Vice President of Sustainability and Public Policy Joins Southwest Gas
Category: Corporate
Laura S. Nelson, Ph.D., oversees sustainability efforts, including ESG, as well as government and community affairs
LAS VEGAS – Southwest Gas Corporation (NYSE: SWX) is proud to welcome Laura S. Nelson, Ph.D., to the company as its new Vice President of Sustainability and Public Policy.
“Southwest Gas is pleased to have Laura Nelson join the Southwest Gas family, a respected and sought-after energy policy leader who shares our commitment to delivering safe, reliable, and affordable natural gas service to our customers in an environmentally responsible way,” Southwest Gas senior vice president/general counsel Justin Brown said. “Laura brings with her a unique mix of energy experience in the public and private sectors. She is uniquely qualified to help us continue to partner with all stakeholders to identify and develop pathways to help us meet our customers clean energy and GHG reduction goals.”
Clean, affordable natural gas has a strong and proven track record of helping to reduce economy-wide emissions and advancements in renewable natural gas (RNG) and hydrogen will make this already clean fuel even cleaner. The Company has already designed and built RNG interconnects with more RNG facilities planned. The Southwest Gas Hydrogen Pilot Action Team is studying how hydrogen-blended natural gas can safely be integrated into the Company’s existing distribution infrastructure, which will provide yet another option for customers in achieving their clean energy and GHG reduction goals.
“I am excited to join a company that so enthusiastically embraces the promise of sustainable energy solutions and a reduced environmental impact, while continuing to meet its customers’ and investors’ high expectations for the delivery of safe and reliable natural gas,” Nelson said. “I look forward to leading Southwest Gas’ efforts to promote our sustainability program and sharing with our customers, investors, and the regulatory community, the various opportunities we have to help lower economy-wide GHG emissions without compromising safety, reliability, or affordability.”
Nelson was most recently a Vice President at Strategen, a global energy consulting firm that advises utilities, government agencies, NGOs, and industry clients in the transition to low-carbon energy systems. While at Strategen, Nelson served as a special advisor to the Green Hydrogen Coalition, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works to scale the deployment of green hydrogen technology.
Prior to joining Strategen, Nelson was an energy adviser to Utah Gov. Gary Herbert and Executive Director of his Office of Energy Development. She served as Gov. Herbert’s representative to the Western Interstate Energy Board and the state’s representative to the National Association of Energy Officials. Her work included overseeing energy diversity strategies, leading to address net-metering issues, expansion of energy infrastructure, creating and delivering on energy policy, supporting energy operations, and advancing market opportunities for clean energy solutions.
Nelson holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Utah
About Southwest Gas
Celebrating 90 years of providing clean, affordable natural gas service, Southwest Gas Corporation proudly serves over two million customers in Arizona, California, and Nevada safely and reliably. For more information about Southwest Gas, please visit www.swgas.com.
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