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01/19/1993 02 American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations EXECUTIVE COUNCIL PAMERICAN FEDERATION or LAND 815 Sixteenth Street, N.W LANE KIRKLAND PRESIDENT THOMAS R. DONAHUE SECRETARY-TREASURER Washington, D.C. 20006 Albert Shanker Edward T. Hanley Wayne E. Giann (202) 637-5000 John & Sweeney James E Hatfield Vincent R. Sombrotto Geratd W. McEntes William H. Bywater Marvin J. Boade Owen Bieber Jonn T. Joyce Morton Bahr COMGRESS AFL OF INDUSTRIAL Robert A Georgine Gene Upshaw Jay Mazur Lenore Miller Jack Shainkman John J. Barry Sigurd Lucessen Moe Biller George J. Kourples John N. Studivant Richard L Trunks Frank Hanley Jemes J. Norton Michael Sacco Ron Carey Arthur A. Cole Frank Hull Linda Chavez-Thompeen Gioria T. Johnson Dougles M Darity George F. Becker January 19, 1995 Honorable Alice M. Rivlin Director Office of Management and Budget Room 252 old Executive Office Building Seventeenth Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. 3 to Carrie every Adopt wis what men Washington, D.C. 20503 do S Dear Ms. Rivlin: OSHA The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 authorized the establishment of the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board The purpose of the Board was to investigate major chemical accidents and releases that put workers' and citizens' lives in danger. The AFL-CIO is deeply concerned that more than four years after the passage of the Clean Air Act Amendments that this F486 safety board is still not operational or fully funded. For 1 fiscal year 1995, only $500,000 of the $4.25 million requested for the Board was appropriated. Only three of the five Board 12-15 members have been nominated and confirmed. and It is our understanding that the Administration may not request funds in its fiscal year 1996 budget for the operation of the Chemical Safety and Investigation Board. Instead, the Administration may rely on existing programs at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and EPA to carry out the Board's responsibilities. Neither EPA nor OSHA is currently capable of the type of investigations required by the Board. Although OSHA has jurisdiction over workplace chemical plant safety, it lacks important tools to conduct comprehensive investigations of major chemical accidents. OSHA only investigates accidents involving a fatality or the hospitalization of three or more workers. Most of these inspections are designed to determine violations of OSHA