HARRISBURG - Protecting nuclear power plants from terrorists has evolved into a debate over how many, if any, of the details ought to be discussed publicly. House Minority Whip Mike Veon, a Beaver Falls Democrat, has been on a crusade since last fall to tighten security at nuclear power plants. Of late, he's been getting statewide — and national — publicity for his tough-fisted approach. Critics say it's pure politics — an effort to embarrass the Schweiker administration and promote himself. Veon was featured recently on CNN and MSNBC following newspaper revelations that National Guard troops at Pennsylvania's nuclear plants are carrying empty weapons. Veon called for the guns to be loaded. He is still doing so. The only problem is we don't know that the guns are unloaded. “We do not comment on arming orders for our soldiers,” said Steve Aaron, Gov. Schweiker's press secretary. “We are at war. We shouldn't be raising or commenting on these issues publicly.” Veon says he was told by guardsmen a little more than a week ago that the guns were still unloaded. Veon's “self-promotion is jeopardizing the public safety for his own political gain,” Aaron said. It became a pressing issue for Veon on Oct. 31 when a plane flew too close to the Beaver Valley Power Station in Shippingport — in Veon's district. That was two weeks after a scare at Three Mile Island. Both facilities were placed on high alert by the federal government. Veon first called for a National Guard presence. Schweiker's spokesman rejected the idea. Within 24 hours, Schweiker approved the use of troops. Aaron said the state police had been assigned to nuclear plants on 9-11 and they remained there until early November when the guard was deployed. Veon later called for a permanent military presence at nuclear plants in Pennsylvania. He outlined plans for a 1,000-member Homeland Security Force to guard them. He's also called for criminal background checks for students at flight schools and giving the state Office of Homeland Security some clout along the lines of what President Bush proposed nationally. The theme of requiring the National Guard to carry loaded weapons is what landed national TV time for Veon. The soldiers sent there “are easily identifiable targets,” Veon said. “They are making a tremendous sacrifice for public safety. We should make sure they have every access to every measure of security to protect themselves.” Moreover, Veon said, “If a security breach did occur, the time it would take for soldiers to load their weapons to defend the facilities could prove to be extremely dangerous.” It's hard to argue with his views. But should we be debating this in news releases? From a distance, there appears to be a heavy dose of “gotcha” in Veon's effort. In fairness, he's going at it with the passion of a man whose home and district have been potentially threatened. There's also little doubt that Veon has been engaging in self-promotion. That's what they all do here. The Schweiker administration contends that some of these things raised by Veon should be left to closed-door discussions. “We have held out repeatedly that he (Veon) is welcome to come in and meet with (Adjutant) Gen. William Lynch to discuss nuclear power plant safety,” Aaron said. Veon's never taken them up on it, he said. Veon said he strongly disagrees with the administration's approach of treating the discussion “as a state secret.” “I'm an elected state official. I am entitled to my position,” said Veon. He objected to Aaron's comments about promoting himself at the expense of jeopardizing public safety. “I think that's a ridiculous comment and an outrageous position to take,” he said. Said Aaron: “Doing this in a public forum is about his political future — not public safety.”

---

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)

---