Three Mile Island revival remains distant, but talks continue among Pennsylvania lawmakers

(WHTM) — Pennsylvania lawmakers are beginning to discuss reopening the infamous Three Mile Island nuclear power plant, however, no specific plan to revive the plant has been made.

TMI-2, the site of the worst nuclear disaster in US history, has stoked environmental fears in the public for years. Now, state lawmakers are considering reopening the plant.

“This is a lethal technology,” said Director of Three Mile Island Alert Eric Epstein. “This is not pure, clean, and green.”

“The reason I’m here is because of my memory of the details of the 1979 meltdown,” say opposers like Scott Portzline at an opposition rally in Harrisburg on Tuesday.

TMI’s other reactor was shut down in 2019 for economic reasons.

“Whether you like or dislike gas, private equity is building gas plants,” said Epstein. “There’s never been $1 of private investment in the nuclear industry.”

State lawmakers will soon discuss whether to provide approximately $300 million in state funding to entice more than $1 billion in federal funding to restart TMI. This plan is similar to the previously closed nuclear plant that was reopened in Michigan.

“We’d love to see them back,” said State Rep. Thomas Mehaffie (R-Dauphin County). “We’d love to see this plant operating in the way it was, and even better.”

TMI resides in Rep. Mehaffie’s district, and he is leading the charge citing projections that energy needs are outpacing future energy supply.

When asked about taxpayers’ concerns about subsidizing the plant, Mehaffie said, “Everything around here is subsidized. It doesn’t matter if it’s oil [or] coal.”

According to a poll from Susquehanna Polling and Research, more people support nuclear power than protest it.

“There were 16 people here (at the opposition rally), Pennsylvania has 13 million people,” said Steve Aaron of Clean Jobs PA. “And as far as the issue of ongoing support for nuclear energy goes, it’s a settled matter among voters. Seven out of ten Pennsylvanians say they support nuclear energy for its reliability.”

It will take a significant amount of money, political will, and a plan that has not yet been made public. Restarting TMI is a long way off, however discussions are not.

“I understand people have fears,” Mehaffie conceded. “I mean, I watch Netflix, too, so we all understand that they lived through something. But we’re not in the seventies anymore. We’re not in the ’80s. We’re in the 2000s. And we have an opportunity to bring 900 megawatts online.”

“We’re not [going to] let the legislature give them any money,” said Anti-Nuclear organizer Gene Stilp. “We’re going to make sure in the courts, in the streets, in the legislature, we’re going to fight them.”

The Pennsylvania House archives have an exhibit that delves into the Three Mile Island accident that people can visit in Harrisburg.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJET/WFXP/YourErie.com.