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NRC nominee Douglas Weaver vows to protect safety and press for transparency amid concerns about DOE influence
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Summary
At a Senate EPW hearing, Douglas Weaver outlined decades of naval, NRC and industry experience and pledged to defend NRC independence, increase transparency in budgeting and prioritize staffing while supporting risk-informed modernization of NRC rules.
Douglas Weaver, President Trump’s nominee to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, told the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee that he would prioritize safety, independence and greater transparency if confirmed.
Weaver, who described a 29-year combined military and federal career including nearly two decades at the NRC and later regulatory roles in industry, said the commission must be both “uncompromisingly safety-focused and strategically efficient.” He endorsed applying a risk-informed approach to regulation and said he would work to implement the Advance Act and Executive Order 14,300 "in a manner that maintains public trust and meets the needs of the nation."
Weaver’s hearing came amid repeated warnings from senators about Department of Energy detailees and other political interference at the NRC. "I am committed to having the NRC make independent regulatory decisions," Weaver said, adding, "I will select staff who also believe that having independence is a key part of their function. Period." He answered yes when asked whether he would refuse changes that he believed made an NRC decision less protective of public safety.
On the NRC budget, Weaver told the committee that commissioners' budget votes are among the agency’s most important policy decisions and identified a lack of clarity about how annual-fee-funded work is planned and executed as a driver of higher fees and wasted effort. "One of the first things is ... increased transparency during budget formulation inside the NRC and when we're in budget execution," he said, adding that clearer plans would let commissioners reallocate resources to higher priorities such as licensing.
Weaver acknowledged a recent exodus of senior leadership and staff at the agency and said reinvigorating morale and hiring technically competent leaders would be an early priority. "If staffing is an issue to maintain safety, then I will definitely speak up and seek to hire more people," Weaver said.
Senators also pressed Weaver on technical issues and rulemakings. He said rule changes should apply equitably to current and future applicants and that regulations written for light-water reactors need to be reassessed and scaled to the risk profile of smaller or advanced technologies. On seismic safety, he committed to ensuring the NRC continues to evaluate and update seismic risk assessments for nuclear facilities.
The committee did not vote. Senators may submit written questions by 5 p.m. on Dec. 4; nominees’ written responses are due to the committee by 10 a.m. on Dec. 8.
The hearing record shows sustained concern about DOE influence at the NRC and the agency’s staffing and budget processes; Weaver repeatedly framed his approach around maintaining regulatory independence while improving efficiency and clarity.
