Magwood, Wm

<h1 class="asset-name" style=" color: #841628; font-size: 1.4em;"><span style=" font-size: small;">got gig in coup?  got rid of jaczko same way?</span></h1>

<h1 class="title-news"><span style=" font-size: medium;">Gregory Jaczko Resigns: Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Steps Down</span></h1>

<span class="posted-and-updated">Posted: <span itemprop="datePublished">05/21/2012 10:05 am</span> Updated: <span itemprop="dateModified">05/21/2012 12:13 pm</span></span></p>

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<p>WASHINGTON - Under a withering assault from the industry, Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Gregory Jaczko is stepping down, effective upon the confirmation of his successor, according to a statement from Jaczko.

The resignation follows months of bureaucratic knife-wielding by the four industry-backed members of the five-person panel. Like something out of Dumas, the passionate infighting stretched back decades. The industry effort was spearheaded by Democratic Commissioner Bill Magwood. Magwood, it turned out, had led a strikingly similar coup against his boss at the Department of Energy before taking his spot, a saga first reported by HuffPost late last year as <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/29/nuclear-power-gregory-jaczko-nuclear-regulatory-commission_n_1160711.html" target="_hplink">the coup was unfolding.</a></p>

<p>

Magwood's ally at the time was Alex Flint, then a GOP Senate staffer who took the lead on nuclear policy. He's now the top lobbyist for the nuclear industry -- whose criticism of Jaczko coincided with <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/09/gregory-jaczko-nuclear-regulatory-commission_n_1140404.html" target="_hplink">Magwood's dramatic assault.</a></p>

<p>

Jaczko and the pro-industry commissioners clashed over his opposition to using Nevada's Yucca Mountain as a depository for nuclear waste. The commissioners further accused him of heavy-handed leadership when he put the NRC on emergency footing following the Fukishima disaster in 2011. They argued that he was pushing forward too fast with costly new safety regulations.</p>

<p>

HuffPost reported that Magwood, who spent his career moving in and out of the private sector, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/09/gregory-jaczko-nuclear-regulatory-commission_n_1140404.html" target="_hplink">had done nuclear safety consulting for the company</a> that owns the Fukishima nuclear power plant. Magwood confirmed the consulting work during Senate testimony, but said that his connections have not influenced his decision-making.</p>

<p>

Jaczko, with the help of Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), his Senate patron; Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), his former boss in the House; and Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), chair of the environment and public works committee; staved off the threat to his position in the face of multiple demands from the GOP that he resign. The White House, meanwhile, stood by Jaczko, with then-Chief of Staff Bill Daley suggesting the equivalent of couples counseling.</p>

<p>

But on Monday, Jaczko called it quits. "After nearly eight years on the Commission, I am announcing my resignation as Chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, effective upon the confirmation of my successor. My responsibility and commitment to safety will continue to be my paramount priority after I leave the Commission and until my successor is confirmed," he said.</p>

<p>

"I thank Chairman Jaczko for always fighting for the health and safety of the American people," Boxer said in a statement. "I look forward to the President’s nomination of a successor that will carry the same level of concern in this post-Fukushima era."</p>

<p>

Reid, meanwhile, said Jaczko "dedicated his tenure to improving the safety of nuclear energy, and his leadership during the Fukushima nuclear crisis protected millions of Americans. His work toward a safe and effective nuclear energy policy has left Nevada and the nation more secure."

In an interview with HuffPost, Jaczko declined to endorse either of the two Democrats on the panel for re-nomination, saying that the decision would be made by others.

The battle against Jaczko reveals the flip-side of corporate influence on politics. While the traditional understanding of money in politics has to do with favors and rewards, it works in reverse, too: Act against corporate interests, and become a target for personal destruction.

Magwood publicly accused Jaczko of abusive behavior toward women, charges that were never backed up, and were mocked by Boxer as "McCarthyist" in their lack of specificity.</p>

<p>

"This is the ugly underbelly of large corporate lobbying," said a former Democratic staffer, who has worked with the men at the center of both controversies and is now a corporate lobbyist himself, in December. "It really is by any means necessary."</p>

<p>

Jaczko, by announcing his resignation several months after the attempted coup, has likely put an end to the attack. His term was set to expire in June 2013, and given the controversy, it wouldn't have been difficult for the GOP to bottle up his re-appointment.

The move gives the White House time to appoint its own nominee. That decision will likely be left to Reid, however, who is a strident opponent of turning Yucca Mountain into a waste depository.

"I am confident whomever replaces Chairman Jaczko will share his commitment to protecting the safety of the American people over the interests of a single industry. This is an opportunity for the nuclear industry to demonstrate its commitment to public safety by supporting a Chairperson who puts the safety of American citizens first," Reid said.</p>

<p>

"Greg was my trusted aide for many years and his talent in applying science to public policy was an asset to my staff and the state of Nevada," Reid added. "I wish him well in his future endeavors."</p>

<p>

The Nuclear Energy Institute, the lobbying arm of the nuclear industry, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Jaczko's resignation.

A separate former senior Democratic aide who has worked with Jaczko, Magwood and Flint said that Yucca was the impetus for the industry's opposition to the outgoing chairman. Magwood "and the industry hate Greg because they think he was put on the commission by Reid, who's anti-Yucca, and he's gonna be a Reid stooge. And you know what? They're f*cking right," the former aide said. "That's exactly why he was put on there. But that commission and that agency were complete and total captives of the nuclear industry. One and the same."</p>

<p>

<strong>UPDATE:</strong> 11:55 a.m. -- Other members of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works weighed in on Jaczko's resignation shortly after it was announced.</p>

<p>

Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), the committee's ranking member, said, "Throughout his time at the NRC, it was abundantly clear that Chairman Jaczko used his office to undermine the NRC to the point that all four of his fellow commissioners wrote to the President to ask for assistance as a last resort. With his resignation today, the NRC can focus on its mission of safety without the distractions of Jaczko's inappropriate behavior."</p>

<p>

Meanwhile, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who also sits on the committee, praised Jaczko's efforts. "Chairman Jaczko has served the interests of the public extremely well on the commission," Sanders said in a statement. "He has a consistent voting record supporting the swift implementation of strong safety reforms."

Sanders added, "For his efforts to hold the nuclear industry accountable, Chairman Jaczko was subjected to repeated personal attacks made by some of his colleagues and pro-industry advocates in Congress. I am extremely disappointed he is leaving the Commission."</p>

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<h1 class="asset-name" style=" color: #841628; font-size: 1.4em;">Nuke Commission Nominee William Magwood Faces Questions About Energy Industry Ties</h1>

<p><span class="byline">By <a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/about/staff.php">Steve Spires</a> on February 5, 2010 3:34 PM </span>

<a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/news/williammagwood.jpg"><img src="/0c755729-e88d-5b66-b1e8-d4cf0b8ac616.jpg"/></a>Government watchdog and environmentalist groups are accusing <a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/revolving/rev_summary.php?id=73816">William Magwood</a>, President <a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/summary.php?cycle=2008&cid=N00009638">Barack Obama</a>’s nomineee to the independent <a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/agencysum.php?lname=Nuclear+Regulatory+Commission">Nuclear Regulatory Commission</a>, of conflicts of interest that may complicate his appointment.</p>

<p>

Magwood faces a confirmation hearing Tuesday before the <a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/cmteprofiles/overview.php?cmteid=S10&cmte=SENV&congno=111&chamber=S">Senate Environment and Public Works Committee</a>, where lawmakers will question him on whether he's fit to serve on the commission, which is tasked with protecting public health, safety and the environment where nuclear energy issues are concerned.</p>

<p>

Magwood certainly has experience in the nuclear energy field. He was the federal government’s top nuclear technology official from 1994 to 2005, working as director of the <a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/agencysum.php?lname=Dept+of+Energy&year=a">Department of Energy</a>’s Office of Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology. After leaving the DOE, he founded Advanced Energy Strategies, an energy consulting firm, in 2006. He was also the president of <a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/clientsum.php?lname=Secure+Energy+Inc&year=2009">Secure Energy</a> Inc. for four years.</p>

<p>

But watchdog groups worry that a pro-nuclear energy advocate and former industry consultant would not be an effective regulator of the same industry, where his role would be to promote public safety -- not the industry’s well-being.

Critics cite the NRC’s focus on safety as a major point of contention.</p>

<p>

“The NRC is a regulator, you really don’t want a conflict of interest or appearance of a conflict of interest. Nuclear power is extraordinary dangerous. It [Magwood’s nomination] doesn’t speak to a proactive regulatory regime,” said Mark Floegel, a researcher for the environmental group <a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/clientsum.php?lname=Greenpeace&year=2009">Greenpeace</a>, which opposes Magwood’s nomination.</p>

<p>

The White House and Magwood did not respond to messages requesting comment for this article.

In an October press release, the <a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/clientsum.php?year=2008&lname=Nuclear+Energy+Institute&id=">Nuclear Energy Institute</a>’s senior vice president and chief nuclear officer Tony Pietrangelo said Magwood, and another nominee, George Apostolakis, “are qualified leaders on nuclear technology issues and have the breadth of experience necessary for an agency that effectively oversees the nation’s commercial nuclear industry.”</p>

<p>

The press office of the NEI, an industry trade association, this week refused to comment further.

Magwood will almost assuredly have to regulate former employers.</p>

<p>

For example, before working at the DOE, he was employed for a decade at Westinghouse Electric, which has applied to the NRC for certification of a new nuclear reactor design. The NRC challenged aspects of the application submitted by Westinghouse last year, saying the company had not demonstrated that "certain structural components" of its nuclear power plant shiled building were safe. The <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/news/2009/09-173.html">case</a> is still pending, said Eliot Brenner, an NRC spokesman.

<a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/clientsum.php?lname=Toshiba+Corp&year=2009">Toshiba Corp</a>., the parent company of Westinghouse, spent $1.8 million on lobbying in 2009, and records show the company directly <a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/clientagns.php?year=2008&lname=Toshiba+Corp&id=">lobbied</a> the NRC.</p>

<p>

While working at Westinghouse, Magwood was also manager of nuclear programs for the <a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/clientsum.php?lname=Edison+Electric+Institute&year=2009">Edison Electric Institute</a>, a trade association representing electric utility companies. EEI spent $10.5 million on federal lobbying in 2009, and has spent more than $120 million on lobbying over the last decade.</p>

<p>

There are also questions as the whether Magwood’s nomination violates Obama’s pledge -- reiterated in his State of the Union address last week -- to stop the “revolving door” relationship between outside interests and the federal government, and to reduce conflicts of interest and industry influence.

“President Obama said he would not have lobbyists in the top of his administration … but it’s telling that someone who has made a career promoting the nuclear industry is being put into the role of regulator,” Floegel said. “A regulator needs to be impartial.”</p>

<p>

On the other hand, Magwood has been praised for his technical expertise and experience in the area of nuclear energy, which his supporters say make him an excellent, well-qualified nominee.</p>

<p>

Industry groups like the Nuclear Energy Institute -- as well as the influential <a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/clientsum.php?lname=US+Chamber+of+Commerce&year=2009">U.S. Chamber of Commerce</a>’s Institute for 21st Century Energy -- have been supportive. The nuclear industry spent $11.9 million on federal lobbying in 2008, according to CRP analysis.</p>

<p>

The NEI spent nearly $2.4 million on federal lobbying in 2008, a steep increase from the $1.3 million it spent in 2007. Records show the NEI also directly <a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/clientagns.php?year=2008&lname=Nuclear+Energy+Institute&id=">lobbied</a> the NRC.

<em>Center for Responsive Politics researcher Matthias Jaime contributed to this report.

</em> </p>

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