Trump Moves to Ax Agency That Probes Deadly Accidents

A small federal agency dedicated to investigating deadly chemical accidents across the US is now facing elimination—sparking rare opposition from both industry and safety advocates. The Trump administration has proposed zeroing out the $14 million budget for the US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) in 2026; It's the only federal agency dedicated to investigating industrial chemical accidents and recommending safety improvements. Inside the government's reasoning and the pushback:

• The White House argues that the CSB's responsibilities duplicate those of the EPA and OSHA, and its closure is part of a broader effort to reduce government spending and redefine federal roles, per Chemistry World.
• Industry groups, including the American Chemistry Council and the Center for Chemical Process Safety, oppose the closure, emphasizing that the CSB's independent, collaborative investigations provide valuable safety recommendations that particularly benefit small- and mid-size companies that lack deep resources to investigate such accidents themselves, reports the New York Times.
• As for how the agency's work manifests in the real world, the Times notes that after a Georgia poultry plant's January 2021 nitrogen leak killed six workers, investigators were able to source the accident's cause of a bent freeze component.
• That and other CSB investigations, which do not involve issuing fines or regulations, have led to significant safety improvements, such as revised equipment designs and new emergency protocols, per the Times. One former member of the board likened the approach to how airplane accidents are investigated in order to learn from them and make safety improvements.
• Lawmakers from both parties, as well as former CSB officials, warn that shutting down the agency will likely result in more chemical incidents, worker deaths, and community pollution, especially in Louisiana and Texas, which Grist notes have seen the most CSB investigations.
• Critics of the plan highlight that OSHA and EPA are limited to enforcing existing regulations, while the CSB uniquely investigates root causes, such as systemic failings and management decisions, providing scientific evidence that helps drive safety improvements beyond regulatory requirements, per the Grist.
• Congressional Democrats and some Republicans have pledged to fight the closure, noting the CSB's modest million budget and lean nature, per the Times, which notes it employs 40 people.