Pennsylvania agency must turn over inspection records related to chocolate plant blast, judge rules
A federal judge ruled that Pennsylvania utility regulators must turn over inspection records to the National Transportation Safety Board as part of the investigation into a deadly explosion at a chocolate factory last year.
>> Deadly chocolate factory blast highlights combustion risks
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission had refused to produce inspection and investigation reports for natural gas company UGI Utilities Inc.
UGI is at the center of the probe into the blast at the R.M. Palmer Co. plant that killed seven people on March 24, 2023, the Associated Press reports.
>> All 7 Pennsylvania chocolate factory explosion victims found
Investigators are looking at a pair of gas leaks as a possible cause or contributor to the explosion.
AP reports that state regulators refused to turn over five years’ worth of inspection records that the NTSB requested, citing a Pennsylvania law that protects “confidential security information.”
The utility commission offered federal investigators a chance to inspect the reports at its Harrisburg office or sign a nondisclosure agreement, but the NTSB refused and issued a subpoena.
“These reports are also vital to determine whether the commission conducted oversight of UGI’s pipeline system in compliance with federal regulations,” federal prosecutors, representing the NTSB, wrote in their March 29 petition asking the court to enforce the subpoena.
The state agency responded saying federal investigators already had some of the requested records.
“From the beginning, the PUC has underscored a commitment to assist the NTSB with this investigation — while also complying with the Commission’s legal obligation to safeguard confidential security information,” said Nils Hagen-Frederiksen, a spokesperson for the utility commission.
Hagen-Frederiksen said the judge’s decision was made after discussions between the two agencies.
The federal investigation is ongoing.
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