Worker fatigue examined in Kleen blast
MIDDLETOWN, CONNECTICUT - A federal agency investigating a power plant explosion in Connecticut that killed six workers last month says some workers were putting in long hours and they're looking into whether fatigue played a role.
Authorities say the February 7 explosion at the Kleen Energy Systems plant in Middletown happened as workers were using natural gas to clean out gas lines.
U.S. Chemical Safety Board lead investigator Donald Homstrom says some workers were working 12-hour shifts, including some of those involved in cleaning the gas lines.
Kleen Energy declined to comment.
Erik Dobratz, whose father Ray Dobratz was killed in the blast, said last month his father had told him he was working 12 hours a day, seven days a week, for six months.
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B.C. government freezes provincial electricity rates
VICTORIA - British Columbia's NDP government has announced it will freeze BC Hydro rates effective immediately, fulfilling a key election promise.
Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources Minister Michelle Mungall says hydro rates have gone up by more than 24 per cent in the last four years and by more than 70 per cent since 2001.
"After years of escalating electricity costs, British Columbians deserve a break on their bills," Mungall said in a news release.
BC Hydro had been approved by the B.C. Utilities Commission to increase the rate by three per cent next year, but Mungall said it will pull back its…
