For more information, go to: Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works

Washington, DC, July 6, 2007 - U.S. Chemical Safety Board Chairman Carolyn W. Merritt is scheduled to testify as the first witness in a July 10 Senate hearing entitled, "Lessons Learned from Chemical Safety Board (CSB) Investigations, Including Texas City, Texas," a Senate committee announced today.

The hearing has been convened by the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, Subcommittee on Transportation Safety, Infrastructure Security, and Water Quality, chaired by Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ). Senator David Vitter (R-LA) is the ranking member.

The hearing is scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, July 10, 2007, in the Dirksen Senate Building, Room 406. Further information, including webcast information, may be available from the Committee website, http://epw.senate.gov.

"It is an honor to testify at the first hearing of our oversight committee on chemical process safety issues since the establishment of the CSB," Chairman Merritt said. "The past five years as CSB Chairman have been the most fulfilling and rewarding experience of my professional career. The hearing on Tuesday will be an opportunity to discuss what the agency has learned from our BP investigation and other cases and to help build a solid platform for future work."

Other witnesses scheduled to appear include Kim Nibarger, Health and Safety Specialist with the United Steelworkers; Scott Berger, Director of the Center for Chemical Process Safety; Timothy R. Gablehouse, President of the National Association of SARA Title III Program Officials; Steve Arendt, Vice President of ABS Consulting; and Linda Hunnings, widow of Texas City victim Jim Hunnings.

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.