Mine Faked Safety Logs Before Fatal Blast

"We also endure a Mine Safety and Health Administration that seeks power over coal miners versus improving their safety and their health. As someone who has overseen the mining of more coal than anyone else in the history of central Appalachia, I know that the safety and health of coal miners is my most important job. I don’t need Washington politicians to tell me that, and neither do you. But I also know — I also know Washington and state politicians have no idea how to improve miner safety. The very idea that they care more about coal miner safety than we do is as silly as global warming".

If any of you have been asked by your group presidents, your supervisors, engineers or anyone else to do anything other than run coal (i.e., build overcasts, do construction jobs, or whatever) you need to ignore them and run coal.

When groundwater pollution from coal slurry injection by Massey Energy, began contaminating wells around Blankenship's home, Massey paid to build a water line to his home from a neighboring town. Blankenship did not offer to provide uncontaminated water to any of his neighbors.

Blankenship sponsored a tea party-inspired Labor Day Friends of America rally featuring Fox News star Sean Hannity and country singer Hank Williams Jr. In a video, the CEO invited people to come and learn "how environmental extremists and corporate America are both trying to destroy your job."

Blankenship convicted of misdemeanor conspiracy


Charleston, W.Va. • Former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship was convicted Thursday of a misdemeanor count connected to a deadly coal mine explosion and acquitted of more serious charges.

A federal jury in West Virginia convicted Blankenship of conspiring to willfully violate mine safety standards. The misdemeanor charge carries up to one year in prison.

He was acquitted of a more serious conspiracy charge that could have netted five years in prison. He was also acquitted of making false statements and securities fraud.

Blankenship was charged with conspiring to break safety laws and defrauding mine regulators at West Virginia's Upper Big Branch Mine, and lying to financial regulators and investors about safety. The mine exploded in 2010, killing 29 men

...Judy Jones Petersen, whose brother Dean Jones died in the Upper Big Branch explosion, said she felt vindicated by the verdict and directed a scathing comment at Blankenship: "Although you may not be judged responsible by the courts of this land, you are guilty. The blood of these 29 people is on your hands."

Asked for a comment after the trial, Blankenship just winked. Only a wink, he was asked?

"Just a wink and a nod," he said, citing a phrase used by the defense to debunk the conspiracy notion. Then he laughed

"andyt" said
Yeah, those bloody unions would just get in there and make trouble. We don't need them anymore because safety standards are now adhered to by all employers. And anyway, ff the only way an owner can operate a mine profitably is by ignoring safety standards then he should be allowed to do so. If the workers don't like it, they should go back to school and get better jobs.

"BeaverFever" said
Of note: This was a non-Union mine so while workers often complained of safety hazards, they had no means for their concerns to be heard by the company.

"OnTheIce" said


BTW, your link doesn't work.

Union-based industrial companies have accidents as well. Let's not pretend that union shops are accident free.