Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., and Nuclear Regulatory Commission Commissioner Kristine Svinicki are set to visit the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant after it shut down to examine water leaks, The Associated Press reports.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairwoman Allison Macfarlane and Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, sparred over the agency's decision not to do a full comparison of U.S. and Japanese nuclear regulations at a hearing, Politico reports.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has approved President Barack Obama's nominee to chair the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, an agency marked by discord in recent years.
Geologist Allison Macfarlane will replace Gregory Jaczko, who announced his resignation last month after a tumultuous three-year tenure. Jaczko came under fire for an unyielding management style that fellow commissioners and agency employees described as bullying.
Senate Environment and Public Works Committee to hold voting session off the Senate floor on Macfarlane, Svinicki NRC nominations, other pending bills. Time is approximate, to be held after first floor vote.
President Barack Obama's nominee to head the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Wednesday appeared headed toward confirmation by the Senate, after assuring senators that she would avoid the conflicts that marked the tenure of outgoing Chairman Gregory Jaczko.
"I will make a strong commitment to collegiality at all levels," said Allison Macfarlane at a confirmation hearing before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. "An agency endowed with the public trust, such as the NRC, requires a respectful working environment to assure its integrity," she added.
In the wake of a tumultuous year at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Wednesday will be grilling President Obama's nominee to head the agency, Allison Macfarlane, and member Kristine Svinicki who is nominated for a second term, The Hill reports.
The intensifying debate over the future of nuclear power and spent reactor fuel tumbles into the Senate this week, where senators will consider the nominations of geologist Allison Macfarlane to head the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Republican Kristine Svinicki to serve a second term on the regulatory body.
Both women can expect to get welcoming and skeptical questions at Wednesday's confirmation hearing before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee -- depending on who is asking.
Senate Environment and Public Works hearing on the nomination of Allison Macfarlane to chair the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Kristine Svinicki to a second term.
The White House decision to nominate Nuclear Regulatory Commissioner Kristine L. Svinicki to a second term was met with resistance from some Democrats. But the top Republican on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee applauded the decision, telling EnergyGuardian it is a victory for those who want to keep nuclear energy moving forward.
Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., has been pushing for Svinicki, a Republican, to get another four years on the commission as a counterweight to Chairman Gregory Jaczko, a Democrat whose aggressive management has at times angered his colleagues and stirred criticism from Republicans.
"The balance is important. I happen to be on the pretty extreme side in wanting to do more, quicker, and I think she has that tendency too," Inhofe said during a brief interview after the White House announced its decision Thursday.
The European Union and the U.S. Trade Representative's office rejected reports that they were working jointly to settle a dispute with China over solar dumping practices, Reuters reports
Both the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Duke Energy said they are unsure how operators missed a crack at the Shearon Harris nuclear plant during testing, the Charlotte Business Journal reports.
A report from Reps. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Henry Waxman, D-Calif., said several electric utilities said they face frequent cyber attacks on their infrastructure, Reuters reports.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said it was able to give ample warning ahead of the deadly tornado that hit Moore, Okla., Politico reports.
House Republicans contend the Nuclear Regulatory Commission tripled space at its headquarters by using an appropriations bill to get around the congressional authorization process, the Washington Business Journal reports.
House Natural Resources Chairman Doc Hastings and ranking Democratic Rep. Ed Markey called on the Interior Department to extend the public comment period for its proposed public lands hydraulic fracturing rule, FuelFix reports.
Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., was endorsed by 20 Democrats to replace Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., as ranking member on the House Natural Resources Committee should Markey win election to the Senate, Politico reports.
