WASHINGTON, DC – Following President Trump’s release of his detailed budget proposal that calls for the elimination of the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, today, U.S. Congressmen Donald Norcross (D-NJ) and Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ) led a bipartisan letter from members of the New Jersey delegation to the leaders of the House Appropriations Committee urging them to fund and retain this small, but important agency.

The Members of Congress had already sent a letter to the leaders of the Subcommittee in early May, and they are now calling on the full Committee Chair and Ranking Member to also heed their call.

The Chemical Safety Board is an independent, non-regulatory, federal agency charged with investigating industrial chemical accidents. Unfortunately, the Board has been slated for elimination in every iteration of the President’s proposed budget and the lawmakers requested flat funding for the board at $11.6 million.

“[The Chemical Safety Board’s] mission has long enjoyed bipartisan support as well as the support of industry and a wide array of other stakeholders,” wrote the lawmakers. “With less than a $12 million dollar budget and 43 employees, the Board is a prudent investment on behalf of the American taxpayer. We urge you to recognize the enormous service the CSB does for American workers and businesses alike by providing the requested funding.”

The letter was signed by Reps. Norcross and LoBiondo, as well as Reps. Gottheimer (D-NJ), Lance (R-NJ), Watson-Coleman (D-NJ), Pascrell (D-NJ), Sires (D-NJ), Payne (D-NJ) and Smith (R-NJ).

The full text of the letter follows and can be downloaded here.

May 30, 2017

Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen
House Appropriations Committee
H-305, The Capitol
Washington, DC 20515

Ranking Member Nita Lowey
House Appropriations Committee
1016 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Chairman Frelinghuysen and Ranking Member Lowey:

We write with regard to the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB), urging you to fund and retain this small, but important safety agency in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 Interior, Environment and Related Agencies appropriations bill. Specifically, we request that you provide $11.6 million for the CSB, which is consistent with CSB funding in recent years, including the continuing resolution passed overwhelmingly just last month in May.

CSB is an independent, non-regulatory agency, modeled on the National Transportation Safety Board and created by the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990.  CSB plays a unique role in investigating and making recommendations to prevent catastrophic industrial chemical accidents.  The board conducts investigations to identify the root causes that led to an incident, be it a failure of safety protocols, technology, or other factors, and after scientific peer review, recommends preventive measures.

CSB does not regulate or penalize the chemical industry, but rather works with facility management, industry groups, unions, and voluntary standard setting organizations. CSB also provides oversight concerning the prevention of chemical accidents to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, and other government agencies. CSB reports may not be used in civil litigation, which encourages cooperative fact finding.

CSB has investigated more than 130 chemical incidents and issued 788 safety recommendations, 78% of which have been closed.  The impact is safer workplaces and communities and reduced liabilities for business.  For example: in New Jersey, fire code officials have been trained about the hazards of combustible dust; in New York City, a revised fire code now addresses hazardous chemical use; in Mississippi, safeguards have been adopted at oil and gas sites; in California, new safeguards help prevent risks from oil refineries; and in Connecticut, use of flammable gas for cleaning piping is prohibited.  CSB recommendations have also led to improved training for firefighters about chemical dangers and safer school chemistry labs.

CSB’s mission has long enjoyed bipartisan support as well as the support of industry and a wide array of other stakeholders. With less than a $12 million dollar budget and 43 employees, the board is a prudent investment on behalf of the American taxpayer. We urge you to recognize the enormous service the CSB does for American workers and businesses alike by providing the requested funding in the FY2018 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bill.

Sincerely,

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Contact: Ally Kehoe, Communications Director
ally.kehoe@mail.house.gov