Contacts:

Matt Dempsey Matt_Dempsey@epw.senate.gov (202) 224-9797

Katie Brown Katie_Brown@epw.senate.gov (202) 224-2160            

Inhofe Comments on Issa's Oversight Report on NRC Chairman Jaczko

Washington, D.C. - Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, commented on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform report investigating the actions of Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Chairman Greg Jaczko entitled, "A Crisis of Leadership: How the Actions of Chairman Gregory Jaczko Are Damaging the Nuclear Regulatory Commission," which was released this afternoon.  This report comes on the heels of a letter recently released from the four NRC Commissioners to the White House explaining that Chairman Jaczko's actions severely undermine the mission of the NRC to ensure the safety of the American people. 

"Today's report released by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee reveals that the problems surrounding Chairman Jaczko's chairmanship at the NRC are far more serious than 'internal management issues' or 'tensions and disagreements,' as White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley has claimed," Senator Inhofe said.  "I am not surprised by the report's findings: from various oversight hearings, I have long suspected that Chairman Jaczko has been fundamentally undermining the collegial function of the Commission to push his own objectives, withholding information from his fellow commissioners, and intimidating and bullying agency staff.  What is surprising is that the White House has apparently disregarded these serious problems as mere internal tensions within the agency, when it is clear that Jaczko's chairmanship is, as the report states, 'a crisis of leadership.'

"I commend Chairman Issa for compiling this crucial report as well as the four Commissioners for their courage to come forward to defend the NRC's important mission.  As Ranking Member of the committee of jurisdiction over the NRC, I look forward to the Commissioners' testimony at Thursday's hearing as we work to get to the bottom of this."

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