Homeland Security Chief Backs Va. Site for Crisis Post

At a news briefing, Ehrlich said he went to the meeting in part to discuss lessons learned from an incident Oct. 18 involving a possible plot to blow up a truck full of explosives in a Baltimore area tunnel.

Ehrlich has expressed dismay that after Maryland officials decided to close the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel, snarling traffic along a busy stretch of Interstate 95, some federal law enforcement officials sent mixed signals to the news media about the seriousness of the threat.

The governor said he reiterated to Chertoff during the meeting that "we depend on the federal government for information, intelligence and, in many cases, recommendations" for how to respond to a possible threat.

"This is art, not science. We know that," Ehrlich said, adding that he believes the FBI "gave us their best recommendation."

Williams said Chertoff agreed to sit down again with area leaders to work further on homeland security issues.

"I think we've made a lot of headway, but I want us to continue to move forward," Williams said.

Staff writers Matthew Mosk and Spencer S. Hsu and researcher Meg Smith contributed to this report.