After attacks across U.S., Wellington talks about electrical facility security

WELLINGTON — Alarmed by attacks on electrical substations across the nation, Village Council is asking whether it should "harden" its own facilities. "What might we be able to do to prevent the most easy, elementary vandalism-slash-attacks on the system we've got?" Councilman Guy Wells asked in a meeting Tuesday. Wellington has three substations positioned around the village, each surrounded by fencing, Electrical Superintendent David Bealer said in the public meeting. He agreed that more security may be needed. The concerns rise from a strange trend of attacks in recent months that show the vulnerability of the power grid. Two men were arrested after a Christmas Day strike that shut down four substations in Washington state, leaving thousands of people without power. Matthew Greenwood and Jeremy Crahan have been charged in U.S. District Court with conspiracy to damage public energy utilities. Greenwood faces an additional count of possessing an illegal short-barreled rifle and shotgun, according to the Associated Press. Attacks on two electric substations in North Carolina put more than 45,000 customers in the dark in December, leading federal regulators to launch a review of security protocols, the AP reported. And in November, several power transformers and substations were targeted in Oregon. After the North Carolina incident was covered by national media, Bealer met with Wellington Village Manager Jonathan Greever to talk about possible security upgrades. Security cameras are at the top of the list, Bealer said. Adding more fencing is another option. "It sounds like we're building a fort, but if this becomes the norm in America, we might be having to do something like that," he told Council. Wellington could opt to go as far as installing concrete walls and metal plating, he said — but that's probably overkill. It would also be expensive. But Bealer said every remedy would be costly. Councilman Mark Bughman said he worries that FirstEnergy's 138-kilovolt substation is vulnerable. "There is no way to inevitably make everything impervious. It's just not going to happen," he said. "We'll do what we can do within our means and be aware of it." Wellington is not alone in its anxiety over infrastructure security. Greever said he and other representatives from across the state also discussed how to protect their facilities at a December meeting for members of American Municipal Power Ohio. The nonprofit corporation supplies wholesale power and related services to its members. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has been pushing for more than a decade for power providers, especially in rural areas, to increase security by installing walls, alarms and cameras at vulnerable points. The order to increase security was handed down by FERC after a 2013 sniper attack on a Pacific Gas & Electric Co. transmission substation near San Jose, California, according to the Associated Press. The culprit caused mass power outages, but was never caught. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has long warned that the power grid is a prime target for domestic terrorists. About a year ago, it issued a report claiming extremists have been developing "credible, specific plans" since at least 2020 to damage electrical infrastructure, the Associated Press reported. It also tracked white supremacist and anti-government groups plotting to attack energy facilities in the U.S. to "sow mayhem and division among Americans." Jason Hawk can be reached at (440) 329-7122 or news@lcnewspapers.com.