WASHINGTON -- Several hundred e-mails and letters flooded Sen. Jeff Bingaman's office to denounce a Pennsylvania mining official's appointment to a federal post.

But despite the outcry from environmental groups, Mr. Bingaman, D-N.M., chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, decided to give Joseph Pizarchik "the benefit of the doubt."

He moved Mr. Pizarchik's nomination to be director of the U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement with a voice vote yesterday from 12 senators. Mr. Pizarchik now must be confirmed by the full Senate.

Sens. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who did not attend the meeting, objected to the nomination, siding with environmental groups who attacked Mr. Pizarchik's record with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, where he has served as the director of the Bureau of Mining and Reclamation.

In a missive typical of environmentalist criticisms, Jan Jarrett, head of PennFuture, wrote in a letter to Mr. Bingaman that "though Mr. Pizarchik formally entertains the views of coalfield residents, sporting organizations, and environmental and community groups, very rarely do those views prevail against industry lobbying or cause significant deviation from a forechosen path."

Environmental groups accused Mr. Pizarchik of pushing a policy to dump coal ash in Pennsylvania mines despite evidence that it contaminates groundwater, among other pro-mining policies.

Mr. Bingaman said he felt that those criticisms were addressed at Mr. Pizarchik's confirmation hearing in August, as well as in follow-up correspondence to the committee.

"I'm not dismissing or diminishing any of the concerns that were raised," Mr. Bingaman said in a statement before calling for the vote.

"I share many of those concerns, but I don't agree that all these problems can be laid at Mr. Pizarchik's door. As I read the record before us, Mr. Pizarchik has been a conscientious public servant who has done his best to serve the public interest and implement the laws that others have enacted and I do not think it fair to vilify him for the shortcomings in laws passed by Pennsylvania's General Assembly, or the laws we've passed here in Washington."

Mr. Pizarchik, who worked at DEP in various positions since 1991, was selected for the post by President Barack Obama and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar in July. The Department of the Interior did not make Mr. Pizarchik available for comment, as his nomination still is pending.

"Secretary Salazar believes in Joe Pizarchik," said Interior Department spokeswoman Kendra Barkoff.

"He believes he's a dedicated public servant who has vast experience in coal production and has great insight into how the industry works as a whole, who will also protect the environment at the same time. The Secretary has full confidence in Joe and looks forward to him coming to work."

Washington correspondent Daniel Malloy writes the "Pittsburgh On The Potomac" blog exclusively at PG+, a members-only web site of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.