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The power company says it won't ask for National Guard protection at its Crystal River nuclear plant. Meanwhile, troops are sent to the state's two other plants.
By ALEX LEARY
© St. Petersburg Times, published November 2, 2001
CRYSTAL RIVER -- Deeming its security adequate, Florida Power on Thursday said it will not ask for National Guard protection at its Crystal River nuclear plant, even as Gov. Jeb Bush dispatched troops to several seaports and the state's two other nuclear plants.
"At this point, we've received excellent support from local law enforcement, particularly the Citrus County Sheriff's Office," spokesman Mac Harris said.
"If the feeling is we have adequate resources at this point," he added, "there would be no reason to ask for additional resources."
The governor directed 24 guards to Florida Power & Light's plants at St. Lucie and Turkey Point upon that company's request.
"The Florida National Guard's presence would further enhance nuclear security measures by providing a strong visual deterrence to any potential threats," FPL president Lewis Hay III said in a letter dated Wednesday. The regional director for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement said the same offer was made to Florida Power.
The matter was not pressed because "they have as good a feel for the security of that (Crystal River) plant as anybody else does," said director Jim Sewell, who plans to visit the site today.
Harris said the company decided not to make a request after consulting with law enforcement officials.
He declined to elaborate because "that starts going into the specifics of our law enforcement plan."
The company, a subsidiary of Progress Energy, will continue to assess its plan and has not ruled out the National Guard, Harris said.
Even so, a nuclear watchdog group in Washington, Nuclear Control Institute, criticized Florida Power's decision.
"I don't think it costs anything to have the guard there," said Steven Dolley, the group's research director.
"If there is no liability, why not accept that protection? Just saying we don't need it is not very reassuring to the people who live near the plant."
The institute has called for National Guard protection since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11. It has raised doubt about a reactor containment building's ability to withstand the impact of a jetliner.
The Crystal River plant has been on high alert since the attacks and has added additional security in subsequent weeks. Armed guards patrol the site, and the Coast Guard is monitoring the nearby Gulf of Mexico.
On Tuesday, the day the federal government banned private planes from flying within 11 1/2 miles of nuclear sites, Florida Power added additional concrete barriers and asked for an additional deputy.
-- Staff writer Alex Leary can be reached at 564-3623 or leary@sptimes.com.