Gregory Jaczko ‘unilaterally’ stopped work on US nuclear dump

Republicans demand resignation of nuclear agency head after he is found to have acted improperly in shutting down project Republicans in Congress demanded the resignation of the head of America’s nuclear agency on Tuesday after it emerged he acted improperly in stopping work on a controversial nuclear waste dump. Gregory Jaczko, who was appointed by Barack Obama to oversee safety at America’s 100 nuclear reactors, had unilaterally shut down preparatory work on the Yucca Mountain project, Hubert Bell, the inspector general of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), said in prepared testimony. Jaczko, who was supposed to be politically neutral, was also highly selective in sharing information with his fellow regulators at the NRC about the dump project. Some of those he did inform did not fully understand he was working to close the project. Those kept in the dark opposed plans to shut the dump. “He was not forthcoming with the other commissioners,” Bell said in his prepared testimony to the house energy and commerce committee. Jaczko did not break the law, Bell said. But his strategic control of information, and his management style, raised questions about his leadership and his political independence. Bell went over many of those concerns in an investigative report last week. Republicans in Congress are strongly pro-nuclear, and have been pushing the Obama administration to move forward on the Yucca Mountain dump as part of a plan to radically expand America’s fleet of nuclear reactors. Joe Barton, a Republican from Texas, insisted the NRC chairman step down. “He violated the law,” Barton said. Ed Whitfield, a Republican from Kentucky, said Jaczko had abused his authority. “I do think he needs to step down,” he said. Even Democrats in Congress criticised Jaczko’s management style, raising concerns about his temper. “Obviously he should work on his interpersonal skills,” said Henry Waxman, the California Democrat who once headed the committee. Underlining the Republican outrage was the accusation that Jaczko was acting at the behest of Obama and the Senate majority leader Harry Reid, who both want to shut down Yucca Mountain to please local interests in Nevada. Jaczko used to work for Reid, and Reid represents Nevada. The Democratic leadership argues instead that the original choice of siting the waste dump in Nevada was itself highly political. Obama promised in 2009 to cancel the project. Local opposition in Nevada has effectively kept Yucca Mountain in limbo for nearly 30 years. The federal government has spent $15bn (£9.16bn) on the project so far, and it is still 10 years away from completion. But the Fukushima nuclear disaster, which exposed the dangers of storing spent nuclear fuel at reactors, has given new urgency to safety concerns about nuclear waste. The US nuclear industry currently stores its nuclear waste at reactor sites scattered across the country. Obama, despite his opposition to the dump, remains a strong proponent of nuclear energy. The NRC is due to issue its first licence for a new reactor in more than 30 years. But America cannot significantly increase the number of reactors without coming up with a working solution on storage of nuclear waste. US politics Republicans Barack Obama United States Nuclear waste Energy Nuclear power Waste Suzanne Goldenberg guardian.co.uk

Posted by on June 14, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.