Jeremy L. Dillon
RW Monitor
9/5/2014
The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will hold a hearing next week to consider the two pending nominations for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The Obama Administration in July nominated Stephen Burns and Jeff Baran to fill open spots on the NRC. Burns previously worked for the NRC, rising to General Counsel under then-Chairman Gregory Jaczko, but left in 2012 for a position with the Nuclear Energy Agency. Baran currently serves as an aide to House Energy and Commerce Ranking Member Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) while also serving as Democratic staff director for the Energy and Environment Subcommittee.
Committee Chairman Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) has had problems with the NRC in recent months over its decommissioning exemption process, as well as its efforts to implement lessons-learned recommendations from the Fukushima accident—issues that could be explored in her line of questioning of the two nominees. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) has been reported to have some concerns with the two candidates. The committee’s hearing is set to take place Sept. 9 beginning at 10 a.m.
