This letter is in response to the Jan. 24 guest column in the Press & Journal titled “Closing Three Mile Island would hurt education, communities” by Steelton-Highspire School District board member Mary Carricato.

If Three Mile Island closes next year, there will be negative local impacts, but a taxpayer-funded bailout isn’t the answer. Corporate welfare schemes like this ruin market competition and stifle innovation, which ends up hurting the economy and costing more jobs down the road. 

Instead of picking winners and losers in the energy market and forcing Pennsylvania families to pay more to bailout a private company, lawmakers should enact policies that increase competition to “maintain a diverse mix of fuel types” and lower energy prices. 

For its part TMI should be a willing market participant and sell its power at a competitive rate. The organization responsible for managing the grid doesn’t deem it necessary to pay a premium for power generated by TMI, so why should Pennsylvanians pay more? 

Taking money from hardworking taxpayers and handing it over to well-connected businesses isn’t the way to grow strong communities or boost local economies.   

Beth Anne Mumford

State director, Americans for Prosperity-Pennsylvania