Most of President Donald Trump’s picks to be leaders in the Department of Energy nuclear complex were finally confirmed Thursday 51-47, some after waiting on the bench since May after being voted through at the committee level.
The nuclear complex nominees confirmed en bloc this week are:
- Ted Garrish, the nominee to head DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy.
- Brandon Williams, the nominee to head DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).
- Scott Pappano, the nominee to be principal deputy administrator at NNSA, or the position just below the head of the agency.
- Matt Napoli, the nominee to be the deputy administrator for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation at NNSA.
Garrish is a familiar face around DOE and nuclear industry circles. He has previously served as the assistant secretary of nuclear power under the Ronald Reagan administration. He also served in other DOE offices such as international affairs and general counsel.
Prior to his nomination in February, Garrish also led a DOE transition team for the second Trump administration.
The American Nuclear Society (ANS) applauded the confirmation of Garrish.
“We look forward to Mr. Garrish’s tenure as ‘NE-1’ and are confident he will carry on the bipartisan tradition of advancing nuclear energy’s critical role in deploying advanced reactors and securing abundant, reliable, and emissions-free nuclear energy for Americans and the world,” ANS CEO and executive director Craig Piercy said in a Thursday press release.
Not on this list is Tim Walsh, Trump’s nominee to head the DOE’s Office of Environmental Management. Last week, ranking member of both the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Energy and Water subcommittee Patty Murray (D-Wash.) placed a hold on Walsh’s nomination due to what she deemed Secretary of Energy Chris Wright’s “stalling” starting up glass making at the Hanford Site.
On Wednesday evening, however, DOE announced issuance of Critical Decision-4, a key last step in approving operations at the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant. There was no word Thursday on whether Murray might now lift the hold.