The Labor Department asked that criminal charges...

The Labor Department asked that criminal charges be lodged against Unocal as a result of a 1984 explosion at its Lemont, Ill., refinery that killed 17. Unocal said it was surprised by the rare government request and that it would “vigorously defend itself.” In December, an administrative law judge of the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined Unocal $22,000 and ruled that it had willfully violated health and safety regulations at the refinery. Unocal is appealing that ruling in the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago.