Stop the Big Coal Shill Obama Nominated to Regulate Coal Mining

Taylor Shelton calls our attention to the latest apologist for corporate pillage and rape being proposed for the Obama administration:

This just in from Kentuckians for the Commonwealth:

Despite recent good news about enforcement of water quality laws, we need your help to prevent a disturbing step backwards in the enforcement of our nation’s surface mining laws.

As early as Tuesday, September 15, a committee in the U.S. Senate will decide whether to confirm Joseph Pizarchik as director of the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement. KFTC believes that Pizarchik is not the right person for this position.

This guy has repeatedly attempted to stifle the debate over mountaintop removal's harmful consequences to Appalachian communities by writing off citizen concern over environmental health and the safety of their communities, ignored the warnings about the dangers of valley fills for clean water supplies and catered to big coal at every turn.

You can take action to oppose Pizarchik’s confirmation and demand that the Obama administration choose a better candidate with no ties to the coal industry and no history of undermining the law.

Please call Senator Jim Bunning (R-KY) at (202) 224-4343 and Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) at (202) 224-5521. Both serve on the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee. Senator Bingaman is the chair of this committee. You can also send an electronic message to either of these senators by visiting the U.S. Senate website (www.senate.gov) and clicking on the senator’s name or state. (For a full list of committee members click here.)

Message: Please oppose the confirmation of Joseph Pizarchik as the next director of the federal Office of Surface Mining. I urge you to demand the appointment of an OSM leader with no ties to the coal industry and no history of undermining laws meant to protect our land, water and people.

I'd just add that this is exactly the kind of appointee the repugs and Blue Dogs in the Senate are likely to swiftly approve, thus giving themselves cover on the good nominees like Dawn Johnsen that they continue to block.