US safety board warns of hurricane threat to chemical facilities
By 
Rebecca Trager2023-08-29T13:30:00
US Federal Energy Reculatory Commission overlooked hurricane threat in guidance governing transmission system planning requirements
The chairman of the US Chemical Safety Board (CSB) has warned that hurricanes and high winds could ‘significantly impact’ the US bulk-power system and trigger the release of hazardous chemicals if facilities lose power. In a letter to the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) last month, CSB chair Steve Owens urges FERC’s acting chairman Willie Phillips to move quickly to address these types of extreme weather events.
Owens notes that the CSB has in recent years investigated two serious chemical releases that were caused or made worse by loss of power during hurricanes.