HARRISBURG (AP) – PA regulators are seeking $2.6 million in penalties from UGI because of a gas leak and deadly explosion at a Berks County chocolate factory. The PA Public Utility Commission has asked an administrative law judge to issue the fines. Regulators argue UGI’s gas distribution equipment serving R.M. Palmer Co. in West Reading violates state and federal rules. The March 2023 blast killed seven workers and injured 10 people. It destroyed a factory building and a nearby apartment building. UGI is calling the explosion a heartbreaking tragedy and expressing sympathy for the victims’ families, people in West Reading, and others who were affected. The state utility regulator wants UGI to expand the use of remote methane detectors, inspect older plastic pipe fittings more often, and bolster emergency response procedures.
