Commission Sets Hearing Involving Chemical Spill Probe

The state Public Service Commission has set a date for a hearing involving a lawsuit filed against a water company and a manufacturer that sold a chemical to a company involved in a massive spill in Charleston.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports commissioners issued an order scheduling an evidentiary hearing in the investigation for Nov. 15-17.

The move comes after a federal judge delayed the trial in the case, saying he would need more time to review and rule on several motions.

The class-action lawsuit was filed by residents and businesses against Eastman Chemical, West Virginia American Water and its parent company, American Water Works, over their roles in the January 2014 spill.

Eastman produced the coal-cleaning agent that leaked from a Freedom Industries tank.