On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee held a nomination hearing for Ho Nieh, President Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as one of five commissioners at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, NRC).
Nieh has served as vice president of regulatory affairs at Alabama-based Southern Nuclear since 2021, but has operated as a loaned executive at the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations since June 2024. Nieh previously worked at the NRC in three separate stints, serving a total of 23 years with the agency in various roles including director of the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, regional office director for reactor projects, resident inspector, and in policymaking and incident response.
U.S. Senator Katie Britt, R-Ala., introduced Nieh at Wednesday’s hearing, touting the nominee’s contributions to Alabama’s leading nuclear power industry.
“Ho has spent his career dedicated to advancing America’s nuclear leadership in many different capacities,” Britt stated. “Ho skillfully served the [NRC] for more than two decades in a variety of leadership positions… He advised the International Atomic Energy Agency and separately [served] as director of the Division of Nuclear Safety, Technology and Regulation at the Nuclear Energy Agency, [putting] him head and shoulders above the rest.”
“And importantly, one of the reasons that I am honored and proud to be here today is that Ho is an Alabamian. We are proud of all that he has accomplished, and our state is thrilled to have him represent us on the national stage,” Britt added. “Alabama is a top producer of electricity from nuclear power in the country with five reactors between two nuclear plants, making our state a national leader.”
Britt concluded her remarks by urging her Senate colleagues to support Nieh’s nomination.
“[Nieh’s] years of dedication to the industry, unparalleled understanding of science, and demonstrated leadership uniquely position him to advance the Commission’s directive of safely developing America’s nuclear assets and materials. I urge this committee to support Ho’s nomination, and I look forward to seeing all he is going to accomplish for our country,” Britt said.
Nieh’s nomination comes amid growing concern that the Trump administration is encroaching on the NRC’s status as an independent agency in an effort to ease regulations on the nuclear industry.
In May, President Trump issued an executive order demanding an increase in the volume and frequency of NRC licensing, as well as reductions in agency staffing. The Departments of Energy and Government Efficiency have also become increasingly involved in NRC affairs under Trump, again raising concerns that the agency’s political independence is being undermined.
Additionally, Nieh’s own nomination comes as a result of Trump’s firing of former Democratic NRC Chair Christopher Hanson in June, a move which Hanson himself criticized as being “without cause” and “contrary to existing law and long-standing precedent regarding removal of independent agency appointments.”
U.S. Senator Richard Whitehouse, D-RI, the committee’s ranking member, underscored those concerns during Wednesday’s hearing.
“A firewall was the very purpose for the establishment of the NRC, so I see the DOE infiltration as very dangerous,” Whitehouse stated.
In response, Nieh told Democratic committee members that he would commit to protecting the agency’s independence regardless of potential influence from Trump, DOGE or the DOE.
“If confirmed, I will 100 percent stay committed to the independent safety mission of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to ensure that all the decisions NRC makes are, in fact, made independently with the right technical input,” Nieh said.
The committee is expected to vote on advancing Nieh’s nomination to the Senate floor in the coming weeks, although an exact date for the vote has yet to be announced. If confirmed, Nieh will fill Hanson’s vacant seat on the NRC, serving the remainder of his term until June 2029.
There are currently only three commissioners serving on the NRC after Hanson’s termination and former Commissioner Annie Caputo’s resignation in July.
