Understanding Government

A whistleblower told federal investigators last month that utility officials likely threw out what may prove crucial records as the National Transportation Safety Board continues its inquest into a deadly explosion of a natural gas pipeline near San Francisco, Jaxon Van Derbeken of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The explosion killed eight people in October and turned 38 suburban homes into charred cinders.

The unlikely whistleblower, a former third-generation employee of Pacific Gas & Electric, one of California’s three major investor-owned utilities, called his contacts at the company to assist in finding documents, blueprints and other records related to the construction and maintenance of the half-century-old pipeline.

The missing documents may have been destroyed after they were moved from one office to another.

The company is under investigation by federal and state regulators regarding its maintenance practices and record keeping.