One new and one returning member were sworn in Monday to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Serving Commissioner David Wright now gets a full five-year term, through June 30, 2025. Commissioner Christopher Hanson fills a vacancy left by the April 2019 retirement of Stephen Burns, with his term lasting through June 30, 2024.
NRC Chairman Kristine Svinicki swore both into office, following their nominations earlier this year by President Donald Trump and Senate confirmations in May. That brings the commission to its full five-person membership, including Commissioners Jeff Baran and Annie Caputo.
Wright is a former energy and water consultant in South Carolina who served in leadership roles at the South Carolina Public Service Commission and National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners. He joined the commission on May 30, 2018, filling the seat previously held by Baran, who in 2018 secured his own full five-year term through June 2023.
Hanson most recently was a Democratic staffer on the Senate Appropriations Committee for over five years, with a focus on issues including management of spent fuel from nuclear power plants. Prior to joining the committee, he spent about six years at the Department of Energy.
With a staff of nearly 3,000 and an annual budget approaching $900 million, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission provides oversight of nuclear power and waste operations around the United States, among other licensed activities. The five commissioners set policy, establish regulations, issue orders for licensees, and determine legal issues.
