Senate confirms three nuclear power regulators

The Senate confirmed President Barack Obama’s three nominees to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Friday – including William Magwood, who had come under fire from activist groups.

The nominees were confirmed by unanimous consent rather than a roll call vote.

Magwood headed the Energy Department’s civilian nuclear technology program until 2005 and then became an industry consultant. The Project on Government Oversight and anti-nuclear groups had opposed Magwood, alleging he is too close to the nuclear industry to be an independent regulator.

Magwood disputed those allegations at his Senate confirmation hearing last month before the Environment and Public Works Committee.

The other two people confirmed as NRC commissioners Friday are Massachusetts Institute of Technology nuclear science professor George Apostolakis, who is past chairman of NRC’s Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards, and William Ostendorff, the former principal deputy administrator at the National Nuclear Security Administration.

The NRC will now have a full slate of five commissioners. Two spots were vacant, and Commissioner Dale Klein is stepping down now that new commissioners have been confirmed.

Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), the top Republican on the EPW Committee, praised the Senate action.

“With the nuclear energy industry poised for growth, the Commission has plenty of work to do.  Congress intended that the Commission function as a collegial body in its mission to protect public health, safety, and the environment.  It certainly functions best with the full complement of five commissioners and I'm pleased that the agency will now benefit from its full measure of leadership,” he said in a prepared statement.