Friends of the Earth Opposes Obama Nominee for Office of Surface Mining

Friends of the Earth opposes the nomination of Joseph G. Pizarchik to become Director of the federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement. This office, located in the Department of the Interior, holds important regulatory authority over the devastating practice of mountaintop removal coal mining, in which mountaintops are blown to pieces, filling valleys, polluting rivers and streams, and harming local economies. Unfortunately, Pizarchik’s record as a coal regulator in Pennsylvania leaves much to be desired. He has a history of siding with polluting corporations, and he was instrumental in creating one of the nations largest waste dumping programs — a program that was later found to be missing safeguards necessary to protect water supplies from coal ash. Learn more about Friends of the Earth’s opposition to this nomination by reading our letter (PDF) to Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), who chairs the Senate committee that will consider the nomination.