Washington – President Donald Trump on Sept. 2 nominated former mining executive David Zatezalo to be assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health.
Currently, Wayne Palmer is acting head of the agency.
Zatezalo’s career in the mining industry spans almost 40 years. Before retiring in 2014, Zatezalo was president and CEO of Rhino Resources GP LCC. He earned a mining engineering degree from West Virginia University in 1977, and later an MBA from Ohio University.
In a statement issued in response to Zatezalo’s nomination, United Mine Workers of America President Cecil Roberts said miners’ safety and health is “MSHA’s first and only priority,” adding, “It is my hope that Mr. Zatezalo will take the tough stance on enforcement that is needed to rein in the rising level of serious injuries and fatalities.”
