The 2012 merger between Exelon and Constellation Energy Group has resulted in some changes in leadership and procedures at Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant in Lusby. During a Tuesday, Sept. 16 meeting between the Calvert County Commissioners and county government department heads, a representative of the revamped plant leadership was greeted with strong criticism from a board member.

What drew the ire of Commissioner Gerald W. “Jerry” Clark [R] stemmed from public reaction to last week’s blogger report about apparent lax security at the plant on the Chesapeake Bay. The blog site, “The Daily Caller,” has ties to Fox News. Responding to a tip that security at Calvert Cliffs had become visibly scant, a reporter and videographer from The Daily Caller drove from Washington, DC to the Lusby plant, observing the guardhouse at the plant’s entrance was not only vacant but had been padlocked. The blog’s staffers were able to access the parking lot adjacent to the twin nuclear reactors and were not questioned by any security officers.

Tuesday evening, Sept. 9, Calvert County Government released a statement that declared that back in April Exelon officials “notified the board of county commissioners that enhanced security measures were put in place resulting in redeployment of gate security guards. All security changes were approved by the NRC [Nuclear Regulatory Commission].”

Exelon Director of State Government Affairs Anne Lindner was introduced to the board during the session held prior to the commissioners’ weekly meeting. Lindner thanked county government for issuing its statement the previous week. That’s when Clark declared his concern about the communication between county officials and Exelon. He stated the plant’s “previous owners [Constellation Energy]” would have consulted with the county commissioners “before it [redeployment] was done. The way it was handled was done very poorly. It should have come before this board.”

Commissioners President Pat Nutter [R] added that as a result of the recent revelations of plant security changes “there are a lot of people who are uncomfortable.”

Two other commissioners—Evan K. Slaughenhoupt Jr. [R] and Susan Shaw [R]—indicated they were comfortable with Exelon’s changes.

“We were notified,” said Shaw.

However, Clark reaffirmed he was vexed by the after-the-fact notification the utility provided the commissioners. “We should have known about these things before it happened,” Clark said. He reminded Lindner that Exelon, which is based in Chicago, is now doing business in Southern Maryland where expectations are different.

In reaction to The Daily Caller story, NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan sent out a missive regarding the commission’s stance on requiring nuclear plants to post at least one armed guard at each entrance to the owner controlled areas (OCA) surrounding the facility.


“The commission has concluded that prescriptively requiring armed security personnel in the OCA is not necessary,” the NRC’s security rules drafted in 2009 states. “Instead the final physical security requirements allow licensees the flexibility to determine the need for armed security personnel in the OCA, as a function of site-specific considerations, such that the licensee can defend against the design basic threat with high assurance.”

“In other words, flexibility was the watchword in our new requirements,” Sheehan stated. “Rather than require the devotion of security officers to checkpoint booths that may be far removed from key infrastructure, the NRC wanted the plant owners to have the ability to allocate resources based on a strategy that will maximize protection of the facility. Just because a motorist is able to drive up and park near the protected area without being stopped does not mean there’s no surveillance occurring.”

Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com