Jlil10, 2007 

CSB CHAIRMAN MERRITT DESCRIBES THE LESSONS FROM FIVE YEARS 

OF BOARD INVESTIGATIONS TO SENATE COMMITTEE, URGES 

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES AND CLEARER AUTHORITIES FOR FEDERAL 

SAFETY EFFORTS 

Vt'lushlngtan, DC, July 10, 2007· t1 taedmony today befant 11 

Senlltllaubcommllllle, U.S. Chemlcel ~ Ballnl 

Ch1lrm1n C1rolyn W. Merrill.lllld d1atfadS1111 nsgulalafy 

avt~nslght of the petrochemiCIII lndulllry should be 

lllnl n gth an ad, BP'IIIIIIfalr cu flu re W'ILII 11 IIWed, 1111 d Amei!CIIII 

cammunlt!euns unprep~~red for cl1em!CIII dl11111an1. 

tl the he1ring en~~ed 'l.tiiiiiOfla Leemed frt!m Chemlcel 

8efaty Elo1rd (C88) tl!t811!g•~ona, tldudlng Teas Cll~. 

r ... a,• Ch1lrm1n Merrittlllao dlacuaaed dle CSS'a tripled 

pnsdu~ lllnCII 2002 and e~~lled forii11Htlwmenta to dle 

C88'a1uthorizlng Ill !Uta. 

Today'll mealfng wu dle 11nsthuring ofdle C88 o-.slght 

committee on cl1emiCIII procaa ~ laauea lllnca dle 

elllllblhshm~~nt ofdle agency In 1996. l!ut hearing wa.11 con~ed by 11e U.S. Sen ala Comnllllle en En"'nsmnenta11d 

PUblic Wortat, Subcanvnllllle on TranllpOIIIIUon ~. hhallucture Securi~. and Wlllllr <:.udty, chaired by Sen~~ tar 

Fnsnk R. Ltsutanberg (DoNJ). Chlllrmen Memttgave lhe opening taselmany on 11& tnstofM'o PIIIIIIS. 

Olher wllne-•lncluded: Deb011111 Dlelrfch, 01-oflhe Olca of Ernlfgency Mllnag~m~~~~ En111n:~~~rnental 

Prot& elf on Agency. Kim Nlbargar, Haellh and ~Sped all-. Unlllld 84aalworlcara; Scott Betgar, D..,c:t:w, <:en tar fer 

Chemical Proc:e111 Safety; nmolhy R. Geblel1ou111, Plelldent, Nalonal ~at on of SARA nte llll'nlgnam Offlc:lllls; 

Slave Arendt, VICII Prellldent,ASS ConauiUng, he~ and Unda Hunnlnge. widow ofane ofl1e BP Texaa City expt Ilion 

111clfmL 

Tha U.S. Chemical Safllty Board (CSS) concluded In '*"=11200711at"ofganlmlonal and •*'II' dafd1111dae 11td 

lavale oftha BP Corponalfon• cau~ lha March 23,2005, axpiOIIIon atl1a BP Tame City nafnaty,l1e wcntlnduntel 

accldantln lha Unltad Slatanlnca 1990. Tha tnal lnY81111gaUon napoltc:allad an 11a U.S. Occupetanu&aflll)l•nd 

Ha11th Admlnllllnltfon (OSHA)to lnc:naua lnepec:lfon and anfarcamentat U.S. all natneriae 811d chamc:U plln1s,lllld lD 

raqulra thaea corponalfone to avalu1.ta lha •filly l~ctolmatgare, reotgMimtcne, dowt~llllng, and budget cull. 

Ill hartalllfmony,Chalrmen Mamtteald, "ThOfOUgh l~amantaUon olexllllfng OSHA and EPAprccan aflll)lnlae 

would pravanta numllar oflnlglc accldanta,lncludlng lha on a In Texu Cl~. Ulca ol1arnatneriae, tie Texaa Cllyflcfll)l 

wae covarad under bolh lha OSHA Pia ca• ~ l'*nagamant(PSM) .rlandllrd and 11e EPARIIk Mlllegement 

Pia gram (RMP) rula." 

ta,.cl::tww me rwts dllhlm-nwaiS 1: U.l ~latrftita)u al' ......,." _.glllll~:n>oll:l u:zls canna..wiJI;s-ediiiJ..._.Icnl-no,......,and.... 112 
1111312015 CSB Chtinna~ Merritt Describes the Lessons tom Five Ye~n r:l Board Investigations ID SeniiiB Commitllle, Urges Additional Resaroes ald Cl....,. •.• 

CSB's other lnvesUgatfons reveal a variety of common flndlngs, Ms. Merritt said. "I have been grea1fy concerned by the 

Jack of chemical emergency preparedness that our Investigations have found among many communities where 

accidents strike. Preventing accidents and mitigating their impact requires an active partnership between communities 

and industrial facilities. If that partnership is missing the stage is set for a potentially severe impact on the community." 

Chairman Merritt also urged the Committee to compare the CSB's existing statutory authorities with those of the older 

and more established National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). She pointed specifically to the authorities to 

preserve and test evidence, rapidly access the sites of chemical releases, and receive relevant records and 

information from other agencies. 

Ms. Merritt told lawmakers that the CSB has accomplished a tripling in productivity on an annual budget that 

essentially remained flat for the entire five-year period and urged the Committee to consider a multi-year 

authorizations bill establishing funding targets and priorities for the Board. Chairman Merritt's testimony today will be 

the last in her five year tenure as Chairman and CEO of the Board. She said, "There is great admiration for what 

Congress has done in establishing an independent Chemical Safety Board. It is a very solid model that is in place in 

this country, but some changes and improvements are needed. I welcome the renewed attention and interest of 

Congress in these issues over the past several years, culminating in the hearing today." 

The CSB is an independent federal agency charged with investigating industrial chemical accidents. The agency's 

board members are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. CSB investigations look into all aspects 

of chemical accidents, including physical causes such as equipment failure as well as inadequacies in regulations, 

industry standards, and safety management systems. 

The Board does not issue citations or fines but does make safety recommendations to plants, industry organizations, 

labor groups, and regulatory agencies such as OSHA and EPA. Visit our website, www.csb.gov. 

For more information, please contact Jennifer Jones at (202) 261-3603 or Daniel Horowitz at {202) 261-7613. 

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