Reid keeps pressure on for NRC nomination

Suzanne Struglinski

Friday, May 21, 2004 | 9:22 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Harry Reid again voiced his frustration with the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Thursday for not holding a hearing on one of his aide's nomination to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Reid announced last month that he would block any committee business from moving forward until the committee held a confirmation hearing for Greg Jaczko, a physicist on Reid's staff, to become a commission. The five-member commission currently has two vacant seats.

Reid, a Nevada Democrat, told the current commissioners, fellow committee members and representatives of the nuclear industry Thursday that he does not want to keep the hold in place, but will continue to block anything he could until Jaczko's nomination is addressed by the committee.

"I know I can be a pain in their rear end," Reid said after the hearing.

At an oversight hearing on the commission Thursday, Reid said the commission in charge of regulating and protecting nuclear power plants should not be short-staffed.

"I don't think you can do your job when you don't have adequate staff," Reid told the commissioners.

In addition to regulating commercial nuclear power plants, the commission will ultimately decide if the Energy Department can build a nuclear waste storage operation at Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas.

Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, the chairman of the Nuclear Safety Subcommittee, said Democrats blocked a previous Republican nominee, retired Navy Vice Adm. John J. Grossenbacher, for seven months until he eventually withdrew his nomination.

But Reid said there was an agreement at the time to consider both the Republican and Democrat nominee in one hearing, but the White House would not name a Democratic nominee. Now the White House has not named a new Republican nominee.

"While I would like to fill the remaining fifth slot on the NRC, there simply isn't a nominee with cleared paper work and other items in order at this time," Reid said.

Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman James Inhofe, R-Okla., has not heard of any new nominees from the White House and still intends to consider the two together, a spokesman said.

The White House does not comment on potential nominations.