Employee Meeting - NRC

63
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
have heard a lot of voices from the political world about things they
would like us to do that we have not done, and I don't think we will do.
So, I think that the perception or the concern that we
have succumbed to political pressure is simply wrong. It is just not
true, although I appreciate Commissioner Svinicki said, if there is an
appearance -- it is hard for us to deflect that appearance because there
will always be political voices advocating one action or another. I think
it's just left up to the American people to decide whether our decisions
are being politically influenced.
I think if you look at our votes, if you look at our
analyses, if you look at the work that the staff has done, everything we
have done has a sound technical basis. And I think it is work that this
Agency should be very, very proud of.
COMMISSIONER OSTENDORFF: I want to give an
appendix to my previous answer because I think this is a really
important question. And we have had three questions today that I
have asterisked on my pages that have come out that I have said, wow,
this is of concern.
I am concerned about there being a perception of
political pressure, especially if you think that political pressure is being
caved into by the Commission. And certainly, we get a lot of letters
22
from Members of Congress.
You could go back and look at the
23
24
25
26
number of letters we received on San Onofre, on filtered vents, on the
initial Near-Term Task Force on Fukushima, and lots of
correspondence.
I believe this Commission sitting before you has not