Nuke chief Jaczko: I won’t resign

Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Gregory Jaczko told a House committee Wednesday that he has no plans to resign amid allegations from his colleagues that his leadership style could prevent the agency from protecting public health and safety.

“I have no plans to resign because I continue to believe that under my leadership the agency has performed very well,” Jaczko, a Democrat, said during a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing. “We have committed ourselves to safety and I believe my record shows that.”

The four NRC commissioners — two Democrats and two Republicans — delivered a unified rebuke of Jaczko’s leadership at the hearing, accusing him of “continued outbursts of abusive rage” toward staff and withholding key information from his colleagues.

The concerns came to light late last week when Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) released a mid-October letter from the commissioners to the White House arguing that Jaczko’s behavior is causing “serious damage” to the agency.

Several Republicans have called for Jaczko’s ouster in recent days, citing the commissioners’ concerns about his leadership.

“I think you should resign,” Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) said at Wednesday’s hearing. “If you’re going to do the right thing for this country and this commission, you should step down.”

Two top Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee — Reps. Ed Whitfield (Ky.) and John Shimkus (Ill.) — have called on President Obama to fire Jaczko.

Jaczko defended his leadership Wednesday, insisting that he has never bullied or intimidated staff and only withheld information from the commissioners in one instance.