Three Mile Island anniversary and the future of nuclear power

On the 40th anniversary of the Three Mile Island nuclear accident, we look back at the disaster and discuss the effect it had on the nuclear power industry then and now.

Listen 49:44
In this May 22, 2017 file photo shown is the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Middletown, Pa.. (Matt Rourke/AP Photo)

In this May 22, 2017 file photo shown is the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Middletown, Pa.. (Matt Rourke/AP Photo)

Guests: Tom Ferrick, Edwin Lyman, Joshua Goldstein

On the 40th anniversary of the Three Mile Island nuclear accident, we look back at the disaster and discuss the effect it had on the nuclear power industry then and now.  We start off with TOM FERRICK, who was part of the Pulitzer Prize-winning team who covered the accident for the Philadelphia Inquirer. Then we discuss whether, with the growing threat of climate change, we should be relying more on nuclear energy or if safety concerns override the carbon-free benefits. We’re joined by EDWIN LYMAN, senior scientist with the Global Security Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists, and JOSHUA GOLDSTEIN, author of A Bright Future: How Some Countries Have Solved Climate Change and the Rest Can Follow.

WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today.

Want a digest of WHYY’s programs, events & stories? Sign up for our weekly newsletter.

Together we can reach 100% of WHYY’s fiscal year goal