President Barack Obama has tapped a critic of Yucca Mountain to serve as chairwoman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, setting the stage for what is sure to be a contentious confirmation proceeding in the Senate.
Allison Macfarlane, a professor at George Mason University, was selected Thursday by the Obama administration to head the commission. She has written extensively and critically of Yucca Mountain, the nation’s nuclear dump located 90 miles north of Las Vegas.