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NRC is already allowing combined licensing—they've started this year

Progress Energy 6 (http://www.progress-energy.com/aboutenergy/poweringthefuture_florida/levy/col.pdf)

Based on demand projections in Florida, Progress Energy will need new baseload electricity generation in the next two
decades. In the last two decades, more than 600,000 homes and businesses have been added to the Progress Energy
Florida system, and that rate of growth continues. In late 2005, Progress Energy notified the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) of its intent to file an application for a combined construction and operating license (COL) for a
potential new nuclear power plant in Florida. Because the process of siting, licensing, engineering and building nuclear
plants takes about 10 years, the company must consider nuclear energy in advance of the expected need for additional
generation. The construction and operating license notice is not a commitment to build a nuclear facility in Florida. That
decision is still a year or more away. However, it's a necessary step to keep the option open should the company decide
that a new nuclear plant is the best option for meeting growing customer demand in the future. What is a combined
construction and operating license? The COL process combines licensing procedures that were treated separately in
previous nuclear plant siting applications. In the past, the permit to build a plant did not ensure that the plant would be
allowed to operate when completed. The separation of those processes often drove up costs and uncertainty significantly
for companies and their customers. Combining the processes helps to minimize the rate impact on customers while
maintaining significant oversight by the federal government agency responsible for ensuring nuclear safety and security.
The process also provides significant opportunities for public involvement. The approval process for the nation's first
COL applications could take up to three years. Subsequent approval of COLs for identical plants is expected to take less
time. What is the licensing process timeline? The NRC has established a clear process for licensing a nuclear power plant.
It begins with selecting a potential site and technology. The applications for the combined construction and operating
license could be filed in 2008. If approved by the NRC, construction could begin as early as 2010 for a new plant to
begin commercial operation around 2016.

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EPA 8 (2/14, http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/EPA-IMPACT/2008/February/Day-14/i2775.htm)

UniStar Nuclear, LLC (UniStar), has submitted a partial application for a combined license (COL) for its Calvert Cliffs
Nuclear Power Plant (CCNPP) site to build Unit 3, located on approximately 2,057 acres in Calvert County, Maryland,
approximately 40 miles southeast of Washington, DC, and 7.5 miles north of Solomons, Maryland, along the western bank
of the Chesapeake Bay. Part 1 of the application for the COL was submitted by letter dated July 13, 2007, pursuant to the
requirements of Title 10, Part 52, and in accordance with 10 CFR 2.101(a)(5). Subsequent information was submitted on
July 16, 2007, August 2, 2007, and October 30, 2007. In addition, the UniStar COL application references dose
consequence information in UniStar's December 14, 2007, application for certification of the Evolutionary Power Reactor
design. Accordingly, the NRC staff reviewed the design certification application and determined that it contains
information sufficient to permit docketing of the environmental report (ER). A notice of receipt and availability of the
partial application, which included the ER, was published in the Federal Register on August 15, 2007 (72 FR 45832). A
notice of acceptance for docketing of the partial application for the COL was published in the Federal Register on January
31, 2008 (73 FR 5877). The purpose of this notice is to inform the public that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
(NRC) will be preparing an environmental impact statement (EIS) in support of the review of the COL partial application
and to provide the public an opportunity to participate in the environmental scoping process, as defined in 10 CFR 51.29.