Capitolwire: Text of Senator Muth’s April 1 press release.
Limerick Township, Pa. -- Senator Katie Muth (D-Berks, Chester, Montgomery) today renewed her call on Exelon to improve its commitment to worker and community safety during the refueling at the Limerick Generating Station in Montgomery County, and made a short list of requests of the corporate energy giant in a letter to senior executives.
“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 of the 44th senatorial district and entire region,” Senator Muth wrote. “This is grossly irresponsible as Exelon has brought at least 1,400 workers to the epicenter of Pennsylvania’s Covid-19 pandemic.”
In an effort to contain the spread of Covid-19 through Montgomery County and beyond, Senator Muth is asking Exelon to do the following:
• Provide a complete list of worker accommodations. A previously provided list is incomplete. This list will ensure that first responders are geographically aware of potential risk of exposure to Covid-19 and better inform hospitality employees of the need to take precautions in the cleaning and service of lodgings.
* Work with federal, state, and county officials to create and implement a 14-day, controlled quarantine protocol for all contracted workers. Exelon should continue to fully compensate workers during this time and cover all costs incurred by workers during the quarantine.
* Continue to work with federal, state, county, and local officials throughout the refueling process, particularly improving transparency with regard to care of employees displaying symptoms of Covid-19, as requested by Congresswoman Dean and Commissioners Arkoosh and Moscowitz.
“These requests are simply a call for corporate responsibility to ensure maximum preventative measures to ensure safety and reduce harm of both workers, their families, essential workers across the tri-county area,” wrote Senator Muth. “It is my understanding that the plan is for many of these workers to move onto additional refueling projects, such as the scheduled Beaver Valley refueling project in western PA, as well as at other nuclear facilities across the country, and without proper safety and quarantine measures, we are risking a massive spread of Covid-19 across this state and nation.”
“By fulfilling these requests for increased mitigation, Exelon has an opportunity to right its wrongs and previous negligence, and demonstrate a commitment to protecting the health and safety of workers, their families and the community at large,” she concluded.
