Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility Pennsylvania House passes bill to provide transparency in PUC records

Pennsylvania House passes bill to provide transparency in PUC records

Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus    June 3, 2026 | 3:04 PM

HARRISBURG, June 3 – The Pennsylvania House has unanimously passed legislation that would provide greater transparency in the release of Public Utility Commission records in response to the 2023 West Reading R.M. Palmer chocolate factory explosion that killed seven people, announced state Rep. Johanny Cepeda-Freytiz, D-Berks.

After the explosion, the PUC, under Act 156 of 2006, was unable to give inspection reports with confidential security information to federal investigators who were seeking to find out the cause of the accident. The new proposal, H.B. 306, would authorize the PUC to share records containing such confidential information with federal agencies investigating safety issues.

“We should take every step to ensure that a tragedy like what occurred in my district in West Reading never happens again,” said Cepeda-Freytiz. “Statutory obstacles delayed the creation and release of the federal report into this tragedy, and we should not have to face any delays of this manner when we are working to solve a life-or-death issue.

“I am thankful to my House colleagues for taking action on this legislation, and several other natural gas safety bills I have introduced, so that families in my community are not just given words of support, but action so the loss of their loved ones are not in vain. I hope the Senate takes swift action to bring these bills to the governor’s desk.”

The legislation joins three previously passed bills introduced by Cepeda-Freytiz that would provide safeguards around natural gas, based on the causes of the R.M. Palmer explosion. These causes were outlined in a 2025 National Transportation Safety Board report, two years after the incident.

House Bill 306, as well as Cepeda-Freytiz’s other three bills, await consideration in the state Senate.