{"id":284951,"date":"2010-02-05T15:34:16","date_gmt":"2010-02-05T20:34:16","guid":{"rendered":"tag:www.opensecrets.org,2010:\/news\/\/8.1354"},"modified":"2010-02-07T20:17:41","modified_gmt":"2010-02-08T01:17:41","slug":"nuke-commission-nominee-william-magwood-faces-questions-about-energy-industry-ties","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/284951","title":{"rendered":"Nuke Commission Nominee William Magwood Faces Questions About Energy Industry Ties"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"williammagwood.jpg\"<\/a>Government watchdog and environmentalist groups are accusing William Magwood<\/a>, President Barack Obama<\/a>\u0092s nomineee to the independent Nuclear Regulatory Commission<\/a>, of conflicts of interest that may complicate his appointment.<\/p>\n

Magwood faces a confirmation hearing Tuesday before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee<\/a>, where lawmakers will question him on whether he’s fit to serve on the commission, which is tasked with protecting public health, safety and the environment where nuclear energy issues are concerned.<\/p>\n

Magwood certainly has experience in the nuclear energy field. He was the federal government\u0092s top nuclear technology official from 1994 to 2005, working as director of the Department of Energy<\/a>\u0092s Office of Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology. After leaving the DOE, he founded Advanced Energy Strategies, an energy consulting firm, in 2006. He was also the president of Secure Energy<\/a> Inc. for four years.<\/p>\n

But watchdog groups worry that a pro-nuclear energy advocate and former industry consultant would not be an effective regulator of the same industry, where his role would be to promote public safety — not the industry\u0092s well-being. <\/p>\n

Critics cite the NRC\u0092s focus on safety as a major point of contention.<\/p>\n

\u0093The NRC is a regulator, you really don\u0092t want a conflict of interest or appearance of a conflict of interest. Nuclear power is extraordinary dangerous. It [Magwood\u0092s nomination] doesn\u0092t speak to a proactive regulatory regime,\u0094 said Mark Floegel, a researcher for the environmental group Greenpeace<\/a>, which opposes Magwood\u0092s nomination.<\/p>\n

The White House and Magwood did not respond to messages requesting comment for this article.<\/p>\n

In an October press release, the Nuclear Energy Institute<\/a>\u0092s senior vice president and chief nuclear officer Tony Pietrangelo said Magwood, and another nominee, George Apostolakis, \u0093are qualified leaders on nuclear technology issues and have the breadth of experience necessary for an agency that effectively oversees the nation\u0092s commercial nuclear industry.\u0094<\/p>\n

The press office of the NEI, an industry trade association, this week refused to comment further.<\/p>\n

Magwood will almost assuredly have to regulate former employers.<\/p>\n

For example, before working at the DOE, he was employed for a decade at Westinghouse Electric, which has applied to the NRC for certification of a new nuclear reactor design. The NRC challenged aspects of the application submitted by Westinghouse last year, saying the company had not demonstrated that “certain structural components” of its nuclear power plant shiled building were safe. The case<\/a> is still pending, said Eliot Brenner, an NRC spokesman.<\/p>\n

Toshiba Corp<\/a>., the parent company of Westinghouse, spent $1.8 million on lobbying in 2009, and records show the company directly lobbied<\/a> the NRC.<\/p>\n

While working at Westinghouse, Magwood was also manager of nuclear programs for the Edison Electric Institute<\/a>, a trade association representing electric utility companies. EEI spent $10.5 million on federal lobbying in 2009, and has spent more than $120 million on lobbying over the last decade.<\/p>\n

There are also questions as the whether Magwood\u0092s nomination violates Obama\u0092s pledge — reiterated in his State of the Union address last week — to stop the \u0093revolving door\u0094 relationship between outside interests and the federal government, and to reduce conflicts of interest and industry influence.<\/p>\n

\u0093President Obama said he would not have lobbyists in the top of his administration \u0085 but it\u0092s telling that someone who has made a career promoting the nuclear industry is being put into the role of regulator,\u0094 Floegel said. \u0093A regulator needs to be impartial.\u0094 <\/p>\n

On the other hand, Magwood has been praised for his technical expertise and experience in the area of nuclear energy, which his supporters say make him an excellent, well-qualified nominee.<\/p>\n

Industry groups like the Nuclear Energy Institute — as well as the influential U.S. Chamber of Commerce<\/a>\u0092s Institute for 21st Century Energy — have been supportive. The nuclear industry spent $11.9 million on federal lobbying in 2008, according to CRP analysis.<\/p>\n

The NEI spent nearly $2.4 million on federal lobbying in 2008, a steep increase from the $1.3 million it spent in 2007. Records show the NEI also directly lobbied<\/a> the NRC.<\/p>\n

Center for Responsive Politics researcher Matthias Jaime contributed to this report.
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