On May 24, 2012, President Obama nominated Allison Macfarlane to serve on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (“NRC”).  Dr. Macfarlane, if confirmed, will replace Chairman Gregory Jaczko as the Chair of the NRC for the remainder of the term expiring June 30, 2013.

Dr. Macfarlane is currently an Associate Professor of Environmental Science and Policy at George Mason University.  She served as a member the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future from 2010-2013.  Dr. Macfarlane has held fellowships at the Bunting Institute at Radcliffe College, the Center for International Security and Arms Control at Stanford University, and the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University.  She is the author of Uncertainty Underground: Yucca Mountain and the Nation’s High-Level Nuclear Waste.  Dr. Macfarlane holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Rochester and a Ph.D. in Geology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (“MIT”).

Dr. Macfarlane’s nomination has been referred to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.  From there, the Committee will most likely hold a hearing on Dr. Macfarlane’s nomination and may choose to report on the nomination favorably, unfavorably, without recommendation, or take no action at all.  Senate confirmation requires a simple majority vote.

A copy of the White House press release can be found here.