After calling just about everyone who works in the United States Government, it sounds to me like the committee in charge of the MSHA appointments is the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee. Now, they won’t meet again until next year. Senators Frist and Jeffords are retiring, and DeWine is losing BADLY in the polls to Democrat Sherrod Brown. So the makeup will be slightly different.

Also note that a Democratically controlled Senate would mean that Senator Kennedy would chair this committee and we would almost certainly see Stickler tossed out in a nanosecond.

Nevertheless…I am calling each of these Senators to demand that there is an immediate hearing about the still un-approved Senate nomination of Richard Stickler to head MSHA upon the re-convening of the United States Senate. It is their job as Senators to vote on Presidential appointments. Ask them to follow through on this duty as soon as they have an oppurtunity.

Republicans on the HELP Committee (by rank)
1. Michael Enzi (WY)
(202) 224-3424

2. Judd Gregg (NH)
(202) 224-3324

3. Bill Frist (TN)
(202) 224-3344

4. Lamar Alexander (TN)
(202) 224-4944

5. Richard Burr (NC)
(202) 224-3154

6. Johnny Isakson (GA)
(202) 224-3643

7. Mike DeWine (OH)
(202) 224-2315

8. John Ensign (NV)
(202) 224-6244

9. Orrin Hatch (UT)
(202) 224-5251

10. Jeff Sessions (AL)
(202) 224-4124

11. Pat Roberts (KS)
(202) 224-4774

Democrats on the HELP Committee (by rank)
1. Edward Kennedy (MA)
(202) 224-4543

2. Cristopher Dodd (CT)
(202) 224-2823

3. Tom Harkin (IA)
(202) 224-3254

4. Barbara Mikulski (MD)
(202) 224-4654

5. Jim Jeffords (VT)
(202) 224-5141

6. Jeff Bingaman (NM)
(202) 224-5521

7. Patty Murray (WA)
(202) 224-2621

8. Jack Reed (RI)
(202) 224-4642

9. Hillary Clinton (NY)
(202) 224-4451