Mehaffie Issues Statement on Closure of TMI

May 8, 2019

House Bill 11 author frustrated by lack of legislative action
HARRISBURG— Rep. Tom Mehaffie (R-Dauphin), author of House Bill 11, released the following statement after Exelon Generation announced today that Three Mile Island Generating Station Unit 1 (TMI) will shut down by Sept. 30, 2019.

“Today I received the worst news I’ve received since taking office as the state representative for the 106th District in January 2017. It is news I hoped we could prevent, but in reality, it was the possibility of it happening that has driven me so hard over the last few years.

“As they have been all along, my thoughts are with the men and women who work at Three Mile Island and their families who received this devastating news today. Many of these people are not only my constituents; they are my friends, and my heart hurts for what they are going through.

“Furthermore, my thoughts are with the communities surrounding Three Mile Island. I’m saddened to think of the challenges that are ahead for Londonderry Township, Middletown, the Lower Dauphin School District and the entire region.

“It is also a punch in the stomach for the men and women of the building trades who will never again work to refuel Three Mile Island. As a union electrician, my dad helped build Three Mile Island and it pains me that the product of his work will now sit idle.

“Perhaps most frustrating are my feelings about the inaction of the body I serve in, the state Legislature. I didn’t run for this office so I could name bridges and attend ribbon-cuttings; I ran to make a real impact on the lives of my constituents. I did believe, and still do, that House Bill 11 has the ability to do that. Unfortunately, some of my colleagues in the Legislature ran out the clock, and the loss of 675 family-sustaining jobs in Dauphin County is on them.

“I hope the conversation continues in the Legislature about the future of Pennsylvania’s nuclear industry. We still have eight reactors in this state supplying a large piece of our state’s electricity production. Time may have run out for Three Mile Island, but the fight is not over for the rest of our nuclear fleet.”

Representative Thomas Mehaffie
106th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Abbey Haslam
717.260.6222
ahaslam@pahousegop.com
RepMehaffie.com / Facebook.com/RepMehaffie