A-Arms Program Nominee Under Attack in Congress

WASHINGTON —  President Bush’s nominee to rebuild the nation’s crippled nuclear weapons program is running into heavy congressional opposition amid charges that he is professionally and personally unfit for the job.

More than a half dozen Senate Democrats, including several members of the Armed Services Committee, which is considering the nomination, have signaled their opposition to the naming of Victor Stello Jr. as assistant secretary of energy for defense programs.

Since his July 24 nomination, the 23-year veteran of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has been attacked vociferously by anti-nuclear groups, including the Union of Concerned Scientists and Greenpeace, as well as by some present and former NRC employees.

Those attacks have ensured that the confirmation hearing, which began Wednesday, will be lengthy. On Thursday, Democratic members of the Armed Services Committee demanded additional witnesses and new material to enable them to further investigate the charges.

The continuing doubts about Stello led Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) to observe angrily that the hearings had become a “haunting” reminder of the failed nomination of John Tower as secretary of defense earlier this year.

McCain acknowledged that it appears unlikely that the panel will vote on Stello’s nomination before Congress adjourns for the year. Adjournment could occur as early as next week.

At the end of Thursday’s hearing, in which Stello was praised by two of his former NRC superiors, Sen. Sam Nunn (D-Ga.), chairman of the committee, scheduled a closed session for today to discuss how to proceed on the nomination.

Much of the criticism of Stello involves his stormy three years as chief of staff at the NRC, which regulates commercial nuclear power.

Stello has been accused of obstructing NRC investigations, cutting corners on safety issues and moving slowly on allegations of drug use among nuclear plant operators.

He has also been criticized for allegedly withholding information about the gravity of the 1979 accident at Three Mile Island and of failing to pursue charges that plant operators had falsified records.

Stello has rejected the charges involving his professional conduct, while grudgingly accepting criticisms of his personal demeanor and management style as back-handed compliments.

“I can be abrasive,” Stello testified. “I say what I think and I do what is right,” he said, calling himself “an action-oriented” manager.

Allegations against Stello have been pursued in recent years by the FBI, a federal grand jury, several congressional committees and NRC investigators. He has emerged in each case without being charged with any wrongdoing.

Sen. Timothy E. Wirth (D-Colo.), noting that he was “struck by the extraordinary breadth” of criticisms directed at Stello, has urged President Bush to withdraw the nomination. Wirth, an Armed Services Committee member, was joined by four other Senate Democrats, including Alan Cranston of California.