According to Frank N. von Hippel , despite the 1979 Three Mile Island accident in Pennsylvania , the Nuclear Regulatory Commission ( NRC ) has often been too timid in ensuring that America 's 104 commercial reactors are operated safely : Nuclear power is a textbook example of the problem of " regulatory capture " — in which an industry gains control of an agency meant to regulate it . Regulatory capture can be countered only by vigorous public scrutiny and Congressional oversight , but in the 32 years since Three Mile Island , interest in nuclear regulation has declined precipitously . Then-candidate Barack Obama said in 2007 that the five-member NRC had become " captive of the industries that it regulates " and Joe Biden indicated he had absolutely no confidence in the agency
Three Mile Island accident
Three Mile Island accident
Regulatory capture