President Donald Trump has removed Christopher Hanson, one of three Democratic commissioners on the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, without cause — breaking nearly five decades of precedent for independent oversight.
Hanson’s term wasn’t set to expire until 2029. He served as NRC chair under President Joe Biden before Trump’s inauguration.
With his removal, the five-member panel charged with safeguarding America’s 93 operating reactors at 56 sites is now down to four — two Democrats and two Republicans.
This move comes on the heels of Trump’s May executive orders aimed at quadrupling domestic nuclear power by 2050 and curbing the authority of independent regulators.
Experts say the orders undermine legal safeguards meant to keep nuclear safety decisions free from political influence.
Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.
