HARRISBURG – A bipartisan group of lawmakers are relaunching the PA Nuclear Energy Caucus saying nuclear energy has powered PA’s homes and businesses for decades with reliable, carbon-free electricity. Republican lawmakers, Rep. Tom Mehaffie and Sen. Lynda Schlegel Culver, joined with Democrats, Sen. John Kane and Rep. Rob Matzie, in making the announcement. They relaunched the bipartisan, bicameral caucus to ensure this clean energy contributes power for generations to come. PA is the birthplace of the nuclear power industry with the first commercial nuclear power plant beginning in 1957. PA’s eight nuclear reactors today produce one-third of all electricity generated in the state. America’s nuclear power plants faced significant economic challenges in the 2010s, which led to the closure of many nuclear plants across the country, including Three Mile Island near Harrisburg in 2019. A Joint State Government Commission report on nuclear energy found the closure resulted in an 8% reduction in PA’s nuclear energy output and hundreds of lost jobs.
