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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | May 29, 2024 12:56 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Johanny Cepeda-Freytiz |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | PUC Inspection Records Transparency |
| On March 24, 2023, a natural gas explosion in a West Reading chocolate factory killed seven people and demolished multiple structures. According to federal investigators, several employees reported that they smelled natural gas prior to the explosion. As a result, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) began their investigation and requested five years’ worth of inspection reports from UGI Utilities, Inc. However, the Public Utility Commission (PUC) was obligated to follow procedures established in Act 156 of 2006 and was unable to provide these documents to federal investigators. The PUC cited that state law enables them to refuse to share these inspection reports because they contain “confidential security information.” This has prevented federal investigators from obtaining vital information that is needed to determine what caused this explosion and how it can be prevented in the future. I believe we must take steps to enable federal or state investigators to access these documents, regardless of “confidential security information” status. For these reasons, I will be introducing legislation to require a public utility to make a public utility record or emergency plan, which contains confidential security information, available to a state or federal agency if there is reason to believe that a public utility facility may cause or has resulted in a safety risk, including harm to any person or mass destruction. This legislation will increase transparency between the PUC and governmental authorities and will ensure that public safety is paramount. We must remove these obstacles to better enable federal or state agencies, including the NTSB, to properly investigate any incident that may involve a public utility company within Pennsylvania. We should be working closely with other government agencies to better identify problems, find solutions, and hopefully prevent similar tragedies from occurring. I hope that you will join me in supporting this legislation to increase transparency and prevent the PUC from withholding important information from federal or state agencies. |
Introduced as HB2509
Memo Updated: May 29, 2024 12:57 PM