Inquirer, state duel on access to printing plant

A dispute briefly arose last night between Pennsylvania officials and the publisher of The Inquirer about whether to allow newspaper employees road access to and from the company's printing plant in Montgomery County.

For a time, workers were being blocked by members of the Pennsylvania National Guard deployed along the Schuylkill Expressway and other major thoroughfares to keep "nonessential" motorists off the roads.

But after intervention from the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA), trucks loaded with papers were allowed to leave the Conshohocken printing plant, where The Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News are printed.

"We're very appreciative of PEMA's help here and we look forward to getting these papers printed and delivered," said Brian P. Tierney, publisher of The Inquirer. "Our team is ready to roll!"

Earlier, Tierney had said, "There is a danger that for the first time in 180 years, we won't print the paper."

Later he vowed: "I can tell you we are going to get as many people out there [to the printing plant] as we can and won't settle on a 'token run.' We are going to get the paper out and get it to every driveway and retail location."

Sgt. Matt Jones, spokesman for the Pennsylvania National Guard, said the decision on who has access to the highways is made by PEMA based on recommendations from the state police and the state Department of Transportation.

Under a 2008 PEMA directive, "personnel engaged in disseminating news and weather reports via radio, television, or newspaper" are allowed to travel on roads closed to the general public. Others who have a similar exemption include police, firefighters, medical personnel, people who deliver food, and technicians who repair damaged utilities.