The House Natural Resources Committee has confirmed that Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) Director Joseph Pizarchik will testify at a July 19^th oversight hearing on the status of the Department of the Interior’s rewrite of a 2008 coal regulation that could cost thousands of jobs and economic harm in 22 states, as well as the failure of the Department to respond to Congressional subpoenas for documents on the rewrite. Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) invited Director Pizarchik and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar last week.

“The Committee expects answers at this hearing,” said Chairman Hastings. “The Department has largely stonewalled the Committee’s investigation into the Administration’s highly unorthodox and questionable rulemaking process that could leave thousands of hardworking Americans unemployed. Director Pizarchik should be prepared to fully and completely answer questions regarding the Department’s refusal to comply with the two subpoenas for documents, the current status of the rulemaking, and the Department’s failure to abide by its voluntary court settlement agreement to complete the rule rewrite by the end of last month.”

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