Conn. governor's order bans gas blow pipe cleaning procedure at power plants after fatal blast
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Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell has signed an executive order banning state power plants from conducting the type of pipe cleaning procedure blamed for a fatal explosion in February.
Rell issued the order against gas blows Wednesday, a day after announcing it at the recommendation of a state commission she created to investigate the Feb. 7 blast at the under-construction Kleen Energy Systems LLC plant in Middletown.
The blast killed six workers and injured 50 others.
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Authorities say the explosion was caused when something ignited natural gas and air during a gas blow, in which high-pressure flammable gas is blown through pipes.
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration has imposed $16.6 million in fines against companies involved in the explosion. The fines stem from claims of 371 safety and workplace violations.