Office of the General Counsel

Thomas R. Sheets, General Counsel

Thomas R. Sheets was appointed General Counsel of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in October 2009 and is responsible for providing legal and policy advice concerning all areas of the Commission's regulation. The General Counsel's Office is also responsible for representing the Commission before the courts.

A longtime Nevadan, Mr. Sheets has more than 32 years of energy industry, administrative practice and regulatory hearing experience. From 2005 to 2009 he served as Chairman of the Nevada Tax Commission, a panel appointed by the Governor to oversee the fair administration of taxes on all individual and corporate taxpayers in Nevada.

Mr. Sheets most recently was in private law practice as a partner in the Las Vegas office of the McDonald Carano Wilson law firm. Formerly the Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Southwest Gas Corporation, Mr. Sheets has engaged primarily in administrative and regulatory practice, energy litigation support and contract and corporate law. He has represented electric, gas and water utilities operating in Nevada, Arizona and California in administrative and regulatory proceedings, in federal and state court litigation, and before various legislative bodies. He also has represented a natural gas transmission company in U.S. and Canadian regulatory proceedings and in federal and state court litigation; and an Ohio electric, gas and steam utility in litigation of rate cases and regulatory matters.

Mr. Sheets has appeared before the U.S. Supreme Court, the Fifth, Sixth, Ninth and D.C. Circuit Courts of Appeals, Federal District Courts in Ohio, California, Texas, Nevada, Arizona and Michigan, and is admitted to practice law in Texas, Ohio and Nevada. Mr. Sheets also is the former chairman and member of the Nevada Commission on Ethics; a member of the State Bars of Nevada (Former Chair Administrative Law Section), Ohio and Texas; a member of the Energy Bar Association, the Clark County Bar Association (Former President), the American Gas Association and the AAA National Roster of Neutrals. Mr. Sheets earned his juris doctor from the University of Toledo, College of Law, and his bachelor's degree from Ashland University.