Anti-nuke activist opposes changing TMI's name, calling it 'cultural vandalism'

https://www.ydr.com/story/news/local/2025/04/24/anti-nuke-activist-three-mile-island-name-change-is-cultural-vandalism/83213095007/

Anti-nuke activist opposes changing TMI's name, calling it 'cultural vandalism'

Mike Argento York Daily Record

Three Mile Island is shown Nov. 22, 2016.png

Three Mile Island's undamaged Unit 1 reactor, formerly slated for decommissioning, has been renamed the Crane Clean Energy Center.
The renaming honors Christopher Crane, former CEO of Constellation's parent company, Exelon, a prominent figure in the nuclear industry.
Constellation defends the decision, citing Crane's contributions to nuclear safety and his role in the industry's recovery after the 1979 Three Mile Island accident.

It marked a re-branding of TMI, associated with what’s considered the nation’s worst commercial nuclear disaster when the plant’s Unit 2 reactor melted down in March 1979.

Eric Epstein sees it differently.

“This is an act of cultural vandalism,” Epstein wrote in a petition to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission opposing the name change. “You can’t rebrand a nuclear disaster. What’s next? Renaming the ‘Titanic’ the ‘Love Boat’ or changing the ‘Gettysburg National Park’ to ‘The Pickett Center for Military Excellence?’”

In the petition, filed last week, Epstein wrote, “Christopher Crane has no connection to Three Mile Island.”

He also wrote that Crane, who served as CEO of Constellation’s parent company, Exelon, from 2012 to 2022, “presided over a nuclear scandal in Illinois in which his company was fined $200 million.”

Previously: Owner of Three Mile Island says deal with Microsoft would 'pave the way' for restart.

“Changing the name? Really?”

Epstein said, "The reality is you can't change history. Three Mile Island is Three Mile Island."

In a statement, Constellation reiterated Crane's advocacy for the nation's commercial nuclear industry and "the environmental and economic benefits it delivered for our nation" and that "he was instrumental in both shaping the industry and rebuilding public support for nuclear energy by helping build the Institute for Nuclear Power Operations (INPO) following the TMI Unit 2 accident in 1979 to promote the highest levels of safety and reliability at America’s nuclear power plants. In the decades that followed, America’s nuclear plants have seen steady improvements in safe and reliable operations."

The statement continued, "TMI Unit 1 was the highest-rated plant in the country for safety and reliability when it closed for economic reasons in 2019, and retiring it was one of the most difficult decisions Chris had to make as CEO. What happened on Three Mile Island in 1979 should never be forgotten, but what happened since has made us smarter, safer and stronger as a nation. Chris Crane’s legacy is a constant reminder of that."

TMI's Unit 1 was shut down for refueling when the accident at the plant's Unit 2 reactor occurred on March 28, 1979. Unit 1 was restarted in 1985, but was closed in September 2019 because it was no longer economically viable. Constellation announced last year that it would restart Unit 1 after reaching the deal with Microsoft. The project is expected to take four years and cost $1.6 billion, relying on federal tax breaks to offset the cost. The damaged Unit 2 reactor is under separate ownership.

Columnist/reporter Mike Argento has been a York Daily Record staffer since 1982. Reach him at mike@ydr.com.

Submitted by admin on Fri, 05/16/2025 - 13:14

Search our site

logo.png

Anti-nuke activist opposes changing TMI's name, calling it 'cultural vandalism'