"WASHINGTON President Clinton on Wednesday nominated Greta Dicus, a member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission since 1996, to be the commission's chairman.

She would replace Chairman Shirley Jackson, who is leaving the agency to become president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on July 1.

To get the job, Dicus must be confirmed by the Senate.

Dicus, a health physicist and radiation research scientist, is in her second term at the NRC. Before coming to the agency she was with the division of radiation and control and emergency management at the Arkansas Department of Health.

An Arkansas native, she has a masters degree in radiation biology and has done extensive research over 16 years on radiation health effects."

Link: http://www.foxmarketwire.com/wires/0616/f_ap_0616_60.sml

-- Anonymous, June 18, 1999

Answers

this is *not* a good sign.

in times of impending crisis chairmen do not 'jump ship' without a *very* good reason.

violation of priciples comes to mind... or rather the unwillingness to violate one's principles.

-- Anonymous, June 18, 1999

Marianne,

I agree with you. With so much vital work to be done in the next few months, critical decisions to be made, safety issues to be dealt with, it seems to be a "jumping ship" decision to me. How could anyone who is at the highest level of the NRC ethically leave that post at this time? I too wonder if this is a selfish decision or a desire to put some distance between herself and the NRC due to internal politics. I also wonder if the new Chairman nominee, Dicus, who has studied quite a bit about radiation biology, will have some strong attitudes regarding safety decisions vs power production in this Y2k environment?

-- Anonymous, June 19, 1999

NRC sets backup plans in case Y2K hits nuke plants (Reuters) WASHINGTON, June 15 (Reuters) - Fears that Year 2000 computer crashes may cripple nuclear power plants have led the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to develop backup plans for adding staff and ensuring communications when the new millennium starts. In a statement from the NRC on Tuesday, the agency said the contingency plan calls for staffing its operations center in Rockville, Md. - Jun 15 2:42 PM EDT

Clinton Nominates Dicus To Lead NRC (Associated Press) President Clinton today nominated Greta Dicus, a member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission since 1996, to be the commission's chairman. - Jun 16 6:53 PM EDT

US proposes stockpiling radiation antidote (Reuters) By Tom Doggett WASHINGTON, June 18 (Reuters) - The Nuclear Regulatory Commission proposed this week that potassium iodide be stockpiled to protect the public from a major release of radiation during a nuclear power plant accident. If taken in time, the chemical helps prevent radioactive iodine from being lodged in the thyroid gland, where it could lead to thyroid cancer or other illness. - Jun 18 6:40 PM EDT

Hmmm....the plot thickens....I went to the internet for some answers and came up with only this. A chronology of press releases. There doesn't seem to be any public statement from Dr. Jackson. There is a previous association between Jackson and RPTI. On the NRC website at the bottom of Dr. Jackson's bio, the site says that she planned to become Chairman of RPTI effective July 1, 1999.

Now the real deal here is to find out from Dr. Jackson why she resigned. Did she in fact jump ship or was this a planned event since Dec. of 1998 as the NRC claims on it's website.

Dr. Jackson if you're reading this, you owe us a real resignation statement. Please clear this up, I implore you.

-- Anonymous, June 19, 1999

"To get the job, Dicus must be confirmed by the Senate."

Wonder how long that will take? You don't suppose it could take more than six months do you? Then there would be NO ONE IN CHARGE just in case a nuke plant decides to take an unscheduled trip to China. Oopsie. Not my fault.

Got KI?

-- Anonymous, June 20, 1999