Let Them East Coal Ash: OSM Nominee Pizarchik Must be...

[katty]

Stopped Now

Jeff Biggers Author, The United States of Appalachia
Posted: August 6, 2009 02:47 PM

more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeff-biggers/let-them-eat-coal-ash-osm_b_253117.html

With so many qualified candidates for the directorship of the important Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, why is the Obama administration nominating a controversial advocate for coal ash dumping, who also admits he still needs to learn more about the even more controversial and huge issue of mountaintop removal?

After eight years of rogue mining operators and Bush-era administrators, and reckless mining regulatory oversights, and with the shipwrecked OSM agency in desperate need of a makeover, the OSM nomination of Joseph G. Pizarchik, the seemingly good-natured and well-meaning Pennsylvania Director of the Bureau of Mining and Reclamation, is a colossal error.

While invoking his hardworking southwestern PA family farm credentials in a touching manner at the US Senate nomination hearing today, Pizarchik made two extraordinary admissions:

In the face of overwhelming scientific evidence to the contrary, and the continual fall out over last December's TVA coal ash tragedy, and against the current move by Lisa Jackson and the EPA for greater regulatory oversight, Pizarchik defiantly touted his state's dumping of coal ash at strip mine sites and openly denied scientific evidence of coal ash pollution.

In the face of 38 years of reports and studies on the devastating impact of mountaintop removal in his neighboring state of West Virginia, under mining policies that even his future Department of Interior boss Ken Salazar said have "failed to protect our communities,

[Tansy_Gold]

1. Then I look to Salazar to speak out against this nomination. . . .

yeah, right. In my dreams.

This administration is becoming a total cluster fuck. And before someone comes along and says no criticism is allowed in the transition period first 100 days first six months first year first term I'm saying the time to criticize is NOW.

We've seen far too many really horrible appointments in this administration. A few good ones, but they do not go far enough to outweigh the catastrophes.

And this one looks like a real doozy of a catastrophe in the making.



Tansy Gold, who would like to see this nomination rejected but supposes it will be/has been confirmed without a whisper of protest

[katty]

2. it is so disheartening, why in the world wld Obama even

consider this guy?

[Desperadoe]

3. More bad news

Mountain Top Removal and Surface Mining Actions News
US Senate Urged to Withdraw Nomination of DEP’s Pizarchik for Surface Mining Office
Previous appointments to key environmental positions in the Obama administration have been generally applauded by environmental groups. Until now!

Over the objection of coal-field activists, Joseph G. Pizarchik has been nominated by the administration to the office of Director of the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement. Under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977, this office in the Department of the Interior is responsible for protecting citizens and the environment during coal mining and the restoration of the land when surface mining is finished. That covers a lot of mining in Appalachia and the West.<snip>

<snip>Mr. Pizarchik is well known to coal activists in Pennsylvania. Since 2002, he has been Director of the Bureau of Mining and Reclamation within the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).<snip>

<snip•Mr. Pizarchik joined with the Bush Administration in attempting to prevent citizens from obtaining information under the Freedom of Information Act.<snip>



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