How difficult is it to obtain a license to build a nuclear fission power plant?

Apparently, it isn't overwhelmingly expensive to build a small nuclear fission power plant, that could be used to produce power. Uranium only costs 30 dollars a pound, and a few tons would be sufficient to power such a plant. Of course, shielding and cooling materials would be necessary, as well, but, certainly a small nuclear power plant could be built and maintained for a few million dollars, that would produce power for decades. An attractive prospect to a potential entrepreneur. But, how difficult would it be to obtain permission to build such a plant? In the U.S., it's illegal for any individual, business or institution to possess more than seven pounds of Uranium without federal approval. Now, as any economist could tell you, it's not possible to have much progress in any technology without businesses having some freedom to innovate and develop the technology. How tightly are licenses to build nuclear fission power plants controlled, and, are the controls so rigid as to make any real progress in nuclear technology virtually impossible?