Energy: Legacy off Three Mile Island

(3 of 3)

Similar opinions are held by some of the patrons of Mat's Wine-ing Wench Pub, a friendly saloon with a pool table, pinball machines and a clientele that consists almost entirely of ironworkers employed at T.M.I. "Much ado about nothing," said Charles Hummel, a foreman, as he discussed people's worries about radiation. "The situation was never as bad as the press claimed it was," said a tall, mustachioed man whose T shirt bore an indelicate reference to Iran. "Nobody was killed. Nobody was even hurt."

He and his friends believe that nuclear power still has a future, and even many antinuclear people in the area acknowledge that they are probably correct. To be sure, there is stubborn opposition to reopening the disabled and discredited Unit 2 when the cleanup is over. Met-Ed estimates it will take at least three years (federal authorities put the figure closer to five). But Middletowners are resigned to the fact that the company will probably start up the nuclear reactor in Unit 1 some time around the end of the year. Unit 1, which was undamaged by the accident in its sister installation, was shut down for routine refueling at the time of the mishap. The company has asked the NRC for permission to put it into operation.

A few residents say they are actually less worried about nuclear power now than they were before the accident. Both Met-Ed and the NRC have tightened their procedures and improved their machinery in an effort to prevent a recurrence. Middletowners have learned even more. At the time of the accident last year, the town had neither the instruments to monitor radiation levels nor a plan for moving its inhabitants out of danger. Since then, the town has installed radiation detectors on the roof of the borough hall and put together an 80-page program that provides for the evacuation of the town by road, rail, river and even, if it becomes necessary, snowmobile. Said Mayor Reid: "We can empty the town completely in 24 hours. All the folks out at T.M.I. have to do is keep the lid on for that long."