Chairman Kristine Svinicki Announces Her Intent to Depart The NRC

Nuclear Regulatory Commission - News Release No: 21-001 January 4, 2021 CONTACT: Office of Public Affairs, 301-415-8200 Chairman Kristine Svinicki Announces Her Intent to Depart The NRC Today, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Kristine L. Svinicki announced that she intends to leave the NRC on Jan. 20, 2021. Chairman Svinicki issued the following statement: “I have greatly cherished the opportunity to serve the nation over the course of my long federal career, including the honor of having been nominated to serve as a Commissioner of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission by three successive Presidents of the United States – President Bush in 2007, President Obama in 2012, and President Trump in 2017. I am grateful to the many Senators and Congressmen who have worked with me on tough issues over the years and who, agreeing or disagreeing on the substance, acknowledged we were, for the most part, trying to achieve complementary aims. Thank you for your support of the agency’s important work. “I was humbled when President Trump designated me NRC Chairman on Inauguration Day four years ago. After nine years of service as a Commissioner, I hope I put my prior experience to good effect and that my work as Chairman has fulfilled, in some small measure, the confidence the President expressed in my capabilities in offering me this opportunity to lead. “It is a rare thing in Washington to have continued so long in a political appointment, and they tell me I am the longest serving member of our Commission in the agency’s history. I am not sure I know how that happened, but I would certainly attribute a fair portion of it to two things. First, I was exceedingly fortunate to serve with such fine fellow Commissioners over the course of the years. I learned a lot from the colleagues that the system happened to send my way. The second thing is something that you would have to have worked here to understand; but the NRC culture, and the people who make it the welcoming and wonderful place it is, are truly unique in government. This includes the small team of advisors I had around me for all these years – each drawn from the existing NRC career staff and all exemplars of the devoted professionals who make up the NRC. “When I speak to college students and young professionals, I tell them that public service is a calling. If it calls to you, you should heed it and, if you do, you will not regret a single day. As I look back on 30 years of federal service, I know this to be as true as ever. I sincerely wish the women and men of the NRC staff every continued success as they build upon the proud legacy of their predecessors, while transforming the NRC into a modern, risk-informed regulator ready to address the nuclear technologies and challenges of tomorrow.”