The head of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced Monday that he will resign. Gregory B. Jaczko's three-year tenure  will end as soon as a successor is confirmed to lead the country's nuclear safety agency.  "Chairman Jaczko has served the interests of the public extremely well," said Sen. Bernie Sanders,  a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works committee, which oversees the NRC.  The chairman's top priority "has always been right where it should be - on ensuring that our nation's nuclear plants are being operated as safely as possible," Sanders added. He told Brattleboro radio station WTSA-FM that Jazko's views "did not make him particularly popular with the nuclear power industry."   

"He has a consistent voting record supporting the swift implementation of strong safety reforms, and he led the commission in pushing for reforms following the disaster in Fukushima," Sanders added. "While I at times disagreed with the chairman on issues, I always appreciated his recognition that the NRC's job is not to promote nuclear power, but to be a strong safety regulator.

"For his efforts to hold the nuclear industry accountable, Chairman Jaczko was subjected to repeated personal attacks made by some of his colleagues and pro-industry advocates in Congress. I am extremely disappointed he is leaving the Commission.

"The American people deserve an NRC that is 100 percent committed to nuclear safety. President Obama must nominate a new NRC Chairman who will stand up to industry pressure and fight just as strongly as Chairman Jaczco has for safety reforms."