President Barack Obama announced Thursday that he intends to nominate George Mason University professor Allison Macfarlane as Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
The announcement comes just a few days after current NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko announced plans to resign following a stormy tenure of three years.
Jaczko's resignation, announced Monday, came after fellow NRC commissioners publicly complained about his management style.
The White House said Macfarlane is an associate professor of Environmental Science and Policy at George Mason, a position she has held since 2006.
Macfarlane, who also served as a member of the Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future, was a vocal critic of the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository in Nevada.
Earlier this month, Obama nominated Kristine Svinicki for another term on the NRC despite opposition from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.
In a statement on Macfarlane's nomination, Reid said, "I continue to have grave concerns about Kristine Svinicki's record on the Commission."
"But I believe the best interests of the public would be served by moving the nominations of Dr. Macfarlane and Ms. Svinicki together before Ms. Svinicki's term expires at the end of June, to ensure that we have a fully functioning NRC," he added.
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