Pentagon: 16 soldiers died from electric shock

The Pennsylvania lawmakers are involved because of the Jan. 2 death of Sgt. Ryan Maseth, of Pittsburgh, who was electrocuted while showering at barracks at the Radwaniyah Palace Complex in Baghdad, a facility overseen by KBR. An Army probe concluded the cause was improper grounding of an electric pump supplying water to the building. Maseth's mother has sued KBR in Pennsylvania.

KBR was awarded the contract in 2001 to provide housing, dining facilities, sanitation systems, showers and other services for U.S. troops deployed overseas. It eventually included U.S. installations in Iraq following the 2003 invasion.

Utt told Casey that in February 2007, the contract was switched from "Level A" to "Level B." That meant the Army took primary responsibility for preventive repairs and that KBR "only repairs items the Army directs us to repair," KBR spokeswoman Heather Browne said in an e-mail.

Earlier this year, the Army selected three contractors to provide food, shelter and other services to U.S. troops overseas in an effort to improve oversight and accountability on the country. KBR, Falls Church, Va.-based DynCorp International Inc. and Irving, Texas-based Fluor Corp. each received $5 billion contracts. The deal includes nine one-year options which could be worth up to $150 billion.

Casey said he planned to send letters to the Defense Department and KBR seeking more clarification on who was responsible for the electrical work. A hearing on the electrocutions is also scheduled for Wednesday in the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

Josh Holly, a Republican spokesman for the House Armed Services Committee, said the Defense Department Inspector General's office is expecting to release an interim report in the coming weeks. A final report will be released by November detailing an analysis of the causes of the electrical shock, and future maintenance requirements.

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AP Business Writer Donna Borak in Washington contributed to this report