On November 18, 2011, Steve Gardner and Joe Zaluski of ECSI testified before the House Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources regarding the Office of Surface Mining’s (OSM) draft environmental impact statement (EIS) for the stream protection rule.  ECSI was one of the subcontractors who worked on the draft EIS. In addition to verbal testimony, ECSI has provided comments to the subcommittee in the form of written testimony and supporting documentation.

ECSI believes it may be contractually bound to not disclose any additional information outside of the documentation supplied to the subcommittee conducting the Congressional Inquiry.  Therefore, ECSI will not make additional comments on this matter. 

The main purpose of the hearing was to hear testimony on four bills designed to create jobs, including a bill by Rep. Bill Johnson (OH) called the “Coal Miner Employment and Domestic Energy Infrastructure Protection Act” (H.R.3409) which would prevent OSM from issuing any new proposed or final regulations that lower coal miner employment or coal production for the next two years.  Video of the hearing and copies of Gardner and Zaluski’s written testimony can be downloaded from the links provided below:

Gardner Written Testimony
Zaluski Written Testimony
Video Archive of Gardner and Zaluski's Testimony
OSM Director Pizarchik Written Testimony
Video Archive of Pizarchik's Testimony