COMMISSIONER JEFFREY S. MERRIFIELD TAKES OATH OF OFFICE FOR SECOND TERM AT THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
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By a voice vote on August 1, the Senate unanimously confirmed Mr. Merrifield to serve a second term as an NRC Commissioner through June 30, 2007.

Mr. Merrifield said that "I am honored that President George Bush and the Senate have put their faith in me that I can continue this Agency's important mission of protecting the health and safety of the American people from the peaceful, civilian uses of nuclear materials." He further stated, "I am eager to rejoin my colleagues in responding to the events of September 11th, and ensuring that the nuclear plants we regulate remain among the securest industrial facilities in the United States. Additionally, now that Congress has chosen to move forward on Yucca Mountain, our Agency will be actively engaged in determining whether this site is safe to be licensed to store spent nuclear fuel."

First appointed to a vacant seat on the NRC by then-President Bill Clinton, Mr. Merrifield began his first term on October 23, 1998. The NRC, headquartered in Rockville, Maryland, employs 2,900 staff to ensure the safe, cradle-to-grave, civilian uses of radioactive materials, including uranium mines, medical isotopes, fuel enrichment and fabrication facilities and the 103 operating nuclear power plants.

Since joining the NRC in 1998, Mr. Merrifield has participated in a number of important changes in the Agency, including issuing 20-year license extensions for 10 nuclear reactors, overseeing over 3,500 megawatts of power uprates for the existing plants, and responding to the security issues associated with September 11, 2001.

He has visited all 103 operating nuclear power plants, the communities surrounding Yucca Mountain, fuel fabrication facilities, uranium mines, and an oil rig 100 miles off the coast of Louisana. Subsequent to these visits, Mr. Merrifield has personally met with and briefed almost 100 Members of Congress.

Immediately before joining the NRC, Mr. Merrifield served since 1995 as the Counsel and Staff Director of the Senate Subcommittee on Superfund, Waste Control and Risk Assessment. From 1992 to 1995, he was an associate with the Washington, D.C., law firm of McKenna and Cuneo. Previously, he served as a legislative assistant to Senator Robert C. Smith (R-N.H.), and from 1987 to 1990 as a legislative assistant to then-Senator Gordon J. Humphrey (R-N.H.).

A native of Antrim, N.H., Mr. Merrifield received his Bachelor of Arts degree, magna cum laude, in political science and history from Tufts University in 1985 and his Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 1992.

Commissioner Merrifield's official biography and photograph are available on NRC's website at: http://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/organization/commission/merrifield.html

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Monday, December 08, 2008