In September 2018, a series of gas explosions ripped through Massachusetts Merrimack Valley, killing a teenager, injuring 23 people and causing a fire that leveled 80 homes and businesses. NiSource, the utility giant that owned the faulty gas line, ultimately agreed to sell its subsidiary and exit the Bay State entirely.

That didnt stop the company from doing business with one of the states most senior representatives in Congress.

On July 10, 2019 just one day after NiSource settled with the family of Leonel Rondon, the 18-year-old who died in the disaster the company joined others in the gas industry to host a $2,000-per-plate fundraiser for Rep. Richard Neal (D-Mass.) at a ritzy steakhouse in Washington, D.C., according to an invitation HuffPost obtained.

Neal, the powerful chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means, is facing a heated primary challenge from Alex Morse, the progressive mayor of Holyoke, Massachusetts, who swore off corporate donations and is backed by groups advocating the Green New Deal.