“I’m still happy though that we are again building reactors.”
I’ll be happy when I see them come on line. This is electioneering at its best. Or worst, I guess. Zero has no thought of allowing nukes.
The issuing of the Combined Operating License is the culmination of many years of work by a lot of people. The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued a Design Certification of the AP1000 plant being built in Georgia just before Christmas last year.
In regulatory space, a reactor design consortium has to show that the design meets specific minimum design criteria. If it meets those criteria, then the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has no choice but to issue the Design Certification.
Similarly, for a site, the applicant has to show that a certified design is being used and that the site is suitable. Given that the Vogtle site already has two Westinghouse pressurized water reactors of an earlier vintage operating, the site suitability demonstration is rather easy. Again, if the criteria are met, then the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission must issue the Combined Operating License.
Bottom Line: Obama had nothing to do with the issuance of the Combined Opedrating Licenses for Vogtle 3 and 4.