Every discussion of the film "China Syndrome" and its eerie timing relative to the Three Mile Island accident always feels compelled to point out that there were no radioactive releases and no injuries. This is certainly the truth.

I lived in Pittsburgh during the TMI accident, and I had an extensive background in nuclear engineering and experience working for the PR branch of that industry, and I must confess that I kept a very close watch on the news and the weather reports during that incident, even though I lived about two humdred miles away from the accident scene. I kept my gas tank topped up the whole time, too, and a suitcase of clothes in the trunk of my car. I knew that although the accident was unlikely to degenerate into a total catastrophic meltdown, it could not be ruled out. I knew that because I had been taught that by the industry itself. Armageddon was unlkely, but it was by no means impossible.

I watched the film when it came out, and I realized it was technically accurate, although obviously partisan. But in the few weeks between the film and the accident I also had the opportunity to watch the nuclear industry PR machine I was so familiar with swing into action. I heard their sarcastic and dismissive, know-it-all pronouncements and their highly detailed and documented explanations why it couldn't happen here. I noted carefully the systematic discrediting of the film and the squeals of outrage, the self-righteous indignation of the justly persecuted. They sounded so reasonable and scientific and level headed, so fair and even-handed. So adult, so authoritative. The message was clear: "Jane doesn't know what she's talking about." I knew better.

The smugfest went silent immediately after the accident, not even damage control issued forth from the industry spinmeisters. Pennsylvania suddenly realized the industry itself didn't know how this was going to turn out. They didn't know what to do. And they were terrified.

The funny thing was that in the movie the cause of the accident was criminal action: crooked contractors, substandard constuction and poor quality control had left the plant vulnerable to disaster. In reality, TMI was a perfectly constructed plant manned by a competent (and it turns out, heroic) staff. The accident was a result of an unanticipated and synergistic string of minor compounded human and mechanical errors caused by a system that was simply too complex for it's own good. After the post mortem, it was clear what happened. But of course, every accident is easily preventable, once you experience it for the first time.

I believe in nuclear power, and I believe it can be made to work, economically and safely. More important, I believe it has to work or there will be severe economic dislocations in this century. I am convinced that there are no alternatives to a vigorous nuclear power program, and every year we delay in implementing one the future looks bleaker. Barring some unforseeable breakthrough, say in fusion, there are simply no other way. But I am just as convinced of something else. We simply cannot trust the industry with this technology. An enormous conflict of interest is at the heart of this dilemma. They lied, and they will lie again unless we can devise a regulatory mechanism separate from and adversarial to the one we assemble for promoting the technology. Neither Pennsylvania nor I will ever trust those bastards again.