Washington — The lack of a full, five-member board “may prevent” the Chemical Safety Board “from achieving its stated mission,” the Environmental Protection Agency Office of Inspector General contends in a recent report.
In a May 6 letter to CSB Chair Steve Owens introducing the report, Deputy Inspector General Nicole Murley identifies “operating effectively without a full board” among the agency’s top management challenges for fiscal year 2026.
Owens and board member Sylvia Johnson have served as the only two members of the board for about 10 months. Their terms are set to expire in February.
“CSB is challenged in meeting its mission to ‘drive chemical safety excellence through independent investigations to protect communities, workers and the environment’ while operating without a full board,” the report states.
CSB previously carried on with only two board members for nearly a year before Catherine J.K. Sandoval was sworn in for a five-year term on Feb. 2, 2023. Her tenure reestablished a quorum on the board by filling a third seat.
However, Sandoval resigned from her CSB post in July. She returned to work as a law professor at Santa Clara University, her occupation before she joined the agency.
CSB has been a frequent target for elimination during President Donald Trump’s two terms in office.
Released April 3, the White House’s budget request again includes a plan to shutter CSB. The White House proposed to give zero dollars to the agency in FY 2027, which begins Oct. 1. CSB has a budget of $14 million in FY 2026.
EPA OIG notes that “board members must be appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate, making composition of the board outside the CSB’s control.”
Owens has repeatedly emphasized the board’s impact on safety.
