25 May (NucNet): President Barack Obama intends to nominate Allison Macfarlane, an associate professor of environmental science and policy at George Mason University in Virginia, to replace Gregory Jaczko as chair of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), the White House said in a statement yesterday.
Nominees to the NRC must be approved by the US Senate, but the president can select any commissioner to be chair.
Ms Macfarlane has worked at the Virginia university since 2006. She was a member of the blue ribbon commission appointed by energy secretary Steven Chu to review options for US commercial nuclear spent fuel and radioactive waste after the administration canceled the Yucca Mountain, Nevada deep geological repository project in 2010.
Mr Jaczko, a Democrat, announced earlier this week his intention to resign as chairman after his replacement had been nominated and confirmed by the Senate. He did not give a specific reason for resigning, but Republican members of Congress and the other four commissioners have said he bullied senior agency officials, including commissioner Kristine Svinicki, a Republican.
