NRC Commissioners Set to Testify Next Tuesday

Press Release

The Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy and the Subcommittee on Energy and Power have scheduled a joint hearing on Tuesday, July 24, 2012, at 10:00 a.m. in room 2123 of the Rayburn House Office Building. The title of the hearing is "NRC Policy and Governance Oversight." Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Allison Macfarlane will testify along with Commissioners Kristine Svinicki, William Magwood, and William Ostendorff.

This will be the first congressional hearing with new NRC Chairman Allison Macfarlane who was sworn in last week. Members will question the incoming chairman and her fellow commissioners about NRC procedures and policy decisions impacting America's nuclear safety.

"We welcome Dr. Macfarlane to her new position and are glad to have this opportunity to hear from her. The agency is still suffering the consequences of Chairman Jaczko's controversial tenure, and it is our hope that Dr. Macfarlane will be successful in repairing the agency's credibility and returning its focus to a mission of safety," said House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI), Environment and the Economy Subcommittee Chairman John Shimkus (R-IL), and Energy and Power Subcommittee Chairman Ed Whitfield (R-KY).

Since the start of the 112th Congress, the Energy and Commerce Committee has been actively conducting oversight of the NRC with a focus on how the actions of former NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko politicized the Commission, undermining its ability to effectively execute its safety and licensing mission. Moving forward, the committee will continue its oversight efforts to determine any steps that need to be taken to restore the commission's integrity and make sure history doesn't repeat itself.

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