GOVERNOR APPOINTS NEW PUC CHAIRMAN

(Carson, City, NV) Governor Jim Gibbons today announced the appointment of Sam Thompson to serve as Chair of the Nevada Public Utilities Commission. Mr. Thompson has served as a Commissioner on the PUC since July of 2007. Thompson also serves on the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners Committee on Electricity and on the Advisory Board of the New Mexico State University Center for Public Utilities.

“I am confident Mr. Thompson will lead the PUC during the uneasy economic times we are experiencing and help Nevada be better prepared for growth and diversification in the future,” Governor Gibbons said.

"I am honored Governor Gibbons selected me for this appointment and grateful for the confidence expressed therein,” Mr. Thompson said, “Universal access to affordable, efficient, safe and reliable utility service remains the goal of the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada."

Prior to his appointment to the PUC, Thompson served as a Commissioner on the Nevada Transportation Authority and on the Nevada Standing Committee on Judicial Ethics and Election Practices.

The previous Chair of the PUC, JoAnn Kelly, has agreed to remain on the PUC as a Commissioner until a new member is appointed.

                                                                             
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