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Chairman of TMI Alert looks to the future while looking back at the past. |
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Chairman
of local nuclear watchdog group juggles a full slate of responsibilities
along with a possible look at a political future. By DEBRA MASSIC Reporting Spring
2004 |
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HARRISBURG, Pa. –
Everyday, central Pennsylvania residents can see the billowing clouds of
steam that rise from the Three Mile Island nuclear reactors. For many, they
are a symbol of a past accident and of possible future calamities. For one
native resident, it is a reminder of 25 years of professional and private
devotion to economic and environmental stability in the area. As the 25th
anniversary of the accident at TMI approaches, Eric Epste His home office is filled
with posters of nuclear power plants and shelves of books about Nazis,
Germans and the Holocaust. This only exposes a small part of Epstein’s
assiduous lifestyle. A lifestyle that enables him to educate, inform,
persuade, battle, and help to protect other people. He sits in his office
wearing jeans and sipping a Heineken, looking rather relaxed for a man with
so much going on at one time. As soon as he starts sharing “the verbal
diarrhea he
was blessed with”, the toughness that he says he adapted from
his grandfather and the fairness it takes to be a politician, soon become
evident. “TMI ended For twenty-five years,
Epstein has put his heart into legal battles against the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission and the PA Public Utility Commission. He’s not a
lawyer, but has a bachelor’s degree in political science as well as a
master’s degree in humanities. It wasn’t his original plan in life to
fight for the environment, but he made a commitment to stay in the area and
help after the TMI accident. His devotion has cost him some career
opportunities, and can be difficult
for some people to understand. “More young people are
more interested in TMI Alert was started two
years before the accident at TMI. Around 500 volunteers in the organization
monitor three nuclear power plants along the Among the lawsuits
Epstein has tackled was one against TMI’s plant operator, GPU
Energy Corp. They agreed to
settle out of court and he was given $1 million to install a
state-of-the-art monitoring system. It
also included the purchase of 100 hand-held monitors and the hiring of “It was David versus
Goliath,” Vice-Chairman of TMI Alert Bill Cologie said. “But Eric was
given the money and put in charge. It was a remarkable achievement.
Previously you had to rely on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to
monitor the plants. He raised everyone’s comfort level.” Outside of his role at
TMI Alert, Epstein is also president, vice president and a board member of
the Sustainable Energy Fund. The
fund provides financing for projects that promote renewable energy, advanced
clean energy technologies, and energy efficiency.
He is also coordinator of the EFMR Monitoring Network, a non-profit,
non-partisan group that monitors TMI Unit 1 and the Peach Bottom Atomic
Power Stations 2 and 3. Epstein is also a board
member of the Greater Middletown Economic Development Corporation. The
corporation has been trying to get Exelon and Pennsylvania Power and Light
to pay what they say is a fair share of real estate taxes.
He is also a board member
of the Alternative Fuels Council and President and Director of the Community
Environmental Legal Defense Fund. What’s left of his busy life is spent
actively involved in the United Jewish Committee as president of the
historic B’Nai Jacob Synagogue, and as co-author of the Dictionary of
the Holocaust: Biography, Geography, and Terminology and The
Holocaust Chronicle. “He’s an insatiable
worker with a great knowledge base,” said Arthur Morris, of Utility
Solutions Inc. and the Sustainable Energy Fund.
“He gets into an issue and doesn’t let go. We’ve bumped heads
on occasion because he takes on some pretty tough issues that are not
corporately-supported. Over time
though, people become respective of his work.” Epstein is now running
for senate as a democrat. He will be facing a tough crowd though. Besides
running against incumbent Jeffery Piccola, Republican candidates outnumber
Epstein seven-to-one and he also has electric companies unenthusiastic about
his campaign. His platform focuses on fusing economic interests with
environmental issues. “It won’t be us
versus them; jobs versus a clean environment,” Epstein said.
“This can be a reality with [Governor] Rendell’s budget.
Businesses should shoulder most of the costs by paying penalties for
polluting.” Epstein has a daughter
Gabriela, 10, and when he finds free time, they like to relax, read and play
video games together. He currently lives in “He wakes up at 5 a.m.
and stops working around 11 at night,” Bernie said. “He can easily
become engrossed in his work, but he is always willing to lend an ear.” This relationship is
making it easy for Bernie to help with Epstein’s campaign. Knowing his
idiosyncrasies, Bernie acts as his editor and general advisor. Together they
evaluate all scenarios. “He’s as prepared as
anyone can be,” Bernie said. “He is not a career politician, but he can
adapt to any political setting. He’s holy committed to working in the
public’s interest.” All stories in this magazine are the intellectual property of the individual authors. You may email comments about this story to: dlm352@psu.edu
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