Jeffrey Baran’s nomination for another term on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission was before the full Senate Thursday after a committee this week approved his nomination in a razor-thin party-line vote.
In a Wednesday business meeting, the Democrat-controlled committee approved Baran’s nomination 10-9. Though the nomination was placed on the Senate executive calendar on Thursday, the Senate had not scheduled a floor vote on the nomination as of deadline Friday for RadWaste Monitor.
Baran’s current term at NRC expires on June 30. The committee had planned to vote on the nomination May 31 but skipped the vote because of what a committee spokesperson said were “scheduling conflicts.”
Sen. Shelley Capito (R-W.Va.), the ranking member on the committee, summarized Republican objections to Baran’s renomination on Wednesday, saying that he was “not the right person for the NRC,” and that while he professed support for things such as advanced nuclear reactors while he was on the hot seat before the committee, he consistently voted against them once he was installed on the commission.
Baran has strong support among committee Democrats, including Sen. Thomas Carper (D-Del.), the chairman.
The Joe Biden (D) administration renominated Baran for another NRC term in April. If reconfirmed, Baran’s new term would expire on July 30, 2028.
Baran has served on the NRC since 2014. He holds a juris doctor from Harvard Law School and masters and bachelors degrees in political science from Ohio University. He worked on Capitol Hill prior to joining the commission.
