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When Denton finally did get on the scene, he brought order out of the chaos. In Harrisburg, Governor Thornburgh, facing an emergency that was truly unique, had been frustrated by the lack of clear information. Thornburgh told TIME New York Bureau Chief Donald Neff: "There is a prayer for Governors who find themselves in my situation: 'Lord, send me the straight facts.' " Denton, said Thornburgh, "was a straight talker who knew his facts. He's been our best source, extremely helpful and useful." Jimmy Carter's visit to the plant's control room also helped calm the public.
Under Denton's supervision, company engineers worked with experts from the plant's main builder, Babcock & Wilcox, to eliminate any remaining danger. The crucial problem was a huge bubble of gas that threatened either to explode or block the cooling of the core. Pressure within the core was gradually reduced, the temperature of the fuel rods stabilized, and the bubble bled off. "Time is now on our side," said the relieved Denton.
It might take up to a month before radiation levels within the containment building will allow the dangerous structure to be entered, the steel cap removed from the top of the reactor vessel, and the damage fully assessed. Meanwhile, no human could even go safely into the auxiliary building. Only "Herman," a six-foot-tall robot with a remotely controlled arm capable of lifting 150 Ibs., could lumber inside, turn valves and retrieve fresh samples of the contaminated water.
After a complete cooldown, an even more complex and costly, but less dangerous task faces the company. The NRC's Robert M. Bernero, a nuclear plant decommissioning expert, estimated that the cleanup may take "a year or two." It could cost more than the $700 million spent on building Unit 2 in the first place. If Met-Ed decides the cost of decontamination and rebuilding is too great, the plant might be sealed up instead. That would create what Colorado Senator Gary Hart has called "a billion-dollar mausoleum."
Met-Ed, through a complicated insurance pool involving the industry and the Federal Government, may be able to receive hundreds of millions of dollars toward the costs. The company's insurance was also making payments to families with pregnant mothers and pre-school children who had left the area. When Michael Nye picked up his family's $280 check after leaving his home in Bainbridge, he admitted: "I'm a little happier now. But I will be a lot happier when they get the reactor straightened out."
The utility has other problems. Just replacing the electricity that had been generated by Three Mile Island's two plants (Unit 1, which had been shut down for routine fuel replacement, has also been closed indefinitely) is costing Met-Ed some $1 million a day. Company spokesmen claimed last week they had no alternative but to recover much of this loss from its residential customers by raising its rates by about $7.50 a month. That led to outraged protests from consumer groups, who asked: "Why in the world should we pay for the company's mistakes?"