The Three Mile Island accident was a meltdown at a nuclear power plant in Middletown, Pennsylvania. It occurred on March 28, 1979. Officially, it caused no deaths. But unofficial investigations and lawsuits claimed there were above-average rates of cancer and birth defects in the surrounding area.
The accident halted the development of the U.S. nuclear power industry for 30 years. During that time, no new nuclear power plants were approved. Several that were under construction at the time of the accident were completed.
As a result, the United States lost its competitive edge in nuclear engineering ability. It also relied more heavily on coal and natural gas to power electric generation. That added a lot of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere than nuclear energy would have.
