The Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced June 7 that it will significantly delay Pacific Gas & Electric’s application to renew the operating license for Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant.

According to an NRC press release, the federal regulator will delay PG&E’s relicensing application until 2015, when 3D seismic studies of the area are completed, and coastal consistency certification is approved by the California Coastal Commission.

David Weisman, spokesperson for the ratepayer advocacy group the Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility, said “this certainly vindicates the kind of safeguards the Alliance has been advocating since the relicensing [application] was announced.

“We think it’s a sad reflection of the NRC as a regulator that it took the tragedy unfolding in Japan to finally get their attention,” Weisman said. “We can’t afford to have that happen here in California.”

New Times could not reach PG&E to ask whether the utility will be  able to complete all relevant studies in that time span.