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bananas

(27,509 posts)
Mon Jun 23, 2014, 05:04 AM Jun 2014

"Fatally compromised" NRC Commissioner Magwood urged to resign immediately

http://www.beyondnuclear.org/home/2014/6/18/fatally-compromised-nrc-commissioner-magwood-urged-to-resign.html

"Fatally compromised" NRC Commissioner Magwood urged to resign immediately
June 18, 2014

As explained in a press release, 34 groups, including Beyond Nuclear, have urged U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Commissioner William Magwood IV (photo, left) to resign immediately, due to his apparent and actual conflict of interest. Several months ago, Magwood agreed to become Director-General of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's Nuclear Energy Agency (OECD NEA), which has an explicit mandate to promote nuclear power. His job there begins in September, and he has indicated he will leave NRC before his term expires sometime this summer.

The coalition's letter to Magwood, calling for his resignation, was written by the Joint Counsel to the Environmental Organizations, Diane Curran of Harmon Curran Speilberg + Eisenberg LLP in Washington DC, and Mindy Goldstein of Turner Environmental Law Clinic at Emory Law School in Atlanta. It also calls for Magwood to retroactively recuse himself from any votes made in the past many months, after he began negotiating with OECD for his new job at NEA. The letter was cc'd to the other four NRC Commissioners, as well as to the White House and U.S. Senate oversight committee.

The NRC and its Commissioners are not supposed to promote nuclear power, but rather to regulate its safety, in order to protect the public and environment. In fact, the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) was disbanded in the mid-1970s, due to its schizophrenic promotional and safety regulatory roles. NRC was then formed, mandated to regulate safety, while the U.S. Department of Energy was given the promotional role.

Tellingly, Magwood directed DOE's promotional Office of Nuclear Energy (ONE) for several years, as well as working in the nuclear industry itself, before President Obama nominated him, and the U.S. Senate confirmed him, as an NRC Commissioner. Beyond Nuclear helped lead a coalition of more than 100 groups opposing Magwood's nomination and confirmation.

In late 2011, during an oversight hearing, U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairwoman, Barbara Boxer (D-CA), cited the group letter spearheaded by Beyond Nuclear, opposing Magwood's nomination and confirmation. Boxer was angry with Magwood for leading the mutiny against then serving NRC Chairman Greg Jaczko. As reported by the Huffington Post, it was an apparent bid by Magwood to take the NRC Chairmanship for himself -- similar to how Magwood got the top spot at DOE ONE. As also reported by the Huffington Post, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) ended any such notion, citing Magwood's broken promises regarding the proposed Yucca Mountain dump.

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"Fatally compromised" NRC Commissioner Magwood urged to resign immediately (Original Post) bananas Jun 2014 OP
I hope the revolving door hits his ass. rickyhall Jun 2014 #1
there's just so much corruption it's impossible to keep up with Doctor_J Jun 2014 #2
Lol... there is no requirement that NRC commissioners be neutral on nuclear power. FBaggins Jun 2014 #3
Fatally compromised? That's considered a resume requirement around here. Baitball Blogger Jun 2014 #4
 

Doctor_J

(36,392 posts)
2. there's just so much corruption it's impossible to keep up with
Mon Jun 23, 2014, 07:43 AM
Jun 2014

all of it. Thank God someone caught this one

FBaggins

(26,697 posts)
3. Lol... there is no requirement that NRC commissioners be neutral on nuclear power.
Mon Jun 23, 2014, 10:06 AM
Jun 2014

It's actually Reid's pick (Jaczko) who was "fatally compromised" since it doesn't make sense to have a commissioner who is opposed to nuclear power... then of course there's Reid himself, who doesn't seem to care one whit about a commissioner's competence for the job, but only whether or not they would support his minority position on Yucca mountain.

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