Beyond Nuclear and close to 100 groups protest blatant nuclear "booster" nominated to Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Beyond Nuclear joined close to 100 anti-nuclear watchdog groups from across the country in reiterating vehement opposition to President Obama's now official nomination of William Magwood as a new commissoner at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The groups had already alerted the White House, in an August 3rd letter, to Mr. Magwood's firmly pro-nuclear industry track record and history. Today, Beyond Nuclear issued a press release urging the Senate to carefully consider Magwood's nuclear industry boosterism given that the NRC mandate is to protect the interests of public safety in the nuclear power sector. Project on Government Oversight (POGO), with a focus on nuclear power plant security (or lack thereof), has also protested Mr. Magwood's nomination in a letter to U.S. Senate leaders, and called instead for nomination of a Commissioner with security expertise, and with a public interest background. In addition to his boosterism for new reactors, Magwood has advocated a relapse into reprocessing of high-level radioactive waste, which risks nuclear weapons proliferation, environmental devastation, and an astronomical price tag for taxpayers. Magwood has also promoted the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump, contradicting President Obama's clear position that Yucca is unsuitable for radioactive waste disposal.