After lax security is discovered at Peach Bottom plant, sends letter to security company seeking assurances for the future
"Exelon's decision to terminate security contracts with Wackenhut at all of their nuclear power plants should improve the security of our nuclear powers plants and the peace of mind of all Americans. I have serious concerns about the manner in which Wackenhut handled security issues raised by one of their own employees months ago. I will continue to monitor the security situation at the 5 nuclear facilities in Pennsylvania and those around the country," said Casey.
In the letter Senator Casey wrote, “although I am relieved that there were no immediate threats to the communities surrounding the plant, the security and peace of mind of my constituents remains my top priority.”
Earlier this year, reports surfaced that guards were caught sleeping while on security duty at the power plant. According to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s report on the incident, the Wackenhut Corporation management was made aware of problems with inattentive guards no later than March of this year and told the employee who divulged the lax security to keep quiet.
In the letter, Senator Casey expressed his concerns about the Wackenhut Corporation’s handling of the situation and his expectation that appropriate steps be taken to ensure similar problems do not occur at other power plants where the Wackenhut Corporation is responsible for security.
Casey went on to write, “This response is completely unacceptable, and I sincerely hope that it is not indicative of the kind of attitude that the Wackenhut Corporation tolerates in its management.”
He asked Chairman Sanders for specific answers to the following questions:
-What actions, if any, have you or your management taken since learning that employee concerns related to security were suppressed by Wackenhut supervisors
-What actions are you implementing to ensure that this incident of lax security is not repeated at any other nuclear power plant at which Wackenhut has a security contract?
-What types of protections and means of communication with upper management are given to Wackenhut employees who report security concerns? Have any changes been made to these policies since the Peach Bottom incident?
Full text of the letter is below.
Dear Mr. Sanders:
I continue to closely monitor the incidents involving inattentive security guards employed by Wackenhut Nuclear Services at the Peach Bottom nuclear power plant in York County, Pennsylvania. Although I am relieved that there were no immediate threats to the communities surrounding the plant, the security and peace of mind of my constituents remains my top priority.
For this reason, I remain very concerned that, according to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s report, Wackenhut management at Peach Bottom were made aware of the problem in March of this year, at the latest. A Wackenhut employee alerted his supervisors to sleeping security guards in the ready room, but those supervisors took no action and, even worse, advised the employee to keep quiet about the problem. This response is completely unacceptable, and I sincerely hope that it is not indicative of the kind of attitude that the Wackenhut Corporation tolerates in its management. Therefore, I would appreciate any information you can provide me about your response to the incidents at Peach Bottom. Specifically, I would like answers to the following:
-What actions, if any, have you or your management taken since learning that employee concerns related to security were suppressed by Wackenhut supervisors?
-What actions are you implementing to ensure that this incident of lax security is not repeated at any other nuclear power plant at which Wackenhut has a security contract?
-What types of protections and means of communication with upper management are given to Wackenhut employees who report security concerns? Have any changes been made to these policies since the Peach Bottom incident?
I look forward to hearing from you soon on this important matter.
Sincerely,
Robert P. Casey, Jr.
United States Senator
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