Editorial: Clairton Coke Works investigation demands safety board continue to exist

The explosion at U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works is one of those massive incidents that require a careful, methodical review.

The collapse of the Fern Hollow Bridge occurred Jan. 28, 2022. The final report from the National Transportation Safety Board was issued March 22, 2024. The Federal Railroad Administration’s final report on the February 2023 Norfolk Southern derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, was relatively speedy, coming in July 2024.

The more complicated the moving parts, the longer it can take for federal authorities to reverse-engineer the events and come up with a cause.

For the Clairton explosion, which claimed two lives and injured 10 more people, the investigation will be conducted by the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB).

The facility has a lot of moving parts. It is 392 acres in area. It manufactures coke, taking coal and turning it into a purer and more potent form of fuel. It is not just the largest coking operation in the U.S., it’s the largest on the continent. On any given day, there could be almost 1,300 employees on the property.

Compare that to the Fern Hollow collapse. The bridge was less than 150 yards long. The collapse involved just five vehicles, 10 injuries and no deaths. Its moving parts weren’t the bomblike potential of the fuel but the long fuse of years of bureaucratic neglect.

The CSB’s investigation could take up to two years.

Unfortunately, the CSB may not exist for that long.

The federal government normally budgets about $14 million for the agency. Since 2020, there have been 500 incidents reported, which might average about $140,000 per investigation. The math is actually much different, however, because only the biggest get a full-blown investigation. Clairton is one of those biggest events.

The federal fiscal year starts in October. Under a White House proposal, the CSB has no budget after Sept. 30.

That may change. President Donald Trump attempted to cut funds to the agency in his first term without success. It has been one of the instances where lawmakers and even corporations see the value in an investigatory body.

CSB’s recommendations after an investigation have no teeth. It can’t force anything. Nonetheless, industry will often follow those recommendations.

“They have no interest in their plants blowing up,” said Jordan Barab, a former CSB official.

By the same token, lawmakers may recognize that safer industrial properties have no downside. Congress has no proposals to eliminate the CSB budget. At worst, the House would lower it to $8 million. The Senate would keep it as is.

That leaves the months or years of investigation into the Clairton explosion moving forward on an uncertain path — and that’s not good for anyone.

“Preliminary indications lead us to believe that the explosion happened when flushing a gas valve in preparation for planned maintenance,” U.S. Steel said in a statement Friday.

Does the CSB agree?

“This is a very serious incident that fatally injured two people and put others at serious risk. It should not have happened and potentially could have been prevented,” said CSB Board Member Sylvia Johnson in a release.

The difference between those two statements is why a complete, detailed investigation is needed — and for that to happen, the CSB needs to continue to function.