JACZKO RESIGNS
Yields Bully Pulpit Under Intense Scrutiny and Pressure

(Rockville, MD) — Gregory B. Jaczko, the chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), abruptly resigned yesterday, bringing an end to an acrimonious and belligerent three-year tenure at the agency's highest post. Given the position is appointed by the president and confirmed by Congress, and given that 2012 is an election year, he very well may stay on the job until 2013.

Sworn in as a commissioner on January 21, 2005, his well-executed coup gave him the position of chairman on May 13, 2009. His term was set to expire in June 2013.

His tenure has been marked by a number of controversial incidents. In May 2010, during a groundbreaking ceremony for the agency's newest building, Three White Flint North (a.k.a. Isengard), his shovel turned over a skeleton. Officials still will not say if the skeleton belongs to a former NRC employee.

In mid-2011, a report surfaced showing that Jaczko withheld information from the other four NRC commissioners regarding the proposed Yucca Mountain High-Level Waste repository. A decision to kill the project was made in October 2009 — by Jaczko. This was seen as a move to appease his old boss, Senate Majority Leader Harry "NIMBY" (Not In My BackYard) Reid.

And in late 2011, Jaczko signed the No Child Left Irradiated Act (NCLI), essentially turning the agency's Public Document Room (PDR) into a daycare center.

Also in late 2011, Jaczko's colleagues — the four other members of the agency's commission (George Apostolakis, William D. Magwood, William C. Ostendorff, and Kristine L. Svinicki) — sent a letter to Congress outlining Jaczko's mean-spirited management style, claiming he had withheld information from them, unprofessionally berated the agency's professional staff. This letter led to hearings on Capitol Hill — but not Jaczko's ouster.

"We're not saying that the NRC doesn't have a culture of yelling at and berating its own staff, we just don't like to see it amongst the actual Commission," said part of the letter, quoted on condition of anonymity.

Lately, however, it appeared that Jaczko had lost favor with NIMBY, and coupled with years of difficult management decisions, this may have been the final straw that propelled his resignation.

"Dr. Jaczko has said that as long as he's here, he'll continue to do just the same things he's been doing — harassing and yelling at staff, overriding the other commissioners, and all the while keeping that sadistic smile on his face," said a Jaczko spokesman, speaking on condition of anonymity.