WASHINGTON — In a committee hearing here Wednesday about his nomination to join the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Matthew Marzano said he agreed with a sometimes controversial commission’s decision to require fresh environmental reviews to relicense a nuclear power plant.
“I think what the commission did in that case was appropriate,” Marzano said in response to a question by Sen. Shelley Capito (R-W.Va.), the ranking Republican on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
Marzano also defended himself against a recent think-tank essay that asked whether he would be the least qualified NRC commissioner ever, calling the article by the Washington-based Breakthrough Institute “inaccurate.”
Marzano also told Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), who brought up the Breakthrough report, that he would be the first licensed senior reactor operator to sit on the NRC in more than two decades, if confirmed.
During the hearing, Carper said he hoped Marzano would be confirmed. Another Democratic senator, Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass.), said he looked forward to working with Marzano in the future.
Capito, and committee Republicans, did not commit to voting one way or another during the hearing. Marzano is currently a member of Carper’s staff on the committee.
If confirmed, Marzano would serve a five-year term that expires June 30, 2028. The committee had not scheduled a vote on his nomination as of Wednesday.