U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, led a hearing on the nominations of Ho Nieh for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and Douglas Troutman for Assistant Administrator for Toxic Substances at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
During the hearing, Senator Capito questioned Douglas Troutman about the EPA’s process for reviewing new chemicals. She raised concerns that ongoing restrictions could hinder U.S. businesses from bringing new products to market, creating uncertainty and potentially leading to commercial dead-ends after lengthy reviews. Capito asked Troutman whether the issues were related to both the timeliness and outcomes of the review process, and what reforms he would pursue.
Troutman responded, “EPA needs to ensure that the reviews of new chemicals are timely, using the best available science, and to follow the statutory instructions provided by Congress and in direct answer to your question, Senator, it is both twofold, it is timeliness, and it is outcomes. So, I acknowledge your concerns and your observations with the program. As the Administrator has publicly remarked, and in testimony before Congress, there are new resources coming to the office of chemical safety and pollution prevention, both in new team members, but also in additional resources, such as technological resources, IT resources, which we appreciate from Congress to speed up those reviews and to make sure they are done in a timely manner.”
The discussion also addressed the upcoming expiration of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) fee authorization. Capito indicated that this presents an opportunity to address gaps in current implementation through bipartisan legislation. She asked Troutman if he would work with Congress on this effort if confirmed. Troutman replied, “I will.”
Turning to nuclear regulation, Capito questioned Ho Nieh about his experience as director of the NRC’s Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation and how his efforts to change the office’s culture would inform his vision as a commissioner. Nieh stated, “In my roles as director of NRR, as I mentioned in my statement, we embarked on this culture change to become a more enabling regulator. And from my experience there, I found that the staff of the NRC is among the most dedicated staff I have ever worked with in my career, and there were many staff that understood the need, of course, for ensuring that any nuclear development is brought to America safely, but also that the NRC and nuclear technologies have significant benefit to the welfare of our nation. So, it’s really to focus on safety, but at the same time recognizing the benefit that these technologies can bring to the United States, and I feel confident that the dedicated workforce of the NRC can rise and meet this moment and deliver to the United States what Congress and the President and the Administration are asking for with the further development of nuclear technologies in the United States in a safe way.”
Capito also discussed American leadership in nuclear energy, noting skepticism about progress due to costs and timeframes. She asked Nieh about his perspective on international leadership. Nieh responded, “Referring back to the vision that we embrace when I was last at the NRC about making the safe use of nuclear technology possible, one element of that was to reassert America’s leadership in nuclear energy. We recognize that having a robust civilian program, and a regulatory process that enables this technology to be deployed more timely and safely, gives us great benefit in the global nuclear energy market. So, that was something in the spirit of making safe nuclear technology possible. My experience in the international nuclear community, America has incredible leadership through its technical capacity and credibility that it brings to many of the international fora that I’ve seen, and I think this is a great opportunity, and I know the ADVANCE Act calls for greater collaboration and participation in international activities to help restore America’s leadership in global nuclear energy.”
At the conclusion of the hearing, Capito emphasized the importance of safety across both chemical and nuclear sectors. She said, “The message that I got from both of you is that safety is number one, both on the chemical side and on the nuclear side. And I will say in response to Senator Markey, he’s saying chemicals haven’t gone through the system over the last years. You know why? Because they didn’t do anything. They didn’t do anything. They left old chemistry on the books, waiting for new, greener, safer chemistries to be approved, and they never approved them. They just let them sit there. So, Mr. Troutman, thank you for stepping up, and Mr. Nieh, thank you for stepping up. I hope that we know, all of us, collectively, you live in this country, you have kids in this country, the safety of the air, the water, and the energy production in this country is absolutely critical to you, as it is to Lee Zeldin and the President. I think it’s insulting to think that you’re going to sit there and let all of us live and become less safe, less healthy, and leave it to future generations.”
