While eight of the nation's governors have stationed National Guard troops around their states' nuclear power plants at the urging of federal officials, Gov. Bob Taft doesn't believe such precaution is needed at two facilities in Ohio.

"The governor and the lieutenant governor have visited the nuclear power plants and they feel very comfortable with the security,'' Mary Ann Sharkey, spokeswoman for Taft, said.

"We are monitoring the situation but at this point have no plan to use National Guard troops.''

Nuclear power plants are located in 31 states. Ohio has two, the Perry Nuclear Power Plant 25 miles east of Cleveland in Lake County and the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Plant about 30 miles east of Toledo near Port Clinton. Both are owned by Akron-based FirstEnergy Corp. and are located along Lake Erie.

Todd Schneider, a spokesman for FirstEnergy, said yesterday the company racheted up security at both facilities since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York and at the Pentagon and was confident the reactors are adequately protected.

"We have a well-trained security force on hand, many are ex- police and ex-military people who are well-trained on every aspect of protecting our plants,'' he said.

Schneider declined to provide details about security.

He said that county sheriff's departments have been providing additional security at entrances to the plants.

Nuclear plants nationwide have been on high alert since the attacks. Earlier this week the Federal Aviation Administration banned private planes from flying within 11 miles of nuclear plants through Wednesday and yesterday 11 small airstrips and airports near the Perry plant were closed.

There are no airstrips within the no-fly zone around the Davis- Besse plant.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this story.

ccandisky@dispatch.com