One day a dozen years ago in Texas City, a massive explosion at the BP refinery killed 15 people and injured more than 180 workers. As flames and thick black smoke belched into the sky, helicopters flying out of the disaster scene ferried burn victims to UTMB Galveston and ambulances racing through the streets rushed injured patients to local hospitals.

The fateful chain of events that triggered the Texas City catastrophe was later documented in an authoritative report prepared by the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, the federal agency charged with investigating industrial accidents. The CSB not only recommended changes to BP's safety culture, it also offered suggestions that have since been adopted throughout the petrochemical industry.

Nobody needs to tell those of us who live along the Texas Gulf Coast about the importance of industrial safety. Now we need our representatives in Washington to get the message.

President Trump's proposed budget earlier this year startled workers, executives and other petrochemical business experts when it called for eliminating the CSB. After a wave of criticism from people working in the industry, an appropriations bill released by a House of Representatives subcommittee this week suggested restoring the CSB's funding. But it's far from a done deal, and our elected officials in the nation's capital need to make sure this crucial safety board survives.

The reason is obvious to anybody who takes a moment to research the important job this little known government body performs. We're not talking about some regulatory agency run amok. The CSB doesn't issue regulations, it issues recommendations. And we literally have no idea how many lives it has saved.

The CSB does for the chemical industry what the National Transportation Safety Board does for the airline business. Just as the NTSB investigates airline crashes and makes recommendations to prevent future accidents, the CSB probes industrial mishaps and gives people in the chemical business suggestions on how they can avoid repeating the same mistakes.

The Houston Chronicle's "Chemical Breakdown" investigation last year showed how agencies involved in the petrochemical industry are already overwhelmed, with too few resources to adequately oversee facilities handling hazardous materials. As a result, the industry largely polices itself. That makes the reports the CSB produces all the more important.

What's more, this board is one of those rare government entities that can brag it's a bargain. With a staff of fewer than 40 people, it employs fewer workers than a Costco store. Its annual budget of about $12 million is a tiny investment in preventing industrial accidents that can literally cost billions of dollars and, more important, save countless lives.

One chemical safety consultant told the Chronicle that gutting the CSB would be "standing up for death and destruction." Others warn that killing this board will come back to haunt lawmakers every time pictures of deadly petrochemical plant fires flash onto television screens.

Anybody who's ever worked at a petrochemical plant understands that safety is the absolute top priority. To ensure that, we're counting on our elected representatives in Congress - especially U.S. Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz - to support full funding of the CSB.