WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW), praised the Senate’s confirmation of the Honorable David A. Wright, nominee to be a member of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC); and Christopher T. Hanson, nominee to be a member of the NRC. Wright currently serves as a member of the NRC. The Senate confirmed the two nominations by voice vote. 

“The Senate has restored the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to its full slate of commissioners,” said Barrasso. “For roughly a year, the NRC has not had all five commissioners in office. Nuclear power is clean, constant, and critical to America’s energy and national security. A fully staffed NRC will help ensure the agency meets its mission, during this crucial time for America’s nuclear energy industry.” 

Wright is the former president of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, the former chairman of the South Carolina Public Service Commission, and served in the South Carolina House of Representatives. He was first confirmed to serve as a NRC Commissioner on May 24, 2018. 

Hanson currently serves as a minority professional staff member on the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Energy and Water Subcommittee under Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein (D-CA). 

Background Information: 

On March 11, 2020, the EPW committee held a nominations hearing for Wright and Hanson. The nominations were discharged by the committee by unanimous consent.

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