The White House officially renominated NRC Commissioner Kristine Svinicki yesterday, responding to Republican criticism that, despite promising to renominate her on April 19, Svinicki had not yet been given the official nod. Svinicki may now be considered by the Senate’s Environment and Public Works committee, though if the renomination process is not completed by the time her term expires June 30 Svinicki will have to cease her work for the NRC until a decision is made. Notably, one of Svinicki’s most ardent detractors is Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), who chairs the committee. Boxer has said she felt Svinicki deliberately misled the committee during her previous nomination hearings by saying she had no direct involvement in the Yucca Mountain geologic repository project, when she worked on projects related to the repository while working at the Department of Energy. Svinicki’s case has been championed by Congressional Republicans, who claim the sluggish pace of her renomination process is retribution for her public criticism of NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko’s management of the agency. Svinicki is the first NRC commissioner up for re-nomination since four commissioners sent a letter to the White House in October stating that they had "grave concerns" about Jaczko’s mismanagement. Jaczko was formerly an aide to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), who has come out against Svinicki’s renomination.
House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.), Energy and Power Subcommittee Chairman Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.), and Environment and the Economy Subcommittee Chairman John Shimkus (R-Ill.), released a statement yesterday calling for Reid to swiftly schedule a vote on the nomination. “We are pleased the president has finally nominated Kristine Svinicki to serve another term on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Now, it is Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s turn to do the right thing, follow President Obama’s cue, and allow for Commissioner Svinicki’s swift confirmation," they said in the statement. “Unfortunately, Harry Reid has a history of playing politics with our nuclear safety. In 2005, Reid held nearly 175 Bush appointees hostage to muscle his own employee, the current NRC Chair Gregory Jaczko, onto the commission. Employing similar tactics to block Svinicki’s nomination because she bravely spoke out against hostile work conditions would be shameful."
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