Charleston Leader

U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, participated in a hearing on the nomination of Matthew Marzano to be a member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

During the hearing, Senator Capito questioned Mr. Marzano on his experience in the nuclear industry and his views on serving as an NRC commissioner. She also inquired about his stances on both previous and current issues before the Commission. Additionally, she pressed Mr. Marzano on how he would efficiently implement the ADVANCE Act, emphasizing the importance of swift and predictable timelines for reviewing and approving future nuclear energy projects.

Senator Capito asked Mr. Marzano to identify instances where he might have voted differently from the majority of the Commission based on his experience working with Chair Carper as a fellow and then as a detailee at EPW. Mr. Marzano responded, “In terms of examples of how I would’ve voted differently, I think it's a little bit inappropriate for me to comment exactly, without understanding some of the details on some of the votes that the Commission has made.”

Regarding NRC’s environmental review requirement policy, Senator Capito questioned Mr. Marzano about halting staff proposals to update these requirements. Mr. Marzano stated, “I’m not too familiar, again, with some of the details... Again, I think there's a lot of things that I don't know about the information that the staff provides the commissioners, and it would be inappropriate for me to comment.”

On implementing the ADVANCE Act efficiently, Senator Capito expressed concerns about losing global superiority if timely measures were not taken. Mr. Marzano agreed with her statement.

The discussion also covered NRC's telework policy changes and their impact on efficiency within the agency.

Highlighting excitement in West Virginia over small nuclear reactors potentially being placed on abandoned coal mine sites due to provisions in the ADVANCE Act, Senator Capito asked when such reactors could realistically go online. In response to overall project implementation efficiency, Mr. Marzano emphasized a commitment to timely actions without compromising safety or environmental standards.

Click here to watch Ranking Member Capito’s questions.

Click here to watch Ranking Member Capito’s opening statement.

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