NRC Chairwoman, Kristine Svinicki was asked to serve an additional five years by President Trump.  Her current term ends this June and just after the election, President Trump named to lead the five-member panel.  Ms. Svinicki is a nuclear engineer and she has served on the commission since 2008.

In addition, President Trump nominated two others to fill out the commission: Annie Caputo and David Wright.  Ms. Caputo is currently serving as Senior Policy Advisor for Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) and she was a former Exelon executive.  Mr. Wright is currently President of Wright Directions, LLC, a strategic consulting and communications business in the energy sector and was also a former chairman and member of the South Carolina Public Service Commission.

All three appointments will require confirmation by the Senate.

Chairwoman Svinicki’s reappointment was seen as a boost for revival of the dormant Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository in Nevada; $120 million has been proposed by President Trump in the upcoming budget for the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository project.

Senator John Barrasso, R-WY, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, hailed the nominations of Svinicki, Caputo, and Wright and vowed to move quickly for a hearing on their nominations.  “The Nuclear Regulatory Commission plays an important role in making sure that American nuclear energy is safe and efficient. I am glad that President Trump intends to nominate such qualified leaders for these important positions,” Barrasso said in a statement.