House members raise concerns about Chemical Safety Board staffing

Via NJ.com, this article: 

Ongoing staffing problems have Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. and other members of the powerful committee he chairs worried that the independent government agency that investigates chemical accidents isn’t up to the job.

They’re concerned about the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, recently described by U.S. Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., as the “nation’s premier investigating agency when it comes to industrial chemical accidents.”

Members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Thursday asked Katherine Lemos, the last remaining member of the five-person board, to explain whether a lack of staffing and board members has interfered with how the chemical safety board operates.

“We are concerned about recent reports indicating that both persistent and emergent issues may be undermining the CSB’s ability to protect American communities and workers,” wrote the lawmakers, whose committee oversees the chemical safety board.

It is a disappointment that, failing to eliminate the agency, the previous Administration succeeded at damaging it by failing to appoint board members. Here's hoping things come back for them.