Rule2025-21215
Internal Governance
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
November 26, 2025
Effective
January 26, 2026
Issuing agencies
Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board
Abstract
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board ("CSB") is amending regulations relating to its CSB's internal organization, management, and operations. These amendments make grammatical and stylistic updates to current CSB internal regulations in order to improve their function and better reflect the CSB's mission. The amendments also clarify procedures involving quorum and public meetings. Finally, the amendments update the current address of the CSB.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 226 (Wednesday, November 26, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 226 (Wednesday, November 26, 2025)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 54242-54244]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-21215]
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CHEMICAL SAFETY AND HAZARD INVESTIGATION BOARD
40 CFR Part 1600
RIN 3301-AA02
Internal Governance
AGENCY: U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board.
ACTION: Final rule.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board
(``CSB'') is amending regulations relating to its CSB's internal
organization, management, and operations. These amendments make
grammatical and stylistic updates to current CSB internal regulations
in order to improve their function and better reflect the CSB's
mission. The amendments also clarify procedures involving quorum and
public meetings. Finally, the amendments update the current address of
the CSB.
DATES: This rule is effective January 26, 2026.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steven Messer, Acting General Counsel,
202.815.8019, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#76250213001318583b13050513043615051458111900"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="1e4d6a7b687b7030537b6d6d7b6c5e7d6d7c30797168">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The CSB is authorized by 42 U.S.C.
7412(r)(6)(M) to establish such procedural and administrative rules as
are necessary to the exercise of its functions and duties. Pursuant to
this authority, on November 20, 2003, through 68 FR 65403, the CSB
issued regulations governing its internal operations and structure. On
June 2, 2023, through 88 FR 36256, the CSB published amendments to the
regulations. The CSB now amends these internal regulations to improve
their function, better reflect the CSB's mission, clarify quorum and
public meeting requirements, update information about the CSB, and
correct grammatical and stylistic issues.
As the CSB is nonregulatory in nature, the word ``nonregulatory''
is added to 40 CFR 1600.1 to describe the CSB and its core mission. The
list of offices within the CSB under 40 CFR 1600.2 is consolidated into
paragraph form and grammatical changes are made in order to improve the
readability of this section. Under 40 CFR 1600.3 (c), ``safety videos
and other safety products'' has been added to accurately reflect the
types of safety products produced by the CSB. Under 40 CFR 1600.4(a),
the word ``financial'' has been replaced with the more general word
``other'' to describe the work performed by the CSB's different
offices. Additional language is added to 40 CFR 1600.5(a) to clarify
what constitutes a quorum of the Board based on how many Board Members
are in office at one time. 40 CFR 1600.5(b) has been updated to reflect
that the Board must consider a calendared notation item at a public
meeting in 60 days, not 90. 40 CFR 1600.5(c) is amended to allow for
public meetings to be held in-person or virtually, which accurately
reflects the CSB's current practices. 40 CFR 1600.5(c)(1) is
reorganized to provide the same information that is currently
[[Page 54243]]
provided in bullets (i) and (ii) concerning consideration and vote on
any notation items calendared, but in simpler paragraph form. 40 CFR
1600.5(c)(2) is modified to eliminate the two-day requirement for
publishing public meeting agenda information. Finally, 40 CFR 1600.6
deletes the office location of the CSB, as the CSB does not currently
occupy a physical office, but may in the future.
This rule is not a significant rule for purposes of Executive Order
12866 and has not been reviewed by the Office of Management and Budget.
As required by the Regulatory Flexibility Act, the CSB certifies that
these regulatory amendments will not have a significant impact on small
business entities.
List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 1600
Organization and functions (Government agencies).
For the reasons stated in the preamble, the CSB amends 40 CFR part
1600 as follows:
PART 1600--ORGANIZATION AND FUNCTIONS OF THE CHEMICAL SAFETY AND
HAZARD INVESTIGATION BOARD
0
1. The authority citation continues to read as follows:
Authority: 5 U.S.C. 301, 552(a)(1); 42 U.S.C. 7412(r)(6)(N).
0
2. Revise Sec. 1600.1 to read as follows:
Sec. 1600.1 Purpose.
This part describes the organization, functions, and operation of
the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB). The CSB is an
independent nonregulatory agency of the United States created by the
Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 [Pub. L. 101-549, 104 Stat. 2399,
codified at 42 U.S.C. 7412(r)(6) et seq.]. Information about the CSB is
available from its website, <a href="http://www.csb.gov">http://www.csb.gov</a>.
0
3. Amend Sec. 1600.2 by revising paragraph (b) to read as follows:
Sec. 1600.2 Organization.
* * * * *
(b) The CSB's staff is comprised of the Office of Administration,
the Office of Investigations and Recommendations, the Office of General
Counsel and such other administrative units as established by the CSB
Board.
0
4. Amend Sec. 1600.3 by revising paragraphs (b) and (c) to read as
follows:
Sec. 1600.3 Functions.
* * * * *
(b) The CSB makes safety recommendations to Federal, State, and
local agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency and the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and private
organizations to reduce the likelihood of recurrences of chemical
incidents. The CSB initiates and conducts safety studies and special
investigations on matters pertaining to chemical safety.
(c) The CSB issues reports pursuant to its duties to determine the
cause or probable cause or causes of chemical incidents and to report
the facts, conditions, and circumstances relating to such incidents;
and issues and makes available to the public, safety recommendations,
safety studies, reports of special investigations, safety videos, and
other safety products.
0
5. Revise Sec. 1600.4 to read as follows:
Sec. 1600.4 Operation.
In exercising its functions, duties, and responsibilities, the CSB
utilizes the CSB's staff, consisting of specialized offices performing
investigative, administrative, legal, and other work for the Board.
0
6. Revise Sec. 1600.5 to read as follows:
Sec. 1600.5 Quorum and voting requirements.
(a) Quorum requirements. A quorum of the Board for the transaction
of business shall consist of three Members; provided, however, that if
the number of Board Members in office is fewer than three, a quorum
shall consist of the number of Members in Office, subject to the
limitations on the authority of a single Member Board set forth in this
section and in Board Orders adopted by the Board; and provided further
that on any matter of business as to which the number of Members in
office, minus the number of Members who have disqualified themselves
from consideration of such matter is two, those two Members shall
constitute a quorum for purposes of such matter; and provided further
that on any matter of business as to which the number of Members in
office, minus the number of Members who have disqualified themselves
from consideration of such matter is only one, that one member shall
not constitute a quorum for purposes of such matter. Once a quorum is
constituted, a simple majority of voting Members is required to approve
an item of the Board's business, subject to the limitations on the
authority of a single-Member Board set forth in this section and in
Board Orders adopted by the Board.
(1) A tie vote results in no action. If the Board consists of only
a single Member (whether the Chairperson or another Member), that
single Member may not transact Board business or take any action that
requires approval by the Board, except as provided in Board Orders
adopted by the Board. Regulations, rules, and Board Orders of the CSB
may be approved, amended, rescinded, or revoked only by a majority vote
of the Board. In the event that the Board consists of only a single
Member (whether the Chairperson or another Member), that single Member
may not approve, amend, rescind, or revoke any regulation, rule, or
Board Order of the CSB.
(2) [Reserved]
(b) Voting. The Board votes on items of business in meetings
conducted pursuant to the Government in the Sunshine Act.
Alternatively, whenever a Member of the Board is of the opinion that
joint deliberation among the members of the Board upon any matter at a
meeting is unnecessary in light of the nature of the matter,
impracticable, or would impede the orderly disposition of agency
business, such matter may be disposed of by employing notation voting
procedures. A written notation of the vote of each participating
Board member shall be recorded by the General Counsel who shall
retain it in the records of the Board. If a Board member votes to
calendar a notation item in accordance with applicable Board Orders,
the Board must consider the calendared notation item at a public
meeting of the Board within 60 days of the date on which the item is
calendared. This section does not permit a notation item to be
calendared other than as provided in applicable Board Orders. A
notation vote to schedule a public meeting or a special meeting may not
be calendared. The Chairperson shall add any calendared notation item
to the agenda for the next CSB public meeting if one is to occur within
60 days or schedule a special meeting to consider any calendared
notation item no later than 60 days from the calendar action. Any
disagreement about whether a notation item has been calendared
effectively in accordance with applicable Board Orders shall be decided
by the Board.
(c) Public meetings and agendas. The Chairperson, or in the absence
of a chairperson, a member designated by the Board, shall schedule a
minimum of four public meetings per year, which may be in person or
virtual.
(1) Agenda. The Chairperson, or in the absence of a chairperson, a
member designated by the Board, shall be responsible for preparation of
a final meeting agenda. The final agenda may not differ in substance
from the items published in the Sunshine Act notice for that meeting.
Any member may submit agenda items related to CSB business for
consideration at any public
[[Page 54244]]
meeting in accordance with applicable Board Orders, and the Chairperson
shall include such items on the agenda. At a minimum, each public
meeting shall include consideration and vote on any notation items
calendared since the date of the last public meeting.
(2) Publication of agenda information. The Chairperson shall be
responsible for posting information related to any agenda item that is
appropriate for public release on the CSB website.
Sec. 1600.6 [Removed]
0
7. Remove Sec. 1600.6.
Dated: November 24, 2025.
Steven Messer,
Acting General Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2025-21215 Filed 11-25-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6350-01-P
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