One of the Bay Area’s leading proponents of oil refinery oversight is pushing back against the Trump administration’s latest effort to scrap the federal agency that investigates chemical disasters, including fires and explosions.

Democratic Rep. Mark DeSaulnier , whose Contra Costa County district includes three major refineries, said the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board — known as CSB — serves a critical role in protecting the public health and safety of communities that live and work near refineries and chemical plants.

The independent oversight board “has people who are dedicated to understanding these very complex facilities, and go in and provide the best information to make sure that they’re safe,” DeSaulnier told KQED. “This is a small but mighty agency that

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