[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 186 (Tuesday, November 14, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S7186]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      NOMINATION OF DAVID ZATEZALO

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, in addition to the other work being 
done by the committees, the Senate is continuing to confirm qualified 
and talented nominees sent to us by the President. Yesterday we 
confirmed an important official for the Department of Transportation, 
and today we will confirm another.
  Then, we will advance the nomination of David Zatezalo to serve as 
the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health, a position 
of particular importance in my home State of Kentucky, where mining 
supports thousands of good jobs.
  Mr. Zatezalo has spent a lifetime working in the mining industry. He 
began as an underground coal miner and worked his way up through the 
ranks to most recently lead a mining company based in Lexington, KY. He 
knows about various levels of the business, which would be an important 
asset as he works with operators, miners, and inspectors to ensure that 
mining operations are safe for our Nation's mine workers.
  Having begun his career as a coal miner himself and having later 
managed and operated a number of mines, Mr. Zatezalo has a keen 
understanding of the challenges and risks sometimes associated with 
mining. This firsthand experience will serve him well in his new role. 
As Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health, Mr. 
Zatezalo will be given the responsibility to reduce workplace accidents 
and promote safe and healthy workplaces for miners.
  I strongly support his nomination to serve in this role, and I would 
ask my colleagues to join me in advancing this nomination.

                          ____________________