EPW committee reports Douglas Weaver to full Senate after 15–4 vote

Chair called the Environment and Public Works Committee to order and moved to approve and report presidential nomination number 64052 — Douglas Weaver of Maryland — to serve on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for the remainder of the term expiring June 30, 2026. The committee voted to report the nomination favorably, with the clerk announcing the yeas as 15 and the nays as 4.

The chair introduced Weaver as a candidate with nearly 40 years of experience in the nuclear field, including service in the nuclear navy, prior work at the NRC and in private industry, and said the commission’s authority is critical to advancing the nation’s nuclear energy goals while protecting safety. The chair said a confirmed Weaver should help the agency implement regulatory streamlining and ongoing licensing activities.

Ranking Member raised objections to the process even as he said he would support Weaver’s nomination in committee. He said that at Weaver’s nomination hearing the nominee committed to protect public health and safety and that “speed cannot come at the cost of compromising safety,” but that the committee later received two different sets of written responses to questions for the record (QFRs) — one initial set and a rewritten set filed less than five hours later. The ranking member said his office’s information indicates the White House refiled the rewritten responses and requested a redline comparing the two sets of answers, which he asked be entered as an exhibit.

The ranking member also warned of external influence at the NRC, saying detailees from the Department of Energy and the White House have been placed at senior levels and noted concerns about a procedural matter described as “EO 14300” and an acting general counsel with an oil and gas background. He framed those points as reasons the NRC’s independence must be defended even as he supported moving Weaver’s nomination out of committee.

Following the roll call conducted by the clerk, the committee chair confirmed that the nominee was favorably reported to the full Senate. The meeting adjourned after members were recognized for any post‑vote remarks.

The nomination now moves to the Senate floor for consideration by the full Senate. No additional committee action on this nomination was recorded in the transcript.