MIDDLETOWN, Pa. — The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) hosted its second public forum on Wednesday for community members to voice their concerns about the Crane Clean Energy Center's potential restart of Reactor 1. 

The virtual meeting, designed to allow broader public participation, drew 150 voices from afar as Michigan, North Carolina, and Washington, D.C., and touched on topics ranging from nuclear safety and environmental impact to national energy needs. 

But for many, the date of the meeting itself struck a nerve—August 6th marked the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. One attendee called the timing “insensitive,” ending her remarks in silence in honor of the victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The planned restart of the unit, shut down since 2019, has reignited long-standing public concerns about Three Mile Island, which many still associate with the 1979 partial nuclear meltdown at Unit 2.

“Obviously, there was a terrible accident in 1979,” Michael Ford with the Pennsylvania Building Trades acknowledged. “But I believe the industry has made leaps and bounds in every way to make sure that doesn't happen again.”

The NRC said it currently has two licensing applications under review to begin bringing the plant back online and expects more by the end of the year. Officials indicated the full suite of licensing actions needed to restart the plant would be released together instead of individually and may not be completed until late fall.

If the restart is approved, the NRC plans to ramp up inspections, with the first report anticipated in late 2025.

Still, many remain skeptical, especially when it comes to the plant’s environmental impact and cooling water needs.

“At Three Mile Island, there’s already 700 metric tons of radioactive nuclear waste on the site—forever, or until there is a national repository,” Jaquelyn Drechsler, a Berks County resident, warned. Drechsler added that restarting Unit 1 would create additional waste that would need to be securely stored.

Environmental advocates raised concerns about the facility’s dependence on the Susquehanna River, noting the massive volume of water needed for cooling.

“We set strict limits for the water levels,” Scott Burnell, a spokesperson for the NRC, stated. “If the Susquehanna were to drop below a certain point, the plant would not be able to operate.

Others emphasized nuclear power’s environmental benefits.

“Using nuclear power is far cleaner than natural gas, oil, or coal,” a participant noted. “You actually get more radiation exposure living near a coal plant.”

Beyond the environmental and energy debates, some speakers noted the economic opportunity the restart could bring to Central Pennsylvania.

“The revitalization of this facility will bring hundreds of skilled, family-sustaining jobs back,” said Matteo Wearden, a recent high school graduate pursuing a career in nuclear energy. “It will stimulate local economies, support union labor, and maintain a vital knowledge base in nuclear operations.”

But for those still haunted by the more than four-decade-old accident at Three Mile Island—the scars remain deep.

“The meltdown will never be erased from the public’s mind,” one resident said. “No matter what name you replace it with."

The NRC says it will continue to evaluate licensing requests and collect public input as the process moves forward.

The NRC previously held its first public meeting regarding the Crane Clean Energy Center, the rebranded name for what was once Three Mile Island Unit One on July . The reactor was permanently shut down in 2019, but its current owner, Constellation Energy, has begun exploring what it would take to bring the plant back online.

That effort is still in its early stages, but federal officials made clear it won’t move forward without substantial oversight and transparency.

“We expect to be performing up to 7,500 hours of inspections at the site,” said Ray McKinley, co-chair of the NRC’s Crane Restart Panel. “Our inspectors will be out there periodically through the course of the restart effort to ensure that systems are restored to service.”

According to the NRC, those inspections will focus on four critical areas:

• Reactor Safety

• Emergency Preparedness

• Radiation Safety

• Plant Security

NRC representatives also emphasized the importance of keeping the public informed throughout the process.

“Safety is our number one priority,” said Jamie Pelton, also a co-chair of the Crane Restart Panel. “Transparent communication with the public is part of that goal to ensure that people in the area understand what we’re doing.”

The restart proposal has sparked a mix of reactions from the community.

Supporters at Thursday’s meeting pointed to the potential economic benefits of reopening the plant, including a boost in long-term employment.

“You’re talking between 600 and 700 full-time jobs with Constellation at the plant,” said Joe Gusler, an apprentice outreach coordinator with the Pennsylvania Building Trades. “These are full-time jobs with retirement and healthcare.”

Others raised environmental and security concerns, including the long-term impact of nuclear waste and releases into the Susquehanna River.

“You can’t live with the nuclear waste forever, so we'd better stop making it,” said Scott Portzline, a Susquehanna Township resident and member of TMI Alert, a community watch group. 

NRC officials responded by emphasizing that no restart can occur unless all environmental, safety and legal requirements are met. The agency says safeguards are built into every phase of the process to ensure public and ecological safety.

If successful, Crane Clean Energy Center would become only the second nuclear plant in the U.S. to restart operations after a permanent closure. The first was the Palisades Nuclear Plant in Michigan, which was granted federal approval to restart just last week.

But, officials say the path forward for Crane could take longer.

“Crane was further along in their decommissioning efforts, so it’s going to take a little bit longer for them to re-establish operating conditions,” McKinley noted. “They have some components they need to replace.”

Constellation is still in the process of submitting license applications and other required documents. Complicating matters is the ongoing decommissioning of Reactor Two — the site of the 1979 nuclear accident — which requires its own set of monitoring and coordination as work on Reactor One moves forward.

The NRC plans to continue hosting meetings to gather community input and provide updates on the review process. The next meeting will be held virtually on Aug. 6. 

Officials say the timeline for a full restart remains fluid and will depend on the complexity of inspections, necessary upgrades and regulatory approvals.