One of the nuclear industry’s most prominent trade groups pressured the Joe Biden administration this week to do something about the dwindling Nuclear Regulatory Commission, as one of four current commissioners finished her term this week and left the agency.
It’s important for the five-person NRC to be at full strength so it can “act as a collegial body of individuals with diverse and complementary abilities and backgrounds,” said the American Nuclear Society (ANS) in a letter to the Biden administration dated Thursday.
ANS urged the administration to “act expeditiously” to fill the commission’s vacant seats — a number that grew to two Wednesday with the departure of commissioner Annie Caputo.
Caputo, who was nominated to her three-year term in 2018 by then-President Donald Trump, leaves chairman Christopher Hanson and commissioners Jeff Baran and David Wright as the three remaining members of the agency’s executive panel. Before that, the commission had only been four strong since former chair Kristine Svinicki stepped down Jan. 21.
The trade group also expressed concern Thursday that the commission “has no remaining members with a strong technical foundation.” Caputo holds a bachelor’s degree in nuclear engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison — the three remaining members have backgrounds in political and environmental science.
“To restore the needed balance, the White House should seek nominees who are scientists or engineers with significant, recognized accomplishments in their field,” ANS said.
With Caputo on her way out, political winds are shifting at the commission. Biden now will have to either nominate a Republican and a Democrat to staff the NRC back up to five commissioners, or continue with the current two-one Democrat-Republican split.
Wright is now the sole Republican on the panel — Hanson and Baran are both Democrats. What’s more, with two seats to fill the Biden administration now has double the opportunity to solidify a Democratic majority on the commission.
At deadline for RadWaste Monitor, however, the administration hadn’t appointed anyone to fill either vacancy.
Prior to joining the commission, Caputo was a senior policy advisor for Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and for Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) before that. She also served as a nuclear energy specialist on the House Energy and Commerce committee.
Caputo hadn’t announced her future plans by deadline Friday for RadWaste Monitor.
