Three Mile Island has been a cornerstone of my life since childhood. As a proud member of IBEW 143, my father provided for our family through the wages he earned at TMI. Thanks to his job, we never had to worry about making ends meet. He was able to retire with dignity, supported by a pension and benefits that ensured our family’s well-being.

As I grew older and became a business owner in the community, I came to know many others whose livelihoods depended on TMI. Later, as a State Representative, I had the privilege of advocating for the plant, its workers, the unions, and the surrounding community in the State Legislature.

When the plant closed in 2019, we did everything possible to keep it open. We understood the profound impact its closure would have — on our community, on the workers, and on our environment. We fought tirelessly to prevent it, knowing that if the plant shut down, restarting it would be a monumental challenge. When the iconic cooling towers fell silent, it felt like the end of an era for everyone in south-central Pennsylvania.

But now, five years later, the unthinkable is happening—the plant is coming back to life. The day the towers went quiet was the hardest in my eight years in the Legislature but learning about the reopening of TMI as the Crane Clean Energy Center (CCEC) has been one of the best days yet.

As a legislator, my constituents frequently tell me we need to do more to support local businesses, create middle-class jobs, strengthen our first responders, and fund our schools without burdening homeowners with higher property taxes. The reopening of TMI Unit 1 as the CCEC addresses all these needs.

For too long, central PA has faced the challenge of watching our children grow up, pursue education, and move away in search of better job opportunities. With the reopening of TMI, we now have the chance to offer our children the future they deserve—right here at home. The jobs created by the CCEC will be family-sustaining, middle-class positions that will support thousands of people in our community, just as they did for my family.

The journey to this moment has not been easy. For decades, TMI has been unfairly demonized through misinformation. When talk of closure began, some voices were quick to spread fear rather than facts. But the truth is that Unit 1 at TMI has one of the best safety records of any power generation facility in the country.

Nuclear has been and continues to be the safest method of generating baseload reliable power without any carbon emissions. And it does all of that while creating jobs, contributing to our community, and sustaining families throughout our region.

The news of the re-opening has certainly made me optimistic about our region’s future, and I can’t wait for the day a few years from now when I can watch the steam start coming out of those towers again.

Rep. Tom Mehaffie was elected to serve citizens of Pennsylvania’s 106th Legislative District in 2016.