Chairman of the Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade Subcommittee Lee Terry (R-Neb.) and Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), the top Republican on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, introduced the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Reorganization Plan Codification and Complement Act this week.
The proposed legislation would guide policy and rule-making actions at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, as well clarify the role and scope of power of each commission member.
“No matter where you stand with regards to nuclear power, we should all agree that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission needs to function well,” Terry said. “Trust at the commission has been broken before and it shouldn’t happen again. This legislation is a good first step in the process to help the Nuclear Regulatory Commission function at a level the American people expect.”
The proposed legislation would codify the Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1980 that was not voted on in Congress. It also disperses power from the NRC chairman to all five commissioners to avoid future abuses of power and mismanagement.
The bill also calls for NRC members to have equal access to all information within the agency and power to fill vacancies.
“The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has a supremely important role within our government, and it cannot effectively operate without common sense legislation supporting it,” Vitter said. “We want to support the function of the Commission, but put some simple checks and balances in place. Our bill will allow the Commission to run itself efficiently, and to preempt abuse of power.”