The Senate voted on a bipartisan basis Wednesday to confirm Ho Nieh to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Nieh, currently the head of regulatory affairs for Southern Co.’s nuclear power unit, will take the body to four commissioners, just one short of its full complement. There are currently two Democratic appointees and the Republican chair.
The 66-32 vote on Nieh included all Republicans present and 15 Democrats, despite concerns that President Donald Trump may make the commission less independent from political influence.
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), chair of the Environment and Public Works Committee, cheered Nieh’s experience in nuclear power, including past stints working at NRC, most recently as director of its Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
