Dr. Albert L. (Nick) Nichols has joined NERA Economic Consulting as a Vice President in the firm's Environment Group. He is based in NERA's Boston office.
Dr. Nichols is an expert in environmental economics and policy including emission trading, benefit-cost analysis, and climate change. He also directs projects in energy policy, and antitrust and competition policy in high-tech industries. He has directed many projects involving the use of benefit-cost and cost-effectiveness analysis to evaluate proposed regulations in the areas of environment, energy, and health and safety regulation. In addition, Dr. Nichols has evaluated a wide range of types of policies, including ambient air quality attainment plans; proposed standards for various types of pollution sources (including mobile, stationary, and fuels); and issues of both health and natural resource damages associated with hazardous waste.
"NERA is pleased to welcome Nick back to the firm," NERA President Dr. Andrew Carron said. "He will add substantially to our ability to address challenges faced by our clients through his unique blend of skills: extensive management consulting experience in the environment, antitrust, and competition policy sectors. His knowledge and experience will be of critical value during this era of globalization and heightened awareness in the environment field." Dr. Nichols was previously at NERA between 1989 and 2004.
Dr. Nichols' experience in emission trading and other economic incentives for environmental protection dates back to his PhD dissertation, the theoretical portion of which was published as Targeting Economic Incentives for Environmental Protection (MIT Press) and the empirical portion of which was published as a case study in Incentives for Environmental Protection (T.C. Schelling, ed., MIT Press). He has directed numerous projects in the field, addressing greenhouse gases, conventional air pollutants (SO2, NOx, and VOCs), and toxic air pollutants. As Director of the Economic Analysis Division of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), he played a leading role in the development of an innovative banking program for the final phasedown of lead in gasoline.
Dr. Nichols's prior positions include Associate Professor of Public Policy at Harvard University and Director of the Economic Analysis Division of the EPA. He has authored numerous articles in books and professional journals, including The American Economic Review, Antitrust Bulletin, Bell Journal of Economics, Energy Policy, George Mason Law Review, Harvard Environmental Law Review, Management Science, Public Interest, Regulation, Resources and Energy Economics, and Review of Industrial Organization.
Dr. Nichols holds a PhD and an MPP in public policy from Harvard University, and a BA from Stanford University.
About NERA
NERA Economic Consulting is an international firm of economists who understand how markets work. Our more than 45 years of experience creating strategies, studies, reports, expert testimony, and policy recommendations reflects our specialization in industrial and financial economics. Our global team of more than 600 professionals operates in over 20 offices across North and South America, Europe, and Asia Pacific.
NERA Economic Consulting (www.nera.com), founded in 1961 as National Economic Research Associates, is a unit of the Oliver Wyman Group, an MMC company.
