NRC Nominees Head For Senate Approval

The prospective new chair of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) was a step away from being confirmed by the Senate at C&EN’s press time. On June 21, the Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works approved the nomination of Allison M. Macfarlane to head the nuclear safety agency. She would succeed Gregory B. Jaczko, who announced in May that he was stepping down. The committee sent Macfarlane’s nomination to the full Senate, which was expected to confirm her by the end of last week. The Senate is also expected to confirm Kristine L. Svinicki, an NRC commissioner who was nominated for a second term; her initial term ended on June 30. Macfarlane, a geologist by profession, is an associate professor of environmental science and policy at George Mason University. An expert on nuclear waste disposal issues, she would fill out Jaczko’s term, which runs through June 2013.