NRC Chairman Jaczko resigns

WASHINGTON - Gregory Jaczko, whose leadership of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission became increasingly rocky after he ordered the agency to halt studies on Yucca Mountain, announced Monday that he is resigning as chairman.

Jaczko's controversial handling of the Nevada nuclear site almost two years ago was only one in a series of conflicts and contentious policy splits between him and fellow leaders of the agency that manages the safety of commercial nuclear plants.

Differences among commissioners over how fast and how extensively the U.S. nuclear industry should respond to the 2011 disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in Japan also contributed to friction.

As well, Jaczko's management style that was described as abrasive and intimidating ultimately prompted four fellow commissioners to complain to the White House in the fall, and led to a House hearing in December that aired the dirty laundry.

Jaczko said in a statement his resignation would become effective "upon the confirmation of my successor." He didn't make himself available to answer questions.

Under fire for the past two years by critics on Capitol Hill, industry officials and consultants, Jaczko, 41, did not specify what prompted him to step aside now, although the agency's inspector general reportedly is close to releasing a potentially damaging report on his leadership as chairman.

"After an incredibly productive three years as chairman, I have decided this is the appropriate time to continue my efforts to ensure public safety in a different forum," he said. "This is the right time to pass along the public safety torch to a new chairman who will keep a strong focus on carrying out the vital mission of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission."

Jaczko's tenure as chairman became increasingly turbulent as an earlier investigation and hearings on Capitol Hill revealed dysfunction at the top of what traditionally has been a low-profile agency big on science and low on politics.

His supporters said his aggressive push for safety reforms was a welcome change at an agency that worked closely with the nuclear industry. But Jaczko's management by intimidation, as described by critics, only deepened the chasm between him and NRC colleagues and staff.

It was not unusual to find Jaczko on the short end of 4-1 commission votes, including the recent landmark vote to approve the first new nuclear plant in 30 years.

Jaczko had no ties to the industry. Instead, he had been an adviser to Yucca Mountain foe Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and to Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., a nuclear industry critic.

Reid said Monday that Jaczko had focused on "improving the safety of nuclear energy," and he challenged the nuclear power industry to support a successor who would follow suit.

"His work toward a safe and effective nuclear energy policy has left Nevada and the nation more secure," Reid said.

But Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky noted Jaczko had been accused by fellow commissioners of having a bullying style that "clearly resulted in a hostile work environment for women... and that threatened to undermine the mission of the NRC itself."

"The only thing surprising about his resignation is the fact that the Obama administration has remained silent for more than a year after allegations of Jaczko's offensive behavior surfaced," he said.

Jaczko's appointment to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission had its roots in Yucca Mountain. He served as Reid's chief science adviser as the Nevada senator worked to slow or kill the nuclear waste program that was unpopular in Nevada.

Reid in 2004 fought President George W. Bush to place Jaczko on the NRC, holding up Senate confirmation of dozens of Republican nominees before the two of them struck a deal that landed Jaczko at the agency that would decide whether to license the site.

Jaczko, a physicist from upstate New York, was sworn onto the five-member commission in 2005, and was confirmed to a second term in 2008 as part of another deal between Bush and Reid.

President Barack Obama, who opposed the Yucca project, elevated Jaczko to NRC chairman in 2009.

In October 2010, Jaczko directed NRC staff to halt its formal review of the license application, on the argument there would not be enough money forthcoming from the Obama administration to proceed much longer. He also was accused of manipulating a commission vote on whether the Department of Energy had authority to withdraw the Yucca project from NRC consideration.

Jaczko's efforts were hailed by Nevada officials who wanted to see the Yucca project ended. But they raised hackles in the nuclear industry and among states eager to see highly radioactive spent nuclear fuel removed from storage at power plants and shipped to the desert site.

South Carolina and Washington state are among plaintiffs in a lawsuit asking federal judges to order the NRC to resume its licensing work on Yucca Mountain. Arguments on the case were heard earlier this month in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia circuit. A decision is expected this summer.