ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - A federal agency is refusing to release SeaWorld's new safety protocols for trainer interactions with killer whales despite a judge's ruling that they aren't trade secrets.
The Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission is refusing to make public the SeaWorld protocols almost a month after a deadline passed for their release.
Agency officials say they worry they could be held criminally liable for releasing trade secrets.
A federal judge in August denied a request from SeaWorld to keep the protocols secret and gave the commission a month to review his order before making them public.
The protocols explain how SeaWorld trainers will interact with killer whales following the death of trainer Dawn Brancheau. She was killed in February 2010 when a six-ton killer whale pulled her into a pool.
