Senate EPW Committee to hold Nieh nomination hearing

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will hold a nomination hearing Wednesday for Ho Nieh, President Donald Trump's nominee to serve as commission at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Trump nominated Nieh on July 30 to serve as NRC commissioner the remainder of a term that will expire June 30, 2029, as Nuclear NewsWire previously reported.

Nieh has been vice president of regulatory affairs at Southern Nuclear since 2021, though since June 2024 he has been at the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations as a loaned executive.

A return to the NRC: If confirmed by the Senate, Nieh would be returning to the NRC after three previous stints totaling nearly 20 years.

During that time, he held several different positions, including director of the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, regional office director for reactor projects, resident inspector, and in policymaking and incident response.

Nieh started his career at Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory, where he worked primarily as a nuclear plant engineer and contributed as a civilian instructor in the U.S. Navy's Nuclear Power Program.

If the EPW votes to advance his nomination on Wednesday, it will head to the Senate for a floor vote where a simple majority is required to confirm him.