Andrew Bearlin is a manager in the Environment Lands and Licensing Business Unit at Seattle City Light. Andrew’s group is responsible for managing all aspects of the operating license issued by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), including implementing environmental measures required under the present license, as well as managing the FERC Relicensing process. The current license was issued by the FERC in 1995 and includes measures for the protection and management of fish and wildlife populations and habitats, as well as programs that address recreation needs, erosion control, and cultural resource preservation.
Andrew has worked in the fields of quantitative ecology and natural resource management for over 26 years and has been with Seattle City Light for the past 11 years. Andrew has a very diverse background having worked as a field biologist and senior scientist with the Department of Sustainability and Environment in Australia, as a management consultant in the area of environmental and socially focused non-profit business development, as well as founding a consultancy providing technical consulting in spatially explicit modeling and Geographic Information Systems. Andrew has been involved in several large-scale and long-term ecological restoration programs, contributing over the years to all aspects of these endeavors; from research and prioritization, to capital project execution, monitoring and evaluation. Andrew has an undergraduate degree in ecology with honors in statistics and environmental science from the University of Melbourne, and a Masters in Business Administration from City University of Seattle.
“My interest in continuing to serve on the Skagit Watershed Council Board is based on Seattle City Light’s strong commitment to environmental stewardship in general, and to the Skagit River in particular. Given City Light’s long-term presence in the watershed I believe that it is important that the utility be engaged with the Watershed Council. Personally, it is an exciting opportunity to collaborate with representatives from other committed organizations on the work needed to sustain and improve the ecological integrity of the watershed. It is an honor to continue to serve on the Skagit Watershed Council Board of Directors.”