Phil Williamson

During the hearing, Phil Williamson of the state Bureau of Consumer Protection detailed various costs involving the project, which already has received more than $200 million in taxpayer and ratepayer dollars, and said the BCP wants a $92 million disallowance.

Asked by Sierra Pacific attorney Julia Sullivan to elaborate on the proposed disallowance, Williamson said it represented $50 million the Reno-based utility already received plus the $42 million it's trying to get the PUC to approve.

During the hearing, Phil Williamson of the state Bureau of Consumer Protection detailed various costs involving the project, which already has received more than $200 million in taxpayer and ratepayer dollars, and said the BCP wants a $92 million disallowance.

Asked by Sierra Pacific attorney Julia Sullivan to elaborate on the proposed disallowance, Williamson said it represented $50 million the Reno-based utility already received plus the $42 million it's trying to get the PUC to approve.

"We think the sale of assets, as long as the proceeds are passed on to the ratepayers, is fine," said Phil Williamson, a financial analyst with the state Bureau of Consumer Protection.

Additional testimony filed by Philip Williamson, technical staff manager of the state Bureau of Consumer Protection, also said that "in the past two weeks the market price for future deliveries of natural gas has increased substantially."He indicated, however, that the effect of those swings is unknown since the utility could already have a portion of its fuel needs locked in at lower prices, and future prices could drop again.

Tim Hay on Wednesday cited testimony from Phil Williamson, an economist with the Bureau of Consumer Protection, who based his report on Southwest Gas projections from July.