Obama’s chemical agency chief resigns under pressure

The embattled chairman of the Chemical Safety Board resigned late Thursday after President Obama asked him to step down, a White House official said.

Obama sought Rafael Moure-Eraso’s resignation after intense pressure from both Republicans and Democrats in Congress following numerous allegations that he broke the law and was an ineffective, dysfunctional and hostile leader.

{mosads}“It has been a privilege to serve the agency since June 2010,” Moure-Eraso said in an email to employees.

“My wishes are for the continued success and productivity of the board,” he continued. “Good luck to the board and the staff in all your projects at the CSB. I am forever grateful for the hard work of the agency that has led to so many successes over the past five years.”

The White House started to tell lawmakers Wednesday evening that Obama would seek Moure-Eraso’s resignation.

Moure-Eraso’s detractors say that he illegally conducted official business on private email accounts, retaliated against whistleblowers with the CSB, tried to shut down dissent, acted to consolidate the board’s power within his position and lied to Congress, among other allegations.

Under his leadership, the CSB, which investigates chemical incidents, earned the title of the worst place to work in the federal government among agencies its size.

Members of the House Oversight Committee have asked Moure-Eraso to step down since at least June 2014 and held three hearings on his leadership, most recently earlier this month.

Leaders of the Environment and Public Works Committee, who have also sought Moure-Eraso’s removal, cheered the news and thanked Obama.

“During his time serving a chairman, we believe he violated his oath of office and violated the law,” Sens. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) said in a statement. “Moure-Eraso’s leadership created an environment of dysfunction within the agency and it was no longer operating with credibility in conducting meaningful investigations of industrial incidents,” they said.