The federal government quietly acted to eliminate a key safety agency in a move even the industry under its watchful eye opposes, The Chemical Engineer reports.
What's happening?
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board is an independent federal agency tasked with investigating chemical accidents at the industrial level.
Unlike other federal agencies previously subjected to vast and sweeping cuts — such as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau or the Environmental Protection Agency — the U.S. CSB was designed by Congress to be "non-regulatory and independent of other agencies," and it issues neither fines nor citations.
As such, plans to eliminate the CSB baffled lawmakers and industry experts alike, since the agency's functions are purely investigative and in no way limit the manner in which companies operate.
The Chemical Engineer noted that politicians and insiders struggled to grasp "the logic of the decision," given that any savings recouped from the agency's diminutive $14 million annual budget would instantly be "dwarfed by the costs resulting from just one industrial accident that the CSB could have helped prevent."
The outlet quoted Jordan Barab, a former OSHA Deputy Assistant Secretary and expert on workplace safety. Barab was blunt in detailing the consequences of shuttering the CSB.
"The result: more chemical releases, worker deaths, and community pollution. All to save $14 million."
On that note, a savings of $14 million for taxpayers comes out to just $0.04 per American, or about $0.08 per taxpayer.
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Why is gutting the US Chemical Safety Bureau such a big deal?
In coverage across the board, news outlets emphasized the relatively minimal costs associated with running the CSB, the immense value it provides, and the lack of support from all sectors for slashing it.
A New York Times article pointed out that "even industry groups" were in opposition to the move, a signal that they wouldn't benefit from its elimination — noting that the "board has a reputation for working collaboratively with companies."
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Majorly 😥 In fact, the Times indicated that the Board is crucial to smaller and mid-sized businesses, which often lack resources to fully handle an industrial chemical accident.
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MCAF explained that the loss of the US CSB would be catastrophic, particularly due to the "alarming frequency" with which hazardous chemical accidents occur in industrial settings in the United States.
What's being done about it?
In addition to an article warning of the dangers, MCAF published a petition calling on Congress to intervene and save the US Chemical Safety Board from imminent closure.
On July 29, Barab shared an update about the status of the Chemical Safety Board.
The Senate Appropriations Committee voted 26-2 to "maintain the Chemical Safety Board's current budget through fiscal year 2026," sending the legislation on to the Senate.
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