The U.S. Senate voted 66 to 32 to confirm Ho Nieh to be a member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on Wednesday afternoon.
Democratic Sens. Chris Coons (Del.), Tammy Duckworth (Ill.), John Fetterman (Penn.), Ruben Gallego (Ariz.), Martin Heinrich (N.M.), Mark Kelly (Ariz.), Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), Jon Ossoff (Ga.), Alex Padilla (Calif.), Jack Reed (R.I.), Mark Warner (Va.), Raphael Warnock (Ga.), Peter Welch (Vt.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.) voted in favor of the nomination with many of the Republican senators.
Independent Sen. Angus King (Maine) also voted in favor of Nieh.
Nieh’s confirmation comes after the Senate invoked cloture on his nomination to be a member of the NRC after a 65 – 32 vote Tuesday night.
Nieh will now serve the remainder of former commissioner Christopher Hanson’s term, which is set to expire on June 30, 2029. Hanson was terminated from the agency by President Donald Trump in June.
Most recently a vice president with Southern Nuclear, Nieh previously worked at the NRC for over 20 years. During his time with the agency, he held key management roles such as the director of the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Senate Environment and Public Works Committee chair, supported Nieh’s confirmation due to his experience with NRC and the nuclear industry.
“I support Ho Nieh’s nomination to serve as a member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission because of his outstanding technical expertise, his real-world knowledge of regulatory compliance, his strong leadership experience and his commitment to executing the recently updated NRC Mission Statement,” Capito said in a Wednesday statement.
His nomination was favorably voted out of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Oct. 29. He received bipartisan support in the committee after he vowed to commit to NRC’s mission and its independence during his nomination hearing.
Nieh was first nominated by Trump in July. His nomination came within the week that David Wright was reconfirmed by the Senate for another term and former commissioner Annie Caputo announced her resignation from the agency.
The American Nuclear Society (ANS) applauded the confirmation of Nieh to NRC:
“America’s nuclear safety and security interests are best served by having a full roster of commissioners with proven technical expertise and professional qualifications,” ANS said in a Wednesday press release. “America’s nuclear scientific community looks forward to working with Mr. Nieh in supporting the NRC’s mission in ensuring the safe, secure, and timely licensing of the next generation of nuclear technologies.”
With Nieh confirmed, the commission has one remaining spot available. On Nov. 5, Trump nominated Douglas Weaver, another former NRC staffer, to fill in that fifth spot.
Weaver worked at the NRC for almost 20 years and also held prominent roles in the agency. Along with his work with the NRC, Weaver also has worked in the private sector of the nuclear industry with companies such as Holtec International and Westinghouse.