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The NRC is back to five commissioners
Douglas Weaver, nominated to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission by President Trump and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, was sworn in on December 22 as a commissioner for a term ending June 30, 2026. The appointment brings the NRC to its full five members. Weaver fills a seat that had been vacant since the resignation of Annie Caputo in July 2025, and he is one of only a handful of former NRC staff members to serve on the commission.
Weaver
Weaver joins fellow Republicans Ho Nieh, who was sworn in as a commissioner last month, and NRC Chair David Wright, along with commissioners Matthew Marzano and Bradley Crowell, both of whom are Democrats.
History: Weaver worked at the NRC for nearly 20 years, beginning as a reactor engineer in Region I, where he qualified as a resident inspector. He then served as a headquarters operations officer and later as a senior emergency response coordinator in the Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response. He also laid the foundation for combined license and design certification reviews for new reactors as leader of the planning and scheduling branch in the former Office of New Reactors and later served as deputy chief of staff for then chair Dale Klein. He ended his NRC career in 2012 as deputy director in the Spent Fuel Storage and Transportation Division, a senior executive service position.
Most recently, Weaver led his own consulting company, Atomic Safety, providing regulatory and licensing support to the nuclear industry. Previously, he was vice president of global nuclear regulatory affairs for Westinghouse Electric. There, he created the company’s Nuclear Safety Review Board, supported the effort to secure a 40-year license renewal for the Columbia fuel fabrication plant, and supported numerous license amendments for the AP1000 design.
Weaver earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering from Princeton University and began his career as a U.S. Navy officer in 1985, completing a year in postgraduate naval training studying nuclear engineering and nuclear power plant theory. He then served in operational units at sea, where he qualified as chief engineer, ultimately completing his uniformed service in the Naval Reserve in 2005. He supported the chief of Naval Operations during the U.S. response to 9/11, helping rebuild the Navy Command Center in the Pentagon and earning the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal for his service during this period.
Quotes: “It is an honor to have been nominated by President Trump to serve on the commission at this pivotal moment and I am grateful for this opportunity,” Weaver said. “I look forward to working with Chairman Wright and the other Commissioners to help NRC achieve its mission in service to our nation,” Weaver said.
"I welcome Doug Weaver to the Commission, bringing us to a full complement of five commissioners, as we continue our important safety mission,” NRC Chair David Wright said. “Commissioner Weaver has an extensive nuclear background from his experience in industry, at the NRC and in the nuclear navy. The commission and the agency will benefit from his knowledge during this exciting time in our country’s history, and I look forward to working with him.”
