House Republicans are investigating the role agency policies played in a public dispute that erupted last year between Gregory Jaczko, chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and his colleagues.

Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee asked Jaczko, a Democrat, in a letter to outline the development of policies governing the five-member panel and what role he played in changing those rules since becoming chairman in 2009.

"As part of this inquiry, we seek information relating to the development of policies established by the commission to govern the actions of the chairman and commissioners," House Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and five other committee Republicans wrote in the letter. Reps. Ed Whitfield of Kentucky, Joe Barton of Texas, Sue Myrick of North Carolina, Cliff Stearns of Florida, John Shimkus of Illinois and Joseph Pitts of Pennsylvania also signed the letter.

Republicans are also reviewing the chairman's authorities under a 1980s law that Congress passed to ensure there was decisive leadership for dealing with nuclear emergencies in the aftermath of the partial nuclear meltdown in 1979 at the Three Mile Island plant in Pennsylvania. Republicans in the House and Senate have accused Jaczko of abusing that authority in the wake of Japan's nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima plant and failing to listen to his colleagues in responding to the crisis (Greenwire, April 29, 2011).

The GOP request is part of the committee's larger review of NRC management that began last year after four commissioners -- two Republicans and two Democrats -- accused Jaczko in a letter to the White House of intimidating and bullying senior staffers, blocking information meant for the panel, ignoring the majority will of the commission and showing "intemperance and disrespect" (E&E Daily, Dec. 12, 2011).

The commissioners also said Jaczko showed "open disdain for the internal commission procedures," Republicans wrote.

The White House has supported Jaczko throughout the dispute, and Bill Daley, then-chief of staff, told NRC last year in a letter that the problems reflected recurring themes rooted in the agency's policies (E&E Daily, Dec. 13, 2011). Daley also said that those "management differences" were not preventing the commission from functioning.

Jaczko told Daley in a Dec. 7, 2011, letter that the conflict arose from a misunderstanding among the commissioners about their duties and their disagreement with managerial decisions he had made. Commissioners are tasked with policymaking, rulemaking and adjudications, while the chairman oversees all other agency functions under the 1980s law, Jaczko wrote.

Eliot Brenner, a spokesman for the chairman, said his office had only seen the House Republicans' letter today and would respond in the normal course of business.