Three Mile Island shows US nuclear risks, rewards

MIDDLETOWN, Pennsylvania – Four giant cooling towers loom over the Three Mile Island nuclear plant, reminders of the fears and hopes surrounding an industry that may help cut U.S. dependence on foreign oil.

Two towers stand quiet, idle since a partial meltdown in a reactor almost 30 years ago in the nation’s worst nuclear accident. Two others belch steam from an active reactor, providing cheap electricity to 400,000 homes.

Unlike the Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine — which will mark its 20th anniversary on April 26 — no one died at Three Mile Island. But critics of atomic power raise concerns over potential terrorist threats to plants and say science has yet to provide an adequate solution for highly toxic nuclear waste.

Three Mile Island owner Exelon Corp. now wants to extend its operating license as part of an industry program to keep all 103 U.S. nuclear reactors going beyond their standard 40-year licenses.

Reuters