Indeed, although it needs to be pointed out that in theory, it's very possible 1st generation fusion reactors will be economically unviable, since the neutrons they produce will steadily transmute them, that is, turn their atoms into different and generally radioactive elements, decaying and then destroying their ability to function, leaving piles of radioactive junk.
The interest in Helium-3 is due to the fact that it can be anutronically fused (although I've read there's doubts about being able to effectively extract energy from such a reactor). So Helium-3, and strip mining the moon!!! has been thought about for a long time.
Heck, it's part of the background for one of the major anime franchises that started in 1979, Mobile Suit Gundam. In that, through magic physics, they have "refrigerator sized" fusion reactors, but they must be fueled by Helium-3 because the magic physics isn't neutron proof (little is). So the "Jupiter Energy Fleet" plays a role modeled on the Arabs/OPEC of the '70s, pulling the strings behind most of the conflicts of the Universal Century timeline. (Paptimus Scirocco is an Arab as viewed by a group of Japanese animators in 1985, his hair style is much less crazy if you know that.)
I mention this to point out how long it's been generally known we're likely to need a lot of Helium-3 for fusion reactors, i.e. entering popular culture three decades ago.