By Associated Press - Friday, January 25, 2019

NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) - Gov. Gina Raimondo says the state has opened an investigation into a natural gas outage affecting residents and businesses in Newport and Middletown.

The Democratic governor told WPRO-AM on Friday that the Public Utilities Commission is conducting the investigation to figure out whether National Grid was responsible for “causing this crisis.”

National Grid suspended service Monday following a potentially dangerous loss of pressure caused by a supplier’s faulty valve.

Raimondo says the state has also asked federal regulators to investigate the gas supplier, Algonquin Gas Transmission.

National Grid began repressurizing the gas system in Newport Friday. It’ll take days for crews to go door-to-door to restore service to about 6,500 customers.

Raimondo says she hopes schools can reopen Monday.

In neighboring Middletown, the gas is turned on for most customers.

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Information from: WPRO-AM, http://www.630wpro.com/

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