Environmentalists: Obama’s pick for director to oversee coal mining is strongly opposed

September 11, 6:40 PM
Seattle Environmental Policy Examiner
Jean Williams

The Center for Biological Diversity has stepped up as the leader in this growing opposition via a Thursday press release that strongly opposed the nomination of Joseph Pizarchik as director of the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement because of his dismal environmental record.

As director of the Bureau of Mining and Reclamation in the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Mr. Pizarchik consistently made decisions that benefited industry at the expense of the environment and communities living in mining areas.

The press release from the Center goes on to say: Mr. Pizarchik’s environmental record includes advocating for unsafe disposal of toxic coal ash, disregarding the scientific evidence concerning coal-ash pollution, weakening stream buffer-zone rules, promoting valley fills, and downplaying the devastation caused by long-wall mining. Moreover, his agency has failed to meet legal requirements to prevent water pollution and has attempted to block citizens from obtaining information under public record laws.

“Given the environmental crisis our country faces, we can’t afford to have someone in this position with a record of consistently downplaying the devastating effects of coal mining and coal ash on the environment,” said Tierra Curry, biologist at the Center for Biological Diversity.

There have been several candidates under consideration in the past six months.

According to an article in the Charleston Gazette: the last public word from the White House or the Interior Department about the OSMRE job came in late April, when Interior staffers claimed the administration had “cast a very wide net” for OSMRE candidates. Those comments came after various citizen groups, along with Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, criticized Obama for offering the job to Glenda Owens, a longtime Interior Department employee whose background — reported in detail in Coal Tattoo — didn’t exactly show she was all that interested in cracking down on coal industry abuses.

The Mountain Watershed Association, an environmentally conscious group from Pennsylvania, has also voiced their concern in a letter to their state senator.

The letter says (in part):

We do not believe this is a good choice as several environmentally dangerous policies have been expanded under his watch. One of these is the practice of burying power plant waste in unlined pits, sometimes in old mines, creating contamination in groundwater.

Spokeswoman for Black Mesa Water Coalition, Wahleah Johns, had this to say about the candidate in an urgent alert to speak out against the nomination:

We are hoping that you join the effort to oppose Joseph Pizarchik’s nomination for Office of Surface Mining (OSM) Director. Apparently, Pizarchik has a track record of favoring coal companies and ignoring community environmental concerns. Here in the southwest we are frightened by his nomination because this means more desecration of our natural landscapes for coal mining and testing grounds for future CCS (carbon capture sequestration) projects. OSM is in charge of approving coal mining permits across the country. And OSM’s structure for approving mining permit needs to undergo serious change, the standards and code books for OSM are so outdated. In addition, their process for approval does not have to inform commmunity folks or ask for permission to bomb lands in our backyards.

President Obama made the promise that he would appoint people in his administration that would make decisions based on sound science, not politics. So far, his choices have received mixed reviews from the environmental community. Especially, regarding the choice of Ken Salazar for Secretary of Interior, who has made very controversial decisions on endangered wildlife, pertaining to polar bears and Northern Rockies gray wolves.

Next week is Joseph Pizarchik confirmation by the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. To voice your concern, please consider contacting your senator and send a message that President Obama needs to keep his promise and carefully reconsider this choice.

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