U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board CSB

After the 1984 gas leak at a pesticide plant in Bhopal, India, which killed thousands, and a series of deadly U.S. chemical accidents, Congress authorized an independent chemical accident board in the Clean Air Act Amendments signed on November 15, 1990. Modeled on the National Transportation Safety Board, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board did not receive funding and begin operating until 1998. It may have up to five board members appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate to five-year terms.

The CSB sends investigators to explosions, fires, and toxic releases at refineries, chemical plants, and other industrial facilities, determines root causes, and issues safety recommendations to companies, industry groups, unions, and regulators such as OSHA and the Environmental Protection Agency. It has no power to issue rules, fines, or citations. It is known for animated safety videos that recreate accidents for training. Its investigations have included the 2005 BP Texas City refinery explosion, which killed 15 workers, the 2010 Deepwater Horizon blowout, the 2013 West Fertilizer explosion in Texas, and the 2023 train derailment and chemical release in East Palestine, Ohio.

With a budget of only about 14 million dollars and a few dozen staff, the CSB has long had a backlog of open investigations, and inspector general reviews have criticized its management at times. The President's 2026 budget request proposed eliminating it, a proposal Congress had rejected in earlier years. Supporters of elimination say its work duplicates that of larger agencies, while safety advocates, unions, and some industry groups say independent root-cause investigations prevent repeat disasters at very low cost.