OSM Director Joe Pizarchik Visits West Virginia on Fact Finding and Listening Tour

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OFFICE OF SURFACE MINING RECLAMATION AND ENFORCEMENT

REGULATING COAL MINES

RECLAIMING ABANDONED MINE LANDS

APPLYING SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

OSM Director Joe Pizarchik Visits West Virginia
on Fact Finding and Listening Tour

OSM Director Joe Pizarchik is spending a few days in the nation’s second largest coal producing state, West Virginia. While there, he is meeting with OSM field officials, state and federal officials and interested parties. What follows are a few photos from his travels during the week of January 18th.


Director Pizarchik met with staff members from the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection. L-R, Director Pizarchik, Tom Clarke, WVDEP Mining Director, two WVDEP staff members. (Photo: Holmes, OSM)		Director Pizarchik met with staff members from the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection. (Photo: Holmes, OSM)


During a break in the briefing, the Secretary of West Virginia’s DEP, Randy Huffman, dropped in to say a quick hello and welcome to Director Joe Pizarchik. (Photo: Holmes, OSM)		WV Mining Director Tom Clarke explains the particular of a draft reclamation plan to Director Pizarchik. (Photo: Holmes, OSM)


Despite gloomy weather and intermittent rain, Director Pizarchik asked to see a reclaimed mine. This is one of the gorges inside the old Jack’s Branch site, one of the first surface mines in West Virginia from the 1970’s. (Photo: Holmes, OSM)		WV Mining Director Tom Clarke (L) talks about the reclaimed site to OSM’s Tom Shope (c) and Director Pizarchik. (Photo: Holmes, OSM)


Tom Clarke, Director Pizarchik and OSM’s Roger Calhoun listen to another part of the Jack’s Branch briefing. (Photo: Holmes, OSM)