Joseph Pizarchik

Director, Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement

Joseph Pizarchik is the 10th Director of the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement.

Prior to joining OSMRE, Mr. Pizarchik served more than 17 years with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP), rising to Assistant Director in the Bureau of Regulatory Counsel before his appointment as Director of the Bureau of Mining and Reclamation. While at PADEP, he co-authored Pennsylvania’s Environmental Good Samaritan Act, helped develop Pennsylvania’s program for volunteers to clean up abandoned coal refuse sites and provided key legal support in the development of Pennsylvania’s program for mine operators to establish trust funds to meet their financial obligation to perpetually treat the discharges caused by their mining. Mr. Pizarchik is also credited with helping clear the way for the sale of private mining property to the Families of Flight 93 to enable the construction of the memorial.

Mr. Pizarchik began his public service working as legal counsel with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, dealing with contracts, mass transit, aviation, contractor qualifications, and minority business enterprises. The product of a rural Pennsylvania farm, Mr. Pizarchik’s experience with mining began early, as family members worked in the coal industry. Mr. Pizarchik earned a B.A. from the Pennsylvania State University and a law degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Law.

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DOI News Release
Getting to Know Joe

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