To watch Chairman Capito’s floor remarks, click here or the image above.
Throughout the confirmation process, Chairman Capito has praised Ho Nieh’s extensive experience in the nuclear field and his previous leadership at the NRC. His background has uniquely prepared him to uphold the NRC’s newly revised mission statement, a change that Chairman Capito helped initiate through the passage of her bill, the ADVANCE Act. Ho Nieh has a proven track record of advancing American nuclear dominance while upholding the highest standards of quality and safety, and his leadership will be an asset to the NRC.
Following Chairman Capito’s remarks, the Senate voted to confirm Mr. Nieh’s nomination by a vote of 66-32.
Below are the floor remarks of Chairman Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) as delivered.
“I rise today in support of Ho Nieh’s confirmation to serve as a member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
“Our nation is poised to unleash a nuclear power revival, and a strong NRC, guided by exceptional leadership, is central to enabling the use of nuclear energy. Fully realizing nuclear energy’s potential will improve electric reliability—what I just spoke about in my former remarks—strengthen America’s energy and national security, and drive economic growth.
“In 1974, Congress established the NRC to serve as our nation’s independent nuclear safety regulator. In the years since, our nuclear energy sector has matured, technology has advanced and safety has been prioritized.
“There is now an opportunity to take that experience and know-how to build a new nuclear future. Doing so mandates a nuclear safety regulator that is ready to meet the moment and to do so by leading with its best attributes.
“Those attributes are embodied in the NRC’s Principles of Good Regulation: independence, openness, efficiency, clarity and reliability. Each of these principles is a necessary pillar for the NRC’s work, especially as the NRC implements the consequential tasks that it currently faces.
“Last year, in passing my bill, the ADVANCE Act, Congress spoke with an overwhelming bipartisan voice that we must urgently modernize our regulations to prioritize what matters most. And President Trump reinforced that message in May when he issued an Executive Order tasking the Commission with a major reexamination of the NRC’s nuclear safety rules. The ADVANCE Act and President Trump’s Executive Order both empower the Commission to deliver on a vision of deploying more nuclear power and doing so quickly and safely.
“As the Commission acts on these directives, it must do so in a way that does not undermine regulatory certainty and works with all stakeholders to make sure the NRC’s efforts are enduring. I am confident that Ho Nieh will carry the Principles of Good Regulation forward as the Commission implements our nation’s nuclear energy policy.
“Mr. Nieh has served in a broad range of positions in the NRC and at international nuclear organizations. As the leader of the most consequential office of the NRC—that office is called the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation—he laid out a vision of the NRC’s role to make sure that the safe use of nuclear energy was possible. This set the tone for what the Commission established earlier this year when they revised their Mission Statement, as directed by the ADVANCE Act.
“Following his departure from the NRC, Mr. Nieh gained his first-hand experience in understanding the role of regulatory compliance as a senior executive for a large nuclear facility. He also served on loan to the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations, the industry’s own nuclear safety watchdog that seeks to promote excellence in nuclear performance.
“I support Ho Nieh’s nomination to serve as a member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission because of his outstanding technical expertise, his real-world knowledge of regulatory compliance, his strong leadership experience and his commitment to executing the recently updated NRC Mission Statement.
“I urge my colleagues to join me in voting for his confirmation to the NRC. I yield the floor.”
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