Nuclear Power's Future This past Monday marked the 32nd
anniversary of the accident at Three Mile Island. As Japan deals
with its own nuclear crisis, the anniversary seems more apt than
usual. On March 28, 1979, a partial nuclear meltdown occurred at
the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station in Dauphin
County, Pennsylvania. The mishap still remains the most
significant accident in the history of the U.S. commercial
nuclear power generating industry. The accident at TMI was
created because of a combination of mechanical failure and human
error. At the time nuclear power was a newly growing industry,
lacking key regulation and the proper plans to deal with such a
catastrophe. Following the accident, safeguards were put in
place and America saw a decline in nuclear reactor construction.
The priority was made to make sure an incident on this scale
could be prevented, and mechanisms were put in place to be
prepared if the worst-case scenario should occur. But as Japan
still grapples with its nuclear issues,