MSHA chief update: Senate panel set to vote next week

The U.S. Senate’s Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions announcedtoday that it expects to take a vote next week on the nomination of JoeMain to serve as President Obama’s assistant secretary of labor incharge of the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration.

Interestingly, the HELP Committee meetingis listed as an “Executive Session,” as opposed to a confirmationhearing. The committee has decided not to hold any sort ofconfirmation hearing. Main won’t be making a statement, and senatorswon’t be asking him any questions about how he plans to run the agencyin charge of protecting the safety and health of the nation’s coalminers.

Main is the retired longtime director of the United Mine Workers of America’s health and safety department. More background in this previous post. Thanks to Ellen Smith of Mine Safety and Health News, who pointed the Senate meeting notice out to me.