nd a business banker near you. tor of Southwest's gas operations, the stepped-up replacement will allow the company to continue to operate a safe, reliable and code-compliant system. It will lower the chances of leaks. Andrew, in a document submitted to the commission, estimates the annual ment by 2020 instead of 2026. will be $12.5 million through 2020. The original pipeline budget for South- ern Nevada was $7.8 million to replace 33 miles a year. The new cost would cover 37.5 miles a year, completing the replace- The commission's regulatory staff said the petition "does not fit squarely into any statutory or regulatory scheme cur- rently authorized under Nevada law." But the staff recommended commis- sioners move forward with the applica- tion so there can be a full hearing. "City National is key to our success. " We needed to expand, and I'd always heard how diffi cult it was to get a loan through the SBA. But City National walked us through the whole thing. Th ey were able to deal with the SBA using information they already had from us, and we got approval quickly. City National made the process absolutely simple. City National is Th e way up® for our business. SM Member FDIC 9 ©2012 City National Bank