Andrew Sims, Executive Vice President

Andy Sims has served as a project manager and primary liaison with clients and the FERC for over 25 years. His responsibilities have included coordination of document preparation and research in support of FERC permit, license, and exemption applications. Mr. Sims has been responsible for agency consultation and negotiation regarding environmental issues at hydro projects, and has coordinated numerous large studies performed by specialized environmental consultants. Mr. Sims is well versed in NEPA and FERC licensing regulations including both traditional and alternative processes and specializes in large, multi-year projects.

Since 1995, Mr. Sims has specialized in working with clients, agencies and other stakeholders to design and implement new approaches to relicensing hydroelectric projects. He was instrumental in the design of the first fully collaborative process that predated FERC’s Alternative Licensing Procedure, and has served as strategic consultant in the development of a number of alternative processes throughout the country, including those involving Applicant Prepared Environmental Assessments and Third Party Contractors since then. With his extensive and practical experience in both traditional and alternative licensing processes, as well as first hand experience in compliance with license conditions, he is able to provide strategic advice as well as detailed planning and project management services to clients. Mr. Sims also has extensive experience in negotiation, dispute resolution and facilitation in relicensings.

Mr. Sims was involved in the National Review Group, which established a number of recommendations for relicensing reform that were negotiated among state and federal agencies, licensees and conservation groups. Mr. Sims was chairperson of the NHA Drafting Committee working with FERC staff, other agencies, licensees and the public to develop FERC’s new Integrated Licensing Process. In that capacity, Mr. Sims helped design and draft many of the provisions of the ILP and is very familiar not only with the substance of the new actual requirements of the ILP regulations, but with their purpose and intent.

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