The Nuclear Regulatory Commission hopes the two vacant seats on its executive committee won’t be gathering dust for too long, the agency’s head told Congress this week.
“I think we work best when we have a full complement,” said NRC chair Christopher Hanson while testifying before the House Energy and Commerce Committee Wednesday afternoon. Currently the commission has only three members: Hanson, Jeff Baran, and David Wright. Hanson said he is “looking forward” to getting two new appointees from the Joe Biden administration.
Hanson echoed earlier comments from fellow commissioner Wright, who said that NRC is “missing out on the perspectives and wisdom two additional commissioners would bring.”
Although the commission is only three strong after the departure of Annie Caputo late last month, Hanson reassured the House panel that the remaining commissioners “have a good working relationship” and are still fully capable of conducting the agency’s business despite the staffing deficit.
At deadline Friday for RadWaste Monitor, the Biden administration hadn’t yet named anyone to fill the vacancies left by Caputo and former chair Kristine Svinicki, who stepped down from the commission in January.
The current commissioners aren’t the only ones yearning for the days of a five-member NRC. Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) said Wednesday that he was “a little frustrated” that there hadn’t yet been any nominees for either vacancy. The American Nuclear Society, a prominent trade group, penned a letter to the Biden administration July 1 asking them to “act expeditiously” to fill the two slots — preferably with nuclear energy experts.
