Washington, DC, December 6, 2007 - On a unanimous voice vote yesterday evening, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee favorably reported the nominations of John S. Bresland to serve as the next chairman of the U.S. Chemical Safety Board and C. Russell H. Shearer to serve as a CSB board member. Mr. Bresland previously served as a CSB board member from August 2002 to August 2007; Mr. Shearer is currently a safety official at the Department of Energy. Both nominations now go to the full Senate for further consideration.

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.