The head of the nuclear industry’s lobbying arm on Tuesday urged the U.S. Senate to move quickly to confirm the three nominees to fill out the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
“This is a moment when Congress and the administration are rightly raising concerns relative to efficient and effective federal regulatory environments,” Nuclear Energy Institute CEO Maria Korsnick said in a prepared statement. “The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is most effective when operating under the leadership of five well qualified commissioners, and we urge the Senate to move expeditiously to achieve that.”
The nomination hearing for Commissioner Jeff Baran is scheduled for 10 a.m. today before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. Baran, a lawyer and former Democratic staffer on Capitol Hill, joined the commission in October 2014 for a term ending on June 30, 2018. If approved by the Senate, he would serve a full five-year term through June 30, 2023.
The EPW Committee has already voted in favor of Trump administration nominees to fill two vacant spots on the commission: Annie Caputo, a nuclear engineer and Republican staffer for the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, and David Wright, an energy consultant and former head of the South Carolina Public Service Commission and the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners.
There was no word Tuesday on when the Senate panel might vote on Baran’s reappointment, or when floor votes would be scheduled for all three nominees.
“Commissioner Baran has been a strong advocate of safety and transparency and openness in the regulatory process. We share this commitment, and we have every expectation that Mr. Wright and Ms. Caputo would also meet the expectation of high-quality commissioners the Trump administration and our nation expects,” Korsnick said.
