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July 11, 2007 – The president intends to nominate John S. Bresland as Chairman of the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, filling the seat soon to be vacated by Carolyn W. Merritt, whose five-year term expires August 2, the White House announced today.

Mr. Bresland is a currently a CSB board member, also preparing to complete a five-year term on August 2, 2007. In addition, the president plans to nominate C. Russell H. Shearer as a board member. Mr. Shearer is currently the Deputy Chief for Enforcement and Technical Matters in the Office of Health, Safety, and Security at the Department of Energy.

“We are happy that the president is advancing the process of succession at the Board by planning to nominate members to fill the vacant positions,” said Chairman Merritt, who plans to retire and return to private life in Chicago in August. “In the event the Senate has not acted on the nominations prior to August 2, the Board has appropriate procedures in place to continue its operations under an interim executive.”

Both new nominations will be subject to Senate confirmation. In addition to Ms. Merritt and Mr. Bresland, the Board has three sitting members, Gary L. Visscher, William B. Wark, and William E. Wright, who were appointed to five-year terms in 2004, 2006, and 2006, respectively. In the event of a vacancy in the chair, the remaining members may vote to designate one member as interim executive for one or more 180-day terms. Since 2000, the Board has had between three and five sitting members at any given time.

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 Daniel Horowitz at (202) 261-7613 / (202) 441-6074 cell.