President Donald Trump has appointed Ho Nieh as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s new chair, the latest sign of the White House’s efforts to shape the agency’s leadership in pursuit of the administration’s nuclear energy agenda.
Nieh assumed the position on Thursday, replacing David Wright, who was selected by Trump last January to lead the nuclear safety agency. Wright will remain a commissioner until his five-year term expires in 2030.
In a statement released by the NRC, Nieh said it was an “honor” to have been chosen for the role. He also thanked Wright for “guiding the NRC through a crucial period of transition as the agency embarks on this pivotal period of change” under the Trump administration.
“I look forward to continuing to work with the dedicated NRC staff and my fellow Commissioners, and I am energized by what we will accomplish together to enable the safe and secure use of nuclear technologies,” Nieh added. “With the support of Executive Order 14300 and the ADVANCE Act, the NRC is designing the future of nuclear safety regulation.”
The agency’s leadership was thrown into turmoil last summer when Trump fired Democratic commissioner Christopher Hanson. The move was notable, considering the NRC is an independent regulator that works separately from the Department of Energy. Critics argued the president overstepped his bounds in firing Hanson.
Hanson’s termination was also unprecedented. He was the first commissioner to be fired from the NRC since the body was created in 1975.
In November, the Senate confirmed Nieh as an NRC commissioner to replace Hanson. During his confirmation hearing the month before, Nieh assured senators that he would maintain the agency’s independence as one of its members.
“If confirmed, I will 100% stay committed to the independent safety mission of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to ensure that all the decisions NRC makes are, in fact, made independently with the right technical input,” he said months before he became the agency’s new chairman.
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The commission is currently led by a 3-2 Republican majority. The NRC says no more than three commissioners may belong to the same political party.
Trump signed an executive order in May to reform the five-member commission, which he blamed for failing to approve commercial reactors in recent decades. The Trump administration is seeking to accelerate the development of nuclear power by building more nuclear reactors nationwide.
