'There Are Rogue Actors Operating Within This Agency': Whitehouse Sounds Alarm About Nuclear Agency

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At today's Senate Environment Committee hearing, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) raised concerns about the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Transcript

00:00Thank you, Madam Chair. As to Ms. Turner, this administration has turned EPA's

00:04mission from protecting public health and the environment to protecting the

00:07pockets and interests of fossil fuel companies. Ms. Turner comes directly from

00:11a fossil fuel company, the one that was central to a backroom deal at Mar-a-Lago

00:15between then-candidate Trump and major oil and gas companies, a deal now

00:19dictating the direction or misdirection of EPA. The fossil fuel industry and its

00:25minions at EPA are behaving particularly disgracefully and until that changes I

00:29will vote no and urge my colleagues to do the same. By the way, I don't see any

00:32prospect of that changing. As to Mr. Wright, at no point during the NRC's 50-year

00:38history has there been a greater need for leadership there than today. I stand by

00:43my statement during his nomination hearing Mr. Wright is qualified to serve

00:47on the Commission. He came before our committee, however, not just as a nominee

00:51but as the present leader of the Commission. I hope to see Chairman Wright

00:55rise to the occasion but circumstances right now at the NRC continue to

01:01deteriorate. I cannot presently support his renomination. Let me say why, because

01:07I'm inclined to vote for him and to facilitate his confirmation. Licensing the

01:13next generation of nuclear reactors requires capable expert staff who

01:17understand and execute the agency's mission. The Chairman seems to understand

01:21this saying to Chair Capito and me, in senior agency leaders I prioritize

01:25characteristics such as strong technical expertise, a commitment to safety, and the

01:29ability to inspire and motivate. I look for individuals who demonstrate an

01:33understanding of the nuclear regulatory field. Yet these are the very staff being

01:38forced out of the agency. This is the toll on that agency already. In the hearing I

01:46implored the Chair to address the current upheaval quickly. Upheaval however

01:51continues now even since the nominations hearing. I asked the Chairman to commit

01:56to uphold NRC independence. He nodded that he would. We saw that. But what's

02:02happening right now makes me increasingly concerned that he simply will not

02:05execute on his statements. In response to my questions for the record the

02:10Chairman acknowledged there is a doggy staffer at the agency. This individual

02:15sits in an office that reports directly to the Chairman. However the staff is, and I

02:20quote the QFR from the Mr. Wright, the staffer is on detail from the Department of

02:28Energy and as such does not have an NRC supervisor. How does that work?

02:35Particularly if what we're seeing is an Department of Energy hostile takeover of

02:41the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to expand its scope. The Chairman defines

02:46supervising as quote holding the staff accountable for execution of the

02:50direction provided by the Chairman and those delegated authorities by law from

02:54the Chairman. So who then supervises this doggy staffer? Who holds the staffer to

02:59account? Is this staffer above the Chairman? If there was any doubt before let's

03:04make this clear there are rogue actors operating within the agency and its

03:08independence is in jeopardy. I do not say this lightly. I have long supported

03:13nuclear technology even before many of my fellow Democrats. I have worked on a

03:18bipartisan basis including with many of you on this committee to grow the nuclear

03:22share of our energy mix. The future of nuclear energy in this country requires a

03:26credible independent regulator. Efficiency, yes it's important, but safety is

03:33paramount. Just one lapse would put our country at risk, unravel our years of

03:39bipartisan progress, and set nuclear power backward. Under the Trump

03:43administration that unraveling is happening. We must head this off now as a

03:49committee before it is too late. Let's work together as we have before to ensure

03:55that the NRC delivers on its mission prescribed to it by Congress and ushers in

03:59a long-sought nuclear renaissance. If we can turn the tide and shore back up the

04:05NRC's independence, I would be very glad to reconsider my present position on Mr.

04:11Wright's re-nomination. I very much want to get to yes, but the behavior that we're

04:15seeing at the NRC presently makes that impossible. Thank you Chairman.

04:20Thank you Senator Whitehouse. We've had several conversations on this and we'll

04:24continue to and I appreciate your keen interest in it. Yes, thank you. We still

04:30need all of our attendance here on

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