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Kelly Schaeffer, Senior Regulatory Advisor

Kelly R. Schaeffer is a Senior Regulatory Advisor with Kleinschmidt. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Parks and Recreation from the University of Maryland in 1986. In 1991, Ms. Schaeffer earned an MS degree in Parks and Recreation from the Pennsylvania State University.

At Kleinschmidt, Ms. Schaeffer specializes in strategic planning, facilitation and negotiation with multi-interest and multi-party groups. Ms. Schaeffer is responsible for assisting clients in planning and conducting FERC relicensing activities, agency and stakeholder consultation, facilitation and negotiation training and assistance, FERC and federal and state agency interface, and developing individualized relicensing approaches using the Integrated Licensing Process (ILP), the Alternative Licensing Procedures (ALPs), as well as traditional licensing approaches. Ms. Schaeffer is responsible for managing project budgets and preparing all documents related to the relicensing and FERC compliance, including NEPA documents and license applications. She also tracks regulatory policies and federal legislation and provides clients with an analysis of how changes in the electric industry might affect the clients’ interests. Prior to joining Kleinschmidt, Ms. Schaeffer worked for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) where she was responsible for coordinating environmental analyses as well as assisting in the design and coordination of the Applicant Prepared EA, which became the Alternative Licensing Procedures. Her responsibilities included analyzing the effects of hydropower projects on developmental and non-developmental resources, coordinating the Applicant Prepared EA guidelines, giving oral presentations to the Commission, and developing and conducting training seminars for FERC staff.

Ms. Schaeffer has conducted workshops for licensees throughout the country on the ILP as well as the other alternative licensing methods, facilitation, decision making, and negotiation techniques, NEPA document preparation, and ancillary services. She is responsible for developing materials, designing the workshop format and presenting the workshops. Topics have included how to identify issues and alternatives, negotiate with multiple parties with multiple interests, effectively facilitate group meetings, conduct environmental and cumulative effects analyses, as well as how the changing energy market affects project revenues and how licensees must adjust their strategy for negotiations in licensing and compliance proceedings.

Ms. Schaeffer is very active in regulatory and legislative activities in the industry, including serving as past Chairman of the National Hydropower Association’s (NHA) Regulatory Affairs Committee. Her prior experiences include attending and facilitating meetings, interfacing with other committees of the NHA, interfacing with policy makers at FERC, federal resource agencies, and Congressional representatives, preparing briefing documents and responses to administrative and legislative actions, and working directly with NHA staff to promote hydropower issues at FERC, and with other federal resource agencies and Congress. Ms. Schaeffer has also authored articles in Hydro Review journal, receiving a special award in 2004 for “Number 1 article ranked by readers”. Ms. Schaeffer also serves on Kleinschmidt’s Board of Directors.

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