The Three Mile Island Collection at the State Library of Pennsylvania
The Three Mile Island (TMI) Collection at the State Library of Pennsylvania contains federal and corporate documents, transcripts, maps, and other records pertaining to Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station near Harrisburg. Mixed-in and inventoried with the Three Mile Island Collection are similar records from the Peach Bottom Nuclear Generating Station in York County. The TMI collection contains reports, transcripts correspondence, surveys, maps, charts, and other records. These records were created and published primarily by two entities, being the energy utility companies controlling the nuclear facilities (for example, Metropolitan Edison or General Public Utilities), and the federal agencies responsible for oversight (being the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and earlier the United States Atomic Energy Commission). Selected topics from these documents include the accident at Three Mile Island nuclear station, analysis on the TMI accident and impacts on the environment and populace, reactions to the TMI accident, investigations and depositions into the TMI accident, administrative facility information, and nuclear energy and station safety. Material is dated from 1967 to 2009, and the bulk of the material is dated from 1975 to 1982.
Banner photo credit Owen Franken/Corbis via Getty Images
Three Mile Island Observation Center on the day of the accident - Photo credit: Associated Press State Police and security outside a shut-down TMI on the day of the accident - Photo Credit: Paul Vathis / AP
The Three Mile Island Collection at the State Library of Pennsylvania
The Three Mile Island (TMI) Collection at the State Library of Pennsylvania contains federal and corporate documents, transcripts, maps, and other records pertaining to Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station near Harrisburg. Mixed-in and inventoried with the Three Mile Island Collection are similar records from the Peach Bottom Nuclear Generating Station in York County. The TMI collection contains reports, transcripts correspondence, surveys, maps, charts, and other records. These records were created and published primarily by two entities, being the energy utility companies controlling the nuclear facilities (for example, Metropolitan Edison or General Public Utilities), and the federal agencies responsible for oversight (being the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and earlier the United States Atomic Energy Commission). Selected topics from these documents include the accident at Three Mile Island nuclear station, analysis on the TMI accident and impacts on the environment and populace, reactions to the TMI accident, investigations and depositions into the TMI accident, administrative facility information, and nuclear energy and station safety. Material is dated from 1967 to 2009, and the bulk of the material is dated from 1975 to 1982.
Banner photo credit Owen Franken/Corbis via Getty Images
Three Mile Island Observation Center on the day of the accident - Photo credit: Associated Press State Police and security outside a shut-down TMI on the day of the accident - Photo Credit: Paul Vathis / AP
A Brief History of Three Mile Island
The Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station was a nuclear energy power station in Middletown, PA, close to the state capital of Harrisburg. Also known simply by the initials TMI, the nuclear station was comprised of the two units TMI-1 and TMI-2, commissioned for use in 1974 and 1978 (respectively). The nuclear station was notable for a serious nuclear accident on March 28, 1979. Equipment failures, design flaws, and operator mistakes resulted in loss of coolant and reactor core meltdown in Unit 2. The accident resulted in extensive studies and commissions by government agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Department of Health, the Department of Energy, etc. Although there was no detectable contamination of radiation into the surrounding area and thus no harm ultimately befell the general populace or environment, public fear of nuclear energy spread due to the accident, which in turn resulted in widespread reforms in nuclear station equipment, procedures, etc. that increased the safety of nuclear power. TMI-2 was never recommissioned after the accident, and TMI-1 was decommissioned in 2019.
Anti-nuclear protestors outside the Pennsylvania State Capitol on April 8, 1979
Photo Credit: Paul Vathis / AP
A Brief History of Three Mile Island
The Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station was a nuclear energy power station in Middletown, PA, close to the state capital of Harrisburg. Also known simply by the initials TMI, the nuclear station was comprised of the two units TMI-1 and TMI-2, commissioned for use in 1974 and 1978 (respectively). The nuclear station was notable for a serious nuclear accident on March 28, 1979. Equipment failures, design flaws, and operator mistakes resulted in loss of coolant and reactor core meltdown in Unit 2. The accident resulted in extensive studies and commissions by government agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Department of Health, the Department of Energy, etc. Although there was no detectable contamination of radiation into the surrounding area and thus no harm ultimately befell the general populace or environment, public fear of nuclear energy spread due to the accident, which in turn resulted in widespread reforms in nuclear station equipment, procedures, etc. that increased the safety of nuclear power. TMI-2 was never recommissioned after the accident, and TMI-1 was decommissioned in 2019.
Anti-nuclear protestors outside the Pennsylvania State Capitol on April 8, 1979
Photo Credit: Paul Vathis / AP
The records pertaining to Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station, including the nuclear accident, have been inventoried, including the folder and volume titles, creators, date ranges, and series assignments. Click the button below to download a PDF file of the Three Mile Island inventory. Note that further federal documents that may contain relevant content were not inventoried and may be held by the State Library of Pennsylvania or may be available online from the issuing federal agency.
A Brief History of the Peach Bottom Station
The Peach Bottom Nuclear Generating Station is a nuclear power plant in Peach Bottom Township of York County, PA. The Philadelphia Electric Company, now known as PECO as part of the Exelon Corporation, serves south-east Pennsylvania, and ordered and commissioned the plant starting in 1967. The operational units remaining are operated by Constellation Energy Generation, also formerly part of Exelon Corporation, and are scheduled to be decommissioned in 2033. For more information on the Peach Bottom station as it currently stands, visit the webpages for the Peach Bottom station from the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Constellation Energy Corporation.
Worker at station in nuclear plant, 1979
Photo Credit: PennLive
A Brief History of the Peach Bottom Station
The Peach Bottom Nuclear Generating Station is a nuclear power plant in Peach Bottom Township of York County, PA. The Philadelphia Electric Company, now known as PECO as part of the Exelon Corporation, serves south-east Pennsylvania, and ordered and commissioned the plant starting in 1967. The operational units remaining are operated by Constellation Energy Generation, also formerly part of Exelon Corporation, and are scheduled to be decommissioned in 2033. For more information on the Peach Bottom station as it currently stands, visit the webpages for the Peach Bottom station from the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Constellation Energy Corporation.
Worker at station in nuclear plant, 1979
Photo Credit: PennLive
The records pertaining to Peach Bottom Nuclear Generating Station have been inventoried, including the folder and volume titles, creators, date ranges, and series assignments. Click the button below to download a PDF file of the Peach Bottom inventory. Note that further federal documents that may contain relevant content were not inventoried and may be held by the State Library of Pennsylvania or may be available online from the issuing federal agency.
Federal Commissions and the Nuclear Stations
The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) was created as an independent agency by Congress through the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974. The NRC replaced the United States Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), an all-encompassing agency created in 1946 by the Atomic Energy Act of 1946 charged with keeping watch on nuclear energy regulation and promotion. The AEC was abolished after concerns over regulatory inefficiency. The new NRC focused solely on nuclear regulation to ensure the safe use of radioactive materials for beneficial civilian purposes while protecting people and the environment. The accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear station directed the focus of the NRC further towards operator training and removing human error in plant performance to reduce severe accidents, as well as emergency planning and operating history. The NRC continues to regulate commercial nuclear power plants and other uses of nuclear materials through licensing, inspection, and enforcement of its requirements. To learn more about the NRC, visit their website.
In the TMI Collection materials at the State Library of Pennsylvania, the NRC is the most prolific creator and publisher of records. As the primary agency for regulatory oversight of nuclear power, the NRC created a significant number of reports, correspondence, transcripts, etc. following the March 1979 accident to document findings, promote transparency in investigation, and formulate new rulings and regulations to prevent accidents of such a magnitude in the future. The NRC was also responsible for collating miscellaneous research pieces and third-party reports used to inform their proposals, which are also held by the State Library.
Workers inside TMI post-accident - Photo Credit: Pennlive The compromised TMI-2 unit in August 1980 - Photo Credit: Associated Press
The President’s Commission on the Accident at Three Mile Island was created in April 1979, following the nuclear accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear power station in Pennsylvania. Also known as the Kemeny Commission after its chairperson, President of Dartmouth College John Kemeny, the commission sought to understand what technical failures caused the accident, roles of the managing utility at the station, the preparedness of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to deal with emergencies, and the dissemination of information to the public following the accident. The final report proposed recommendations based on their findings, which combined with the findings of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, paved the way for regulatory reform in the nuclear energy sector.
In the TMI Collection materials at the State Library of Pennsylvania, the Kemeny Commission produced a large number of depositions, exhibits, transcripts, and reports that similarly investigated the TMI accident on behalf of the United States executive. The Kemeny Commission brought in dozens of individuals to conduct depositions and interviews to gather information in the year following the accident, which also produced a number of records on these personnel. To see the final report of the Kemeny Commission, see "Additional Resources" below.
Source: Elliot, John F. The Kemeny Report on the Accident at Three Mile Island. Ecology Law Quarterly 8.4. March 1980. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/5082863.
Federal Commissions and the Nuclear Stations
The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) was created as an independent agency by Congress through the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974. The NRC replaced the United States Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), an all-encompassing agency created in 1946 by the Atomic Energy Act of 1946 charged with keeping watch on nuclear energy regulation and promotion. The AEC was abolished after concerns over regulatory inefficiency. The new NRC focused solely on nuclear regulation to ensure the safe use of radioactive materials for beneficial civilian purposes while protecting people and the environment. The accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear station directed the focus of the NRC further towards operator training and removing human error in plant performance to reduce severe accidents, as well as emergency planning and operating history. The NRC continues to regulate commercial nuclear power plants and other uses of nuclear materials through licensing, inspection, and enforcement of its requirements. To learn more about the NRC, visit their website.
In the TMI Collection materials at the State Library of Pennsylvania, the NRC is the most prolific creator and publisher of records. As the primary agency for regulatory oversight of nuclear power, the NRC created a significant number of reports, correspondence, transcripts, etc. following the March 1979 accident to document findings, promote transparency in investigation, and formulate new rulings and regulations to prevent accidents of such a magnitude in the future. The NRC was also responsible for collating miscellaneous research pieces and third-party reports used to inform their proposals, which are also held by the State Library.
Workers inside TMI post-accident - Photo Credit: Pennlive The compromised TMI-2 unit in August 1980 - Photo Credit: Associated Press
The President’s Commission on the Accident at Three Mile Island was created in April 1979, following the nuclear accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear power station in Pennsylvania. Also known as the Kemeny Commission after its chairperson, President of Dartmouth College John Kemeny, the commission sought to understand what technical failures caused the accident, roles of the managing utility at the station, the preparedness of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to deal with emergencies, and the dissemination of information to the public following the accident. The final report proposed recommendations based on their findings, which combined with the findings of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, paved the way for regulatory reform in the nuclear energy sector.
In the TMI Collection materials at the State Library of Pennsylvania, the Kemeny Commission produced a large number of depositions, exhibits, transcripts, and reports that similarly investigated the TMI accident on behalf of the United States executive. The Kemeny Commission brought in dozens of individuals to conduct depositions and interviews to gather information in the year following the accident, which also produced a number of records on these personnel. To see the final report of the Kemeny Commission, see "Additional Resources" below.
Source: Elliot, John F. The Kemeny Report on the Accident at Three Mile Island. Ecology Law Quarterly 8.4. March 1980. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/5082863.
Additional Resources
The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission website, among other research resources, has a fact sheet page called the Backgrounder on the Three Mile Island Accident that provides a summary of events, impacts, and relevant federal documents. For more federal documents from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, visit the ADAMS Public Documents Portal to view millions of published materials. The Research Library at the Idaho National Laboratory has also published a number of federal documents pertaining to Three Mile Island.
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The final report of the Kemmeny Commission is freely available online via Hathitrust by clicking the title: The Need for Change: The Legacy of TMI. Report of the President’s Commission on the Accident at Three Mile Island.
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The following selected federal documents of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission pertaining to the Three Mile Island Accident are held by the State Library of Pennsylvania, but were not digitized due to being freely available online. Click on each title to read some of the most interesting reports produced as a result of the Three Mile Island Accident:
TMI-2 Lessons Learned Task Force Final Report (NUREG-0585)
The Public Whole Body Counting Program Following the Three Mile Island Accident (NUREG-0636)
Three Mile Island: A Report to the Commissioners and to the Public, Vol. I (NUREG/CR-1250)
Three Mile Island: A Report to the Commissioners and to the Public, Vol. II Pt. I (NUREG/CR-1250)
Three Mile Island: A Report to the Commissioners and to the Public, Vol. II Pt. II (NUREG/CR-1250)
Three Mile Island: A Report to the Commissioners and to the Public, Vol. II Pt. III (NUREG/CR-1250)
Additional Resources
The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission website, among other research resources, has a fact sheet page called the Backgrounder on the Three Mile Island Accident that provides a summary of events, impacts, and relevant federal documents. For more federal documents from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, visit the ADAMS Public Documents Portal to view millions of published materials. The Research Library at the Idaho National Laboratory has also published a number of federal documents pertaining to Three Mile Island.
♦ ♦ ♦
The final report of the Kemmeny Commission is freely available online via Hathitrust by clicking the title: The Need for Change: The Legacy of TMI. Report of the President’s Commission on the Accident at Three Mile Island.
♦ ♦ ♦
The following selected federal documents of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission pertaining to the Three Mile Island Accident are held by the State Library of Pennsylvania, but were not digitized due to being freely available online. Click on each title to read some of the most interesting reports produced as a result of the Three Mile Island Accident:
TMI-2 Lessons Learned Task Force Final Report (NUREG-0585)
The Public Whole Body Counting Program Following the Three Mile Island Accident (NUREG-0636)
Three Mile Island: A Report to the Commissioners and to the Public, Vol. I (NUREG/CR-1250)
Three Mile Island: A Report to the Commissioners and to the Public, Vol. II Pt. I (NUREG/CR-1250)
Three Mile Island: A Report to the Commissioners and to the Public, Vol. II Pt. II (NUREG/CR-1250)
Three Mile Island: A Report to the Commissioners and to the Public, Vol. II Pt. III (NUREG/CR-1250)