Limerick Station 'Grossly Irresponsible' Amid Coronavirus: Muth

LIMERICK, PA — Exelon's Limerick Generating Station has brought at least 1,400 workers from around the country into southeastern Pennsylvania since the coronavirus outbreak began, county officials and state legislators say. And they've continued forward with a long-planned refueling project despite urging from local officials to postpone it until the virus is under control.

Local officials said they became aware of a refueling project, which would bring hundreds into the area, on March 16. Under normal circumstances, the anticipated spark in the local economy and boon to the area's hospitality's industry would be very welcome. But with the virus rapidly growing out of control, the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners asked to see Exelon's emergency response plan.

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They were not impressed.

"We concluded that the plan was not adequate for the COVID-19 pandemic," Montgomery County Commissioner Val Arkoosh said.

The Commissioners asked Exelon to to postpone the work, and they refused, launching the refueling project and promising they would increase safety precautions and practice social distancing.

However, according to information provided by the Montgomery County Department of Public Safety, social distancing has not been practiced at the plant.

“Thus far, Exelon has provided an inadequate pandemic response plan, withheld information from county and state officials, and failed to prioritize the safety of its employees, contract workers, community first responders, as well as all residents," State Sen. Katie Muth (D-44), wrote in part of a public letter to Exelon's leadership, calling for transparency and corporate responsibility from the energy giant.

Arkoosh noted Thursday that Exelon was also putting first responders, who would have to go to the plant in the case of an accident, at unncessary risk of exposure.

"Our community deserves to be treated better than this," she said in a press conference Thursday.

In an emailed statement sent to Patch, Exelon did not address the allegations from officials that social distancing had not been in place, but did defend their procedures that were in place as of Thursday.

"We have strict procedures in place to keep the public, our employees and contractors safe during the outage, and we will continue to host daily calls with our Montgomery and Chester County officials, answer questions and keep them informed," the statement reads, in part.

Exelon confirmed that two employees have tested positive for the virus. Both cases were confirmed before this project began, the company said.

Arkoosh said the company owes the public reassurances. Muth's letter addressed several other points where officials found the company's handling of the situation "grossly irresponsible."

For one, the company has not provided officials with a complete list of worker accommodations. First responders need to be geographically aware of where the increased risk of exposure is located, both for their own response and so they can help hospitality employees prepare and keep themselves safe, Muth said.

Exelon has, belatedly, begun to provide this information. As of Thursday afternoon, Montgomery County said they had received information back on 950 individuals. Arkoosh said they were staying all over the five-county area, in a wide variety of lodgings, from friends' homes and hotels to Airbnbs and campsites.

Muth's letter also asks for the company to work with the government to implement a 14-day controlled quarantine for all workers to limit the spread of the virus.

"I believe that they have an obligation not only to the families of these workers, but to the community they're going to next, to quarantine," Arkoosh said Thursday.

All workers should be paid by Exelon during the quarantine, officials said.

Finally, it demands that Exelon provide far greater transparency throughout the refueling process, specifically in how it is ensuring the safety of workers who show symptoms of coronavirus.

Exelon has launched a "neighbor information webpage" to explain their safety practices at Limerick here.

Montgomery County has already seen 10 deaths and nearly 600 cases of the virus, as of early Thursday.

>>>See full coverage of coronavirus in Pennsylvania