White House appoints George Mason professor to head nuclear commission

White House appoints George Mason professor to head nuclear commission

by Jeff Tollefson

The White House has appointed George Mason University professor Allison Macfarlane to head the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, just two days after the current chairman announced that he would be stepping down.
MacFarlane trained as a geologist before carving out a niche in nuclear policy, with a special focus on nuclear waste management (see GMU’s profile here). She co-edited a recent book analyzing technical questions – as well as their social and political implications – surrounding the proposed geologic repository at Yucca Mountain. Macfarlane was also a member of the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future, which released its final report in January outlining alternatives for managing nuclear waste (background coverage here).
Macfarlane has never shied away from challenging the viability of Yucca Mountain, but neither has she branded herself as a staunch opponent or an active advocate for a particular path forward. This helps explain the approval that came in from various quarters on Thursday, from environmental groups to lawmakers on Capitol Hill and even the industry-sponsored Nuclear Energy Institute.
Press reports indicate that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is planning to move Macfarlane’s nomination together with that of commissioner Kristine Svinicki, a Republican appointee whose tenure expires in June. In theory, this could help speed up the process by giving a little something to senators on both sides of the aisle.
Photo credit: George Mason University/Evan Cantwell