Nuclear regulatory chairwoman heads for exit

Chairwoman of the nation’s top nuclear regulator announced plans to step down on Tuesday.

In a statement, Allison MacFarlane said she will step down as chairwoman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on January 1.

MacFarlane is leaving the NRC barely one year after she was confirmed to a five year term in June of 2013.

She is heading to take a position with George Washington University.

“I came to the Commission with the mission of righting the ship after a tumultuous period for the Commission, and ensuring that the agency implemented lessons learned from the tragic accident at Fukushima, Daiichi, so that the American people can be confident that such an accident will never take place here,” MacFarlane said in a statement.

“At George Washington, I will continue to work on nuclear safety and security and for a better public dialogue on nuclear technology through my teaching and writing as well as by training a new generation of specialists in this area,” she said.

MacFarlane said she will be the director of the the university’s Center for International Science and Technology Policy.