Trump Administration Aims to Eliminate Chemical Safety Board

The Trump administration’s 2026 budget proposal seeks to eliminate the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB), a small agency that investigates industrial chemical accidents. Despite lacking regulatory power, the CSB has been praised for uncovering root causes of disasters—like the 2021 nitrogen leak in Georgia that killed six workers—and driving safety improvements.

The administration argues the board duplicates other agencies’ efforts, but experts and industry leaders say it fills a crucial oversight gap, especially for smaller firms lacking investigative resources.

Each year, chemical incidents cause deaths, injuries, and environmental damage. The CSB’s independent findings often shape safety standards worldwide. Critics warn that dissolving the board could result in vital lessons from past tragedies being ignored—raising the risk of repeated, preventable disasters.

08-07-2025