Two companies, New Jersey-based NRG Energy Inc. and South Texas Project Nuclear Operating Company, filed an application Monday to build a nuclear power station site in South Texas. It is the first application for a new nuclear reactor in the U.S. in nearly 30 years.

The project is to construct two nuclear reactors at an existing two-unit plant southwest of Houston, in Bay City. The companies hope to complete the construction by 2014, which may be too optimistic as problems with government approvals have already been announced.

Rep. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., sent a letter to Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Dale Klein seeking to know why NRC has outsourced the job of reviewing new nuclear reactor construction applications. Three companies were chosen by regulators to work on license application reviews for three different plant designs. Markey wants to receive by Oct. 5 all documents related to the contracts, including requests for proposals. Rep. Markey also wants to check any records of discussions related to compliance with the law governing "inherently governmental functions."

The NRG Energy Inc. application is for a reactor designed by General Electric Co. that would be built by Westinghouse's parent company, Toshiba Corp. For this type of reactor, the contractor to review the application is reportedly Information Systems Laboratories, headquartered in San Diego.

"The NRC has not, and will not, delegate any decision-making authority in the licensing of potential new U.S. nuclear reactors," claims NRC spokesman Scott Burnell, while confirming the outsourcing contracts. However, Rep. Markey seems "alarmed that this contract may violate the law and ... result in a danger to public health and safety."

The new reactors will ensure that Texas will be less dependent on foreign oil. Furthermore, nuclear power produces no greenhouse emissions. However, environmental groups say there's no safe way to store nuclear waste. The two reactors are projected to cost $5.2 billion, generate more than $9 billion in revenue for the state, require 4,000 to 6,000 construction workers and result in 800 staff positions, according to David Knox, a spokesman for the Texas branch of NRG Energy. The units are to produce more than 2,700 megawatts per hour, enough for about 2 million homes.

The construction is set to begin as early as 2010 if government approvals are received in time. A license for the nuclear reactors could take as long as 15 years, some analysts have estimated.