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Atomic Insights

Atomic energy technology, politics, and perceptions from a nuclear energy insider who served as a US nuclear submarine engineer officer

Congressman Markey attacks NRC Inspector General; expect its Jaczko report within days

June 6, 2012 By Rod Adams

I’ve noticed an interesting pattern. A day or two before something negative about Dr. Greg Jaczko is released to the press, Congressman Ed Markey (D-MA) goes on the offensive against the source providing the negative news.

It happened on December 9, 2011. On that day, Congressman Markey released a report that was harshly critical of the four Nuclear Regulatory Commissioners who were not named Greg Jaczko. He claimed that they were engaging in a coup and claimed that they were motivated by a desire to slowly implement staff recommendations made as a result of investigations of Fukushima.

The next day, the public was told that those four commissioners had sent a letter to the White House Chief of Staff reporting that Chairman Jaczko was an abusive manager who had harassed women who were senior career public servants to the point of tears.

It also happened in January 2012, right before Chairman Jaczko cast the only “no” vote on the Vogtle combined license (COLA). That time Markey claimed that the rest of the commissioners were “fast tracking” the license award, even though the NRC had been reviewing the technology that was going to be used for the plant since at least 2002 and even though the staff completed all work and issued its final safety evaluation report on that design in August 2011.

The recognized pattern is the basis for my prediction that the NRC Inspector General (IG) report on the requested investigation of Dr. Jaczko’s management behaviors will be released to the public within a few days. On June 4, 2012, Bloomberg reported that Congressman Markey had sent his protege (Markey was Jaczko’s first boss in Washington) a letter recommending that the agency hire an outside investigator conduct an independent probe of its safety culture.

According to the Bloomberg article, titled U.S. Nuclear Agency Needs Independent Probe, Markey Says, Congressman Markey thinks that agency employees do not trust certain managers and do not trust the IG to be able to perform its assigned oversight role.

Markey said NRC employees wrote him to say the agency failed to take appropriate steps to deal with safety issues at the Fort Calhoun plant operated by Omaha Public Power District, and DTE Energy Co. (DTE)’s Fermi station on the shores of Lake Erie in southeast Michigan. Employees also told Markey that the NRC Office of Inspector General has ignored safety issues, he said.

“Every individual who contacted my office expressed concerns that they did not trust the NRC IG to resolve their concerns,” Markey said today in a letter to NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko. “Suggestions were made that the commission engage a firm such as Conger and Elsea or other organization to conduct an independent investigation.”

The letter looks like a blatant attempt to discredit the IG, which is why I am pretty sure that the IG report about Jaczko will be made public very soon. I am also pretty sure that the report will include several negative findings about the man who was the prime focus of the investigation.

Aside: I wonder if Conger and Elsea provided any compensation to Markey for marketing their name out of the hundreds of firms that engage in the same kind of independent auditing. End Aside.

It is interesting to note that Congressman Markey bases his accusations about the Inspector General’s office on anonymous sources inside the NRC. During the hearing she held in December, Senator Barbara Boxer disrespected the unnamed (but known to the commissioners) sources who complained about Dr. Jaczko’s actions. She compared the way that the other commissioners were protecting the privacy of Jaczko’s victims to the McCarthy witch hunts for suspected Communists. Here is a clip from that hearing.

Related Posts

  • Tale of two Chinas - One surging forward, one retreating
  • Markey's Misinterpretation of NRC Non-Concurrence Process Targeted Survey
  • CNN agrees - Harry Reid violated federal law by killing Yucca Mountain
  • Greg Jaczko is continuing his career as an international promoter of natural gas
  • Jaczko comes out as avowed antinuclear activist
  • President Carter's opinion of whether Jaczko exceeded authorities granted by Reorganization Act
  • Jaczko's Antinuclear Pursuits Will Seek Other Venues
  • Dr. Greg Jaczko finally resigned - good news for truth seekers
  • Jaczko and Issa communications dated May 7, 2012
  • Congressman Upton to Chairman Jaczko: Should NRC Issue "Chilling Effect Letter" to Itself?
  • Why did Greg Jaczko hold a press conference on Friday, April 20?
  • Edison Electric Institute Horse Traded With Waxman And Markey - Dissenting Coal-Heavy Utilities Dislike The Deal
  • NRDC Representative and Markey Staffer Talk for 50-60 Minutes About Climate Change And Energy - Not a Word About Nuclear (til I brought it up)

Filed Under: Nuclear regulations, Politics of Nuclear Energy

About Rod Adams

Rod Adams is Managing Partner of Nucleation Capital, a venture fund that invests in advanced nuclear, which provides affordable access to this clean energy sector to pronuclear and impact investors. Rod, a former submarine Engineer Officer and founder of Adams Atomic Engines, Inc., which was one of the earliest advanced nuclear ventures, is an atomic energy expert with small nuclear plant operating and design experience. He has engaged in technical, strategic, political, historic and financial analysis of the nuclear industry, its technology, regulation, and policies for several decades through Atomic Insights, both as its primary blogger and as host of The Atomic Show Podcast. Please click here to subscribe to the Atomic Show RSS feed. To join Rod's pronuclear network and receive his occasional newsletter, click here.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Joffan says

    June 6, 2012 at 8:21 AM

    I suppose you have to admire loyalty, but there may still come a time when the burden of carrying Jaczko may be more than Markey wants to invest in.

    Correction for you Rod: The Vogtle design safety report was Aug 2011.

  2. Ioannes says

    June 6, 2012 at 9:19 AM

    Markey is a Democrat. That says it all.

    BTW, Walker wins. Union thuggery is being recognized for what it is.

    Long live the Republic and the Constitution!

  3. SteveK9 says

    June 6, 2012 at 9:47 AM

    Markey can say whatever he wants, what matters is whether anyone listens. Personally, I have been a Democrat my whole life, but I stopped paying any attention to Markey decades ago … he’s ridiculous.

  4. Cal Abel says

    June 6, 2012 at 12:55 PM

    Is it in the charter of the NRC IG to have a role in safety. Typically the IG has no operational role and is there only to ensure internal compliance. What Markey said seems fishy.

    • Brian Mays says

      June 6, 2012 at 2:41 PM

      When has Malarkey said something that wasn’t fishy?

  5. donbo says

    June 6, 2012 at 1:04 PM

    There was a time when the political reporters in the major media would pick up on stunts like this and blow the bad actor out of the water. This is seldom seen now. I like to think this is because the major media have fallen on hard times. Other less charitable explanations are that reporters have become lazy or that the major media have become lap dogs of the political process.

    Instead, we have bloggers filling the void. Good work, Rod!

  6. Daniel says

    June 6, 2012 at 10:00 PM

    Good catch Rod …

  7. John Englert says

    June 7, 2012 at 7:26 AM

    At least he’s consistent.

  8. Friakel Wippans says

    June 7, 2012 at 8:27 PM

    Does anyone have a clear idea of why anti-nuclear obstructionism has become such a trademark for Markey? His various bios out there don’t say much about it.

    • Rod Adams says

      June 7, 2012 at 10:41 PM

      I have a theory that Markey is well supported by natural gas interests, especially those who import natural gas into the lucrative northeast power market. Getting rid of plants like Maine Yankee, Indian Point 1, Connecticut Yankee, and Yankee Rowe helped to make that market what it is today, but his supporters eyes are set on what it might be if antinuclear activism can shut down Vermont Yankee, Indian Point and Pilgrim.

      I have expanded upon that theory in the following posts:

      https://atomicinsights.com/2011/10/ed-markey-lng-and-antinuclear-activity.html

      https://atomicinsights.com/2012/02/has-the-mit-energy-initiative-been-captured-by-natural-gas-industry-money.html

      • George Carty says

        June 8, 2012 at 10:17 AM

        Indeed — I now refer to Ed Markey as “Mr LNG”. 🙂

  9. Daniel says

    June 8, 2012 at 4:50 PM

    The report is due before end of day …..

  10. Daniel says

    June 8, 2012 at 4:52 PM

    My last message was posted at 4:50 … It is 4:50 and 2 seconds later it appears.

    Have the delay problems been solved ?

  11. Daniel says

    June 8, 2012 at 4:54 PM

    Rod,

    I am getting near real time posting on my comments. I reckon the response time issues are behind us.

  12. Daniel says

    June 9, 2012 at 8:29 AM

    News every where are talking about a radiation leak in Indiana … Wazzup ?

  13. Daniel says

    June 22, 2012 at 4:31 PM

    The report was due a week ago. Wanna bet its under the rugs somewhere in Washington and will never be made public now that Dr J has left the building.

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