By the thinnest partisan margin, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Wednesday confirmed Jeffrey Baran for another term as a commissioner of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
In a business meeting, the Democrat-controlled committee voted 10-9 on party lines to send Baran’s nomination to the Senate floor for a final vote. The full Senate had not scheduled a floor vote on the nomination as of Wednesday morning. 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.
