Trump to nominate three to nuclear commission

President Trump is planning to nominate three commissioners to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

If confirmed by the Senate, the nominees would bring the NRC to its full slate of five commissioners and avoid the potential that the body, now with only three members, would lose a commissioner and lack a quorum in July.

The White House said Annie Caputo and David Wright would both be new to the NRC, while Kristine Svinicki, the current chairwoman, is being tapped for a new five-year term. All three are Republicans.

{mosads}The commission is the main regulatory body for the nation’s nuclear power industry, developing and enforcing regulations, overseeing the safety of nuclear materials and licensing facilities, among other responsibilities.

Caputo is a senior adviser to Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, and previously served under Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), the past chairman of the panel that oversees the NRC.

She previously worked for the House Energy and Commerce Committee and Exelon Corp., a large electric utility that operates more nuclear plants than any other company. Her term would expire in 2021 because she would replace a commissioner who left early.

Wright retired in 2013 from the South Carolina Public Service Commission, where he was chairman, and he was president of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners from 2011 to 2012.

He’s now an independent consultant for the energy industry. His term would expire in 2020.

Svinicki has served on the NRC since 2008 and has been chairwoman since Trump elevated her to the post in January. She previously worked for the Senate and the Department of Energy. Her new term would expire in 2022.

Jeff Baran and Stephen Burns are the other current commissioners; Baran is a Democrat, while Burns identifies as independent.