Carolyn Merritt steps down as chair of US CSB

11 July 2007 15:53  [Source: ICIS news]

WASHINGTON (ICIS news)--Carolyn Merritt will retire as chairwoman of the US Chemical Safety Board (CSB) on 2 August, the board said on Wednesday.

 

Horowitz said Merritt is leaving the board to spend more time with her husband and grandchildren.

 

Dan Horowitz, spokesman for the board, said Merritt will not seek a second five-year term as head of the nine-year-old agency that investigates serious chemical accidents and advises industry, the administration and Congress on safety issues.

 

In testifying on Tuesday before Congress, Merritt called for a broad new government initiative to regulate operational and worker safety at US chemical plants and refineries.

 

She said chemical manufacturers and other process industry operators should be required to get prior permission from government safety officials before plants are allowed to begin or resume production.

 

Merritt also was sharply critical of the two principal federal agencies responsible for chemical industry safety enforcement, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), saying their failure to provide adequate safety inspections puts plant communities at risk.

 

The White House is expected to nominate a replacement within weeks, but that selection could face a stormy confirmation process in the US Senate where the new Democrat majority is keen on increasing regulation of the chemicals industry.

By: Joe Kamalick
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