U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, Chair 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).
In her opening statement, Capito outlined the qualifications of both nominees and called for their swift confirmation. She emphasized the importance of effective leadership at both agencies to address ongoing challenges.
“Today, we will receive testimony from Ho Nieh, who is nominated to serve on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for the remainder of the term expiring June 30, 2029, and Douglas Troutman, the nominee to lead the EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. I welcome both well-qualified nominees and I support their swift confirmation,” Capito said.
She described Nieh’s background, noting his experience in various roles at the NRC, including resident inspector, division director, Chief of Staff for a Commissioner, and Office Director for Nuclear Reactor Regulation. Nieh has also worked with international nuclear organizations such as the International Atomic Energy Agency and the OECD’s Nuclear Energy Agency. Most recently, he was detailed to the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations.
Capito stressed the need for unified leadership at the NRC to ensure confidence in the industry and public. “Strong, unified leadership at the NRC will help provide the necessary confidence in the industry and the public that we need, so we can build more nuclear safely and quickly, and to meet our energy needs. A slate full of five Commissioners who are all aligned with ambitiously implementing the bipartisan ADVANCE Act and Executive Order 14300 will provide that confidence,” she said.
Turning to Troutman’s nomination, Capito highlighted his eighteen years at the American Cleaning Institute, where he led legal and government affairs teams and served as Interim Co-CEO. She said his experience has prepared him to address challenges in chemical regulation.
Capito raised concerns about the current chemical safety system, stating: “The current chemical safety system buries new, often safer, innovations under years of scrutiny and restrictions. That is the opposite of what Congress intended in the bipartisan 2016 TSCA amendments.”
She pointed to feedback received by the committee indicating that regulatory burdens have led customers to prefer older chemicals over new alternatives, resulting in negative business impacts such as shelving products, delaying investments, and moving production overseas. Capito also cited an example where EPA discharge limits led to costly compliance measures.
“For example, the EPA set a discharge limit for one chemical so low that the only way to comply was to incinerate wastewater. We are literally forcing companies to burn water to bring safer chemicals to market – an absurd, backwards outcome,” Capito said.
She concluded by stating: “I look forward to hearing from both nominees on how we can efficiently support innovation and improvements to environmental safety.”
