News bites: California gov rebuts climate skeptics, nuke agency chief wants 'transparent' docs, and more

The New York Times scored an interview with Allison Macfarlane, the new chairwoman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Among her goals: less gibberish in NRC documents.

Macfarlane has told her staff to “use more transparent language.”

“People who live near a nuclear facility should be able to read the documents that the NRC produces,” she told the Times. “That will certainly give them more confidence of our ability to regulate safety.”

The Sacramento Bee reports that California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) has launched a website to rebut climate skeptics.

The Washington Post reports that climate change models that predict more drought are winning increased amounts of scientific backing.

Reuters reports that oil prices are rising in trading Tuesday.

“Today's oil price assumes the U.S. Federal Reserve will soon launch a new round of quantitative easing to stimulate the economy, or that bellicose rhetoric between Israel and Iran will lead to conflict, or that North Sea production problems will be long-lasting,” the news service reports.