The Department of Energy's Nuclear Powerplant Siting and Licensing Bill

The proposed Nuclear Siting and Licensing Act of 1978 seeks to improve the nuclear powerplant licensing process by: expediting licensing through early site approval and preapproved standard powerplant designs, clearly delineating the respective roles of Federal and State regulators, and modifying public participation to reduce potential delays in the licensing process. Nuclear powerplant designs and potential sites would be reviewed and approved by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in advance of use by utilities. This approach is already being implemented administratively and has not resulted in reduced leadtimes. The proposed legislation would permit NRC to issue a combined construction and operating license after one review. This would eliminate much duplication, but other alternatives should be considered. Provisions for eliminating mandatory reviews by the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards on applications for nonstandardized plants were not favored. The Bill also makes unnecessary changes in the extent of public participation in the licensing process.