Document Text |
Summary |
| MS. STUCHINSKI: (…) | |
| I hadn’t planned to make a statement, but after listening I felt that I had to react. I will tell you that I’m one of the people who hadn’t become involved with TMI Alert until the past year or so. I was someone who after the accident felt a government agency will be looking into this. | I have to say something even though I hadn’t planned to. I trusted the government to look into the disaster at Three Mile Island. |
| I think I’m one of the people in this area who probably felt some measure of confidence. We were raised that way, to feel that confidence is in the government and in government agencies. | I always had confidence in the government to protect us. |
| As more and more news appeared in the papers and on TV and on the radio, so many conflicting problems, so many questions of management’s integrity, so many questions about being able to safely operate the plant, about faulty steam tube repairs, about reported false statements — when the criminal indictments were brought against GPU it just became overwhelmingly incredible that that could happen. | As more evidence came out, it raised a lot of questions for me. |
| I was one of those people then who felt I can’t just sit and listen to the news anymore. I don’t know if my own activity will make much of a difference but I felt that I had to do something to learn more and to become more involved. | I just had to do something and get involved. |
| From talking to people, friends and people I [am] meeting in the community, I found, though, that there is a sense, as other people have mentioned, of distrust. They say what will it matter. Sure I will be glad to do something but it won’t make a difference. My say just won’t mean nothing to everyone else. | I learned that many people in the community do not trust the government. They don’t think anyone will listen to them. |
| One of the problems I have, also, is I’m a teacher. That’s not a problem, but one of the problems is in teaching about government to my children I found a real sour taste in my mouth in being able to assure them — and they are just little ones — we are talking about government accountability and government representing the people. I find I can hardly do it after all the experiences that I’ve heard and read and everything that I’ve seen and thought about. And that’s become real hard for me. | I am a teacher. How can I teach children that the government will protect them? |
| It’s frightening. I talk to people who are frightened to plan their lives, women who are frightened to have children. People are uncertain. There is just such a feeling it’s gone on for so long. People are frustrated and there’s a feeling of helplessness and almost hopelessness. | People are scared to live and raise families in this area. They don’t think anything will be done to make this area safe. |
| I’m kind of running down right now, but I was having some very strong reactions listening and thought that I would like to come up and say something. | I strongly felt I had to stand up and say something in this hearing. |
Transcript of 840716 limited appearance session in Middletown, PA
USA Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Transcript of 840716 limited appearance session in Middletown, PA, July 16, 1984. Tayloe Associates, Court Reporters for United States of America Nuclear Regulatory Committee.
Background
The first nuclear power plant in the United States opened in 1958. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, several dozen new plants started construction. On March 28, 1979, a pressure valve inside one of the reactors at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania malfunctioned, causing radiation to escape. The leak was discovered two days later, and 100,000 residents of neighboring towns were advised by the governor to leave the area. The exposure to radiation did not immediately kill or injure anyone, but local residents eventually reported long-term effects, including higher levels of cancer within the community. The incident quickly lowered Americans’ trust in the safety of nuclear power plants, and many new plants ceased development. There are currently 55 active commercial nuclear power plants in the United States.
About the Document
Antinuclear activists have been raising the alarm about the dangers of nuclear energy to humans and the environment since the 1960s. In 1977, a group of residents of the Three Mile Island area formed the action group Three Mile Island Alert. Following the accident two years later, the organization attracted many new members, primarily women who were worried about the effects of radiation on children.
Vera Stuchinski joined TMI Alert after the accident at Three Mile Island in 1979. She spoke at a hearing of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, an independent agency established by Congress in 1974 to oversee the safe use of radioactive materials. In this hearing on July 16, 1984, they heard arguments about the removal of reactor parts that were damaged in the accident. TMI Alert was concerned this would release more radiation, but the operation was carried out safely later that month.
Vocabulary
- GPU: A public utility company that managed the power plant at Three Mile Island.
- pressure valve: A device that controls flow of air or liquid in a pipe or tube.
- radiation: The transfer of energy through waves or particles. Large amounts of radiation can cause illness and death.
- reactor: A machine that produces nuclear energy.
Discussion Questions
- What arguments does Vera Stuchinski make against the use of nuclear energy?
- How has the Three Mile Island accident affected Vera Stuchinski?
- How did her job as a teacher affect Vera Stuchinski’s activism? Why did she focus on mothers and children?
- Based on this testimony, how has the Three Mile Island accident affected the surrounding community?
Suggested Activities
- Pair this resource with materials from Latina environmental activists. How did both groups stand up for environmental safety in their communities? Why do you think both groups centered their activism around motherhood?
- Teach this resource alongside the life story of Yuri Kochiyama, who also was an antinuclear activist. How did the life experiences of both of these women lead them to become active in the antinuclear movement?
- For a larger lesson on women and activism during this time period, teach this resource alongside photographs of anti-LGBTQ+ activism, materials by Latina environmental activists, Take Back the Night, a famous photograph of a disability rights activist, and the life stories of Byllye Avery, Patricia Locke, and Yuri Kochiyama.
- For a broader lesson about the experiences of major historical events on women during this period, combine this resource with photographs of the Teacher in Space program, images of female hostages, the famous photograph of a young disability rights activist, Maxine Waters speaking on the Rodney King verdict, a collage by a 9/11 survivor, and the life stories of Maria Connie Villescas and Rachel Scott and Cassie Bernal.
Themes
ACTIVISM AND SOCIAL CHANGE; SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND MEDICINE
