(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) released the following statement after the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) released an initial report on the Anacortes-Tesoro refinery explosion, which killed 7 people nearly 4 years ago. The release of today’s initial report begins a 45 day public comment period, after which the CSB will vote to approve the report.
“The draft report released by the Chemical Safety Board today serves as yet another painful reminder of the workers – neighbors, relatives, and friends – who tragically lost their lives in what we know was a preventable accident.
“It’s now clear that the Tesoro company knowingly allowed unsafe working conditions to exist in Anacortes. It’s also clear that the American Petroleum Institute promoted—and continues to promote– use of standards based on faulty science to provide cover for companies and industries that don’t adopt procedures based on inherently safer design principles. Both of these realities are simply unacceptable.
“The draft report released today is an important step in the process of avoiding another tragedy, but I am extremely frustrated that after nearly four years, the Chemical Safety Board has still failed to produce a final report. This delay is emblematic of poor leadership at CSB, which continues to be a disservice to workers, companies, and the economy. Without dramatically improved performance, substantial leadership changes at CSB will be necessary.”
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