The impacts of the government shutdown are already being felt in Louisville after a chemical plant explosion on Wednesday.
The explosion and fire happened inside Carbide Industries at 4400 Bells Lane in Rubbertown. The company says it is the largest producer of calcium carbide in North America.
No injuries have been reported, however an investigation into the cause remains ongoing. The chemical plant has history of serious incidents.
The Chemical Safety Board, which is an extension of the Clean Air Act, is responsible for independently investigating chemical incidents to prevent future harm.
When approached for comment on the explosion, the Chemical Safety Board spokesperson said they have been furloughed due to the government shutdown.
Tuesday night’s budget bill in Congress intended to cut the board’s $14 million budget, which would see the board cease operations in 2026.
President Donald Trump said the Chemical Safety Board was a redundancy in agencies like the EPA and OSHA, despite also cutting those agencies’ funding.
It is unclear which agency will handle these types of investigations if, or when, the Chemical Safety Board is disbanded.
Source: WHAS11
You must be logged in to post a comment.