Question

Metropolitan Edison Company owned and operated two nuclear-fueled power plants at Three Mile Island near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Both power plants were licensed by the NRC after extensive proceedings and investigations, including the preparation of the required environmental impact statements. When one of the power plants was shut down for refueling, the other plant suffered a serious accident that damaged the reactor. The governor of Pennsylvania recommended an evacuation of all pregnant women and small children, and many area residents did not leave their homes for several days. As it turned out, no dangerous radiation was released.

People Against Nuclear Energy (PANE), an association of area residents who opposed further operation of the nuclear power plants at Three Mile Island, sued to enjoin the plants from reopening. They argued that the reopening of the plants would cause severe psychological health damage to persons living in the vicinity and serious damage to the stability and cohesiveness of the community. Are these reasons sufficient to prevent the reopening of the nuclear power plants? Is it socially responsible for the federal government to permit the operation of nuclear power plants? Metropolitan Edison Company v. People Against Nuclear Energy, 460 U.S. 766, 103 S.Ct. 1556, 1983 U.S. Lexis 21 (Supreme Court of the United States)

Answer 1

In my opinion, there are no reasons sufficient to prevent the reopening of the nuclear power plants because after the accident in the second plant that damaged the reactor, there was no release of dangerous radiation observed from both the plants after they were shut down. In the absence of any such incident of release of dangerous radiation from any of the plants, there are no sufficient reasons to prevent the reopening of nuclear power plants.

However it is not socially responsible for the federal government to permit the operation of nuclear power plants because there has been massive protest by People Against Nuclear Energy (PANE), an association of area residents who opposed further operation of the nuclear power plants at Three Mile Island and they also sued to enjoin the plants from reopening. Also the local residents in that area are afraid that if the plants reopen, their lives could be affected. Hence under such situations, it is not socially responsible for the federal government to permit the operation of nuclear power plants.