“Today, September 30 the Chemical Safety Board (CSB) is set to be defunded and shuttered. Authorized by the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, this independent agency was created to investigate chemical accidents and make recommendations to prevent future ones. 

The CSB recently investigated an explosion at U.S. Steel Clairton Coke Works that led to the injuring of eleven workers and the passing of Steven Menefee (52) and Timothy Quinn (39). The agency’s initial report suggests that the explosion was preventable. A 72-year-old valve previously flagged as unsafe and in dire need of replacement catastrophically failed. Corporate negligence and greed cost lives and devastated communities.

U.S. Steel has piled up hundreds of Clean Air Act violations,while enforcement lags. And their history proves that in order to protect frontline communities, we must be steadfast in our approach at the national and state level. 

For Hip Hop Caucus, our focus – alongside partners – is to advocate for the Allegheny County Council to approve a measure to raise Title V permitting fees so the Health Department has the resources to hold polluters accountable before tragedy strikes.

And nationally we are standing with many leaders calling for the Chemical Safety Board to keep its doors, staff and services funded so that incidents like what happened at Clariton Coke Works can be thoroughly investigated. Communities are grieving, while the administration plans to defund the very agency investigating what went wrong. Congress must protect the CSB, or it virtually guarantees more disasters.

Clairton families deserve justice through safer working conditions, reinvestment of fines, real cleanup, and climate solutions. This is about more than one valve; it is about whether corporations can put profit over people, or whether we stand with workers and communities demanding accountability.”

About Hip Hop Caucus

Formed in 2004, the Hip Hop Caucus (HHC) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that leverages Hip Hop culture to encourage young people to participate in the democratic process. Through a collaborative leadership network, HHC addresses core issues affecting underserved communities. HHC programs and campaigns support solution-driven community organizing led by today’s young leaders.