Wright officially sworn in for third term at the NRC
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission recently announced that David Wright, after being nominated by President Trump and confirmed by the Senate, was ceremonially sworn in as NRC chair on September 8.
This swearing in comes more than a month after Wright began his third term on the commission; he began leading as chair July 31. His term will conclude on June 30, 2030.
Wright
More details: Wright was first appointed as commissioner in 2018. A Republican from South Carolina, he has a long history in energy and policy predating his seven years with the NRC.
He has previously served as the mayor of Irmo, S.C.; was a member of the S.C. House of Representatives; the chair of the S.C. Public Service Commission; the president of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners; and the president and owner of Wright Directions, an energy consulting business.
Quotable: “It is an honor to serve as chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and I am grateful for the trust placed in me to continue leading this exceptional agency,” Wright said in the announcement.
Current vacancies: Wright returns to a commission still understaffed following the firing of former chair and commissioner Christopher Hanson in June and the resignation of commissioner Annie Caputo in July.
Alongside Wright, the remaining members of the typically five-person commission are Bradley Crowell and Matthew Marzano. In August, President Trump nominated Ho Nieh (who has had more than 19 years of experience at the NRC) to fill one of the vacancies on the commission.
Continuing shake-ups: Although Wright has just began his term as chair, he has already had to grapple with the unprecedented position the NRC finds itself in. On one front, the Department of Energy has launched the Nuclear Reactor Pilot Program, in which ten companies have been given permission to build new reactors outside of the typical NRC approval framework, with oversight responsibilities shifted instead to the DOE.
On another front, President Trump signed Executive Order 14300 in May, “Ordering the Reform of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission” which set the goal of reforming the NRC’s culture, structure, regulations, and timelines.
Last week, Wright confirmed in a meeting of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee that the NRC would be expected to “rubber-stamp” reactors approved by DOE or DOD—a directive he pushed back on, ensuring that the NRC wouldn’t approve any unsafe designs.
Despite the recent rapid changes in the agency, Wright still spoke in the meeting of his confidence that the NRC will continue to facilitate the next era of nuclear development, saying, “Working with DOE and working with DOD or any other agency—it’s nothing new to the NRC. We’ve done this historically.”
Ahead of the EPW meeting, Wright also said in a written statement that “the NRC is delivering results that matter—expedited reviews, streamlined regulations, and a rededicated focus to the safety mission. We are embracing innovation. Our work is not just about regulation—it’s about enabling a safer, more secure energy future for all Americans.”
