Federal Investigators Subpoena Pennsylvania Agency for Records Related to Chocolate Plant Explosion
U.S. News & World Report Federal safety investigators issued a subpoena to Pennsylvanias public utility regulator on Monday for documents related to a fatal explosion at a chocolate factory, escalating a months-long legal dispute over the state agency's authority to share the sensitive information.
The National Transportation Safety Board said the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission has refused to provide unredacted inspection and investigation reports for UGI Utilities Inc., the natural gas utility at the center of the probe into the March 24 blast at the R.M. Palmer Co. plant in West Reading.
The powerful natural gas explosion leveled one building, heavily damaged another and killed seven people. Investigators have previously said they are looking at a pair of gas leaks as a possible cause of or contributor to the blast.
The interagency dispute over five years' worth of UGI records involved a conflict between state and federal law.
