Irony free reporting from the Las Vegas Sun:

A former aide to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has been appointed by President Barack Obama as chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which will decide the fate of a Yucca Mountain nuclear repository.Gregory B. Jaczko has been a member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission since 2005 and is serving a five-year term.

“I am honored President Obama has entrusted me with the responsibility of serving as the chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,” Jaczko said after he learned of his appointment late today. “I look forward to continuing to work closely with the talented and dedicated agency staff and my fellow commissioners.

It is just a tad mystifying how this article went to print without a mention of the potential conflict of interest for Jaczko on Yucca Mountain. But then again, the reporter actually managed to publish this next sentence which is probably indicative of the quality of investigative journalism at the Sun.

After learning of the appointment of Jaczko as NRC chairman, Senator Harry Reid said, “I am pleased that President Obama has appointed such a qualified individual to lead the commission.

I am certain Senator Reid was pleasantly unsurprised by this appointment.

Crossposted at Conservatives for Science