“House Energy and Commerce lawmakers on both sides of the aisle yesterday grilled the lone board member of a small but key federal agency plagued by controversy.
Democrats largely queried Lemos on current struggles. The board is tasked with probing chemical disasters and crises, many of them deadly and a threat to the environment. CSB has endured fire from the right and left over its pace and efficiency, but with a shortage of investigators and board members, the agency has faced a mounting backlog.
Those problems have been compounded by other, more recent developments. In May, the group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility released receipts showing Lemos had spent tens of thousands of dollars on expenses ranging from travel to furniture. PEER argued the spending flew in the face of caps put in place for federal officials (E&E News PM, May 11).”
