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Wednesday, Jun 13, 2012 4:18 PM UTC

Obama choice to lead NRC pledges collegiality

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Topics: From the Wires,

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama’s nominee to head the Nuclear Regulatory Commission says she will work to restore harmony at an agency marked by discord in recent years.

Allison Macfarlane, a geologist named to lead the NRC last month, said she will push to make the agency more open, efficient and transparent.

Appearing at a Senate hearing Wednesday, Macfarlane also pledged “a strong commitment to collegiality at all levels,” saying an agency empowered to protect public safety, such as the NRC, “requires a respectful working environment to assure its integrity.”

If confirmed by the Senate, Macfarlane would replace Gregory Jaczko (YAHTS’-koh), who announced his resignation last month after a tumultuous three-year tenure in which he came under fire for an unyielding management style that fellow commissioners and agency employees described as bullying.

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