Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship...

[Nbadan]

...is a rabid tea-cupper, anti-environmental, the 'govt is coming to get your guns and job' nut...

Massey Energy & Don Blankenship: Million-dollar Tea Party sponsors

Meet Don Blankenship, CEO of Massey Energy Company. Blankenship is also on the Board of Directors of the US Chamber of Commerce. In this speech above, he denies climate change, derisively refers to Speaker Pelosi, Senator Reid, and others as "greeniacs", and calls them all crazy. Watch the speech, you'll see. In his mind, "the greeniacs are taking over the world."

Massey Energy Company, Blankenship's highly successful strip-mining and mountaintop removal operation is the parent company of Performance Coal Co, where a tragic explosion occurred on April 5th. As of this writing, 25 miners have died and 4 more are still missing. Twenty-five families are without a loved one. Four more may discover they have lost someone they love too. 29 families in all, forever changed by one single, violent event in a coal mine. One single violent event in a coal mine run by a company so obsessed with profit it runs roughshod over employees' and neighbors' health and safety.

Here's something else about Don Blankenship and Massey Energy Company: Blankenship spent over $1 million dollars along with other US Chamber buddies like Verizon to sponsor last year's Labor Day Tea Party, also known as the "Friends of America Rally."http://friendsofamericarally.com/sponsors / Here's Massey's pitch. Note how he makes it sound like he isn't one of the corporate enemies of America.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiAc5IVXI7g&feature=rela...

The Friends of America Rally featured such notables as Sean Hannity, Ted Nugent, and Hank Williams, Jr., and was graced by Blankenship himself going off on a diatribe that seemed strange at the time, but has come to be commonplace these days. It concerned President Obama, Democrats, and any one who doesn't salute God, coal, and apple pie. Oh, and we're also going to 'steal their jobs,' if Hannity is to be believed.

Blankenship and Massey Energy spend millions to defend unsafe workplaces

Crooks and Liars

Massey's goon squads have beaten"would be" union organizers with axe handles, they've threatened families and used false accusation and innuendo to run whole families out of mining towns. Blankenship is not a good guy, in any measure of the word. In Blankenship's world, mine safety is something to be marginalized because it interferes with profit. Legal regulation is something to be openly derided. In the land of King Coal, Massey rules the roost and Blankenship is outright royalty. He owns--to one degree or another--just about any politician of note wherever he does business.

[FromWayDowntown]

Massey Coal substantially underwrote the campaign of a candidate for the West Virginia Supreme Court a few years back while it was embroiled in litigation with another business. When the case (which at that point had been distilled into a judgment requiring Massey to pay substantial damages) reached the West Virginia Supreme Court, the chosen candidate refused to recuse himself and voted to reverse the judgment against Massey. That decision was challenged in the Supreme Court of the United States, which found that such a massively-funded candidate/judge should not be permitted to sit on a case that involved his benefactor.

You could get the impression that Massey was willing to do just about anything to win and/or to save money. Politics aside, it would hardly be surprising to learn that Massey was doing everything possible to cut corners with regard to miner safety (doing the bare minimum, if even that). It's de able, no matter the political stripe of the actors involved.

[Winehole23]

Politics aside, it would hardly be surprising to learn that Massey was doing everything possible to cut corners with regard to miner safety (doing the bare minimum, if even that). It's de able, no matter the political stripe of the actors involved.

"They placed profits over safety repeatedly," said Tonya L. Hatfield, a lawyer in the coal-mining town of Gilbert, W.Va., who has sued Massey in cases over a 2006 fire at the Aracoma mine, where 12 miners were trapped and two died. In that case the company agreed to pay $2.5 million in criminal fines. The fine, when combined with $1.5 million in civil penalties, was apparently the largest ever imposed in a coal-mining death case.


"Aracoma's conduct in this case is clear and uncontroverted," said Logan Circuit Judge Roger L. Perry, as reported by two local papers. "Given the voluntary admissions of guilt, it is clear not only that Aracoma acted with deliberate intent regarding the unsafe working conditions in its coal mine, it acted with criminal intent."

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/apr...ing7-2010apr07

[Winehole23]

In 2007, the operator of Massey's White Buck mine in West Virginia was fined $50,000 for a criminal mine safety violation and a shift foreman was given a year of probation after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of not performing safety examinations. As part of a plea agreement, prosecutors dropped a felony complaint that the company had falsified records to indicate that pre-shift safety reviews had been conducted.

[Winehole23]

Massey's Aracoma mine continues to have numerous safety violations, with 316 cited in the last year.


The Upper Big Branch, where Monday's disaster occurred, was cited for 515 violations in 2009 and 124 so far this year, federal statistics show. The company was cited, among other things, for allowing combustible coal dust to ac ulate.


Labor Department records show that before Monday, three workers have been killed at the mine in the last 12 years. A worker was electrocuted in 2003, another died after a roof collapse in 2001, and a third died when a beam collapsed in 1998.


Asked about the firm's safety record, West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin III said Tuesday that the company was within federal safety tolerance requirements. But, he added, the firm's overall record "sure concerns me."


Between 2001 and 2005, the federal government proposed fines of $236,000 for violations at the Upper Big Branch mine, and Massey paid nearly $235,000.


Since Congress enacted tougher mine oversight regulations in 2006, the government has proposed $1.77 million in fines at the mine, but Massey has paid only about $365,000 and contested most of the difference, federal records show.

[Winehole23]

Coal companies appeal fines to head off heftier penalties and to thwart the possibility of shutdowns, said Rep. George Miller (D-Martinez), who held a hearing on what witnesses termed an abuse of the process.


The backlog of fine appeals at the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission has jumped to 16,000 cases from 2,100 in 2006, and the time needed for each case has increased to 401 days from 178, according to commission figures.


"If cases are stuck for months or years at the review commission, MSHA cannot impose stronger penalties for the worst mine operators," Miller said. "As a result, miners' lives are in the cross hairs."

[coyotes_geek]

Wouldn't be at all surprised to see Massey get fined and/or litigated out of business.

[LnGrrrR]

The backlog of fine appeals at the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission has jumped to 16,000 cases from 2,100 in 2006, and the time needed for each case has increased to 401 days from 178, according to commission figures.


"If cases are stuck for months or years at the review commission, MSHA cannot impose stronger penalties for the worst mine operators," Miller said. "As a result, miners' lives are in the cross hairs."

I would say that these types of actions are detestable, but I'm sure a few posters will show up soon enough to say something like "Big business is getting killed by overregulation! Do you expect them to stop production every time a miner freaks out about possibly dangerous situations?"

[George Gervin's Afro]

I would say that these types of actions are detestable, but I'm sure a few posters will show up soon enough to say something like "Big business is getting killed by overregulation! Do you expect them to stop production every time a miner freaks out about possibly dangerous situations?"

the dead enders will most certainly blame the govt in some capacity

[Winehole23]

Twenty-five miners getting blown up indicates a significant failure of safety.

[LnGrrrR]

Twenty-five miners getting blown up indicates a significant failure of safety.

WH23, do you expect business owners to know EVERY TIME a mine will collapse? I mean, they're not PSYCHIC! Sometimes, earth happens. If a few dead miners is the price we pay for cheaper energy, then it's a sacrifice that must be made.

GOOOOOOO CAPITALISM!!!!!

(Sorry, feeling especially snarky today.)

[TeyshaBlue]

WH23, do you expect business owners to know EVERY TIME a mine will collapse? I mean, they're not PSYCHIC! Sometimes, earth happens. If a few dead miners is the price we pay for cheaper energy, then it's a sacrifice that must be made.

GOOOOOOO CAPITALISM!!!!!

(Sorry, feeling especially snarky today.)

Calm down.

[LnGrrrR]

Calm down.

I blame it on my Rock Star Energy drink. I have no free will to resist its lurid stare.

[boutons_deux]

"do you expect business owners to know EVERY TIME a mine will collapse"

after 100s of violations, even from dubya's wink-wink-nudge coal-friendly regulators, Massey had every chance to know something(s) were wrong.

captured regulators not enforcing regulations, and criminal corps ignoring regulations and citataions.

My guess, hardly original, is that no will be no punishment beyond easily payable, wrist-slap fines. Destruction of WVA's environment and murder of miners will continue.

[coyotes_geek]

WH23, do you expect business owners to know EVERY TIME a mine will collapse? I mean, they're not PSYCHIC! Sometimes, earth happens. If a few dead miners is the price we pay for cheaper energy, then it's a sacrifice that must be made.

GOOOOOOO CAPITALISM!!!!!

(Sorry, feeling especially snarky today.)

What happened at Massey isn't about capitalism, it's about stupidity and negligence. Even if you choose to believe that all corporations are heartless ogres completely devoid of any concerns for the well being of their workers, the capitalist motive is to keep your workers safe. Accidents and dead workers result in lawsuits, fines, lost productivity, destruction of company property, costs to hire and train replacments, bad publicity, government inquiries and a whole slew of other results that will negatively impact the bottom line.

The overwhelming majority of companies out there are deeply concerned for the safety of their employees. Yes, there are exceptions, Massey apparently being one of them. And they're going to pay a heavy, heavy price for it.

[LnGrrrR]

The overwhelming majority of companies out there are deeply concerned for the safety of their employees. Yes, there are exceptions, Massey apparently being one of them. And they're going to pay a heavy, heavy price for it.

I know this is true; I was just playing the role of cynic. Thanks for the check, though.

[coyotes_geek]

I know this is true; I was just playing the role of cynic. Thanks for the check, though.

Fair enough. Apparently you're not the only one feeling a little snarky today.

[ElNono]

This thread needs a youtube from DarrinS...

[Nbadan]

Guy's a thug..

[Wild Cobra]

What happened at Massey isn't about capitalism, it's about stupidity and negligence. Even if you choose to believe that all corporations are heartless ogres completely devoid of any concerns for the well being of their workers, the capitalist motive is to keep your workers safe. Accidents and dead workers result in lawsuits, fines, lost productivity, destruction of company property, costs to hire and train replacments, bad publicity, government inquiries and a whole slew of other results that will negatively impact the bottom line.

The overwhelming majority of companies out there are deeply concerned for the safety of their employees. Yes, there are exceptions, Massey apparently being one of them. And they're going to pay a heavy, heavy price for it.

I would be curious to know how many of those safety infractions were anything that could lead to such an accident.

How many people know of some of the stupid safety regulations? It can be a safety violation for example if you bruise yourself and not report it.

[coyotes_geek]

I would be curious to know how many of those safety infractions were anything that could lead to such an accident.

How many people know of some of the stupid safety regulations? It can be a safety violation for example if you bruise yourself and not report it.

I'm sure a bunch of those infractions could be considered petty, but the examples that got quoted in the articles about not performing safety inspections and allowing the coal dust to build up are pretty major violations.

Government regulations with regards to safety can be burdensome, but I wouldn't go so far as to call them stupid. In fact it's been my experience within the engineering/construction industry that most companies safety policies exceed government requirements.

[Sec24Row7]

Evidence looks pretty damning... but having been on the wrong end of these things before... I'm reserving judgment.

Regardless it is a horrible tragedy. Res ution needs to be made to families and that will put a significant hole in this company's sails.

[Wild Cobra]

I'm sure a bunch of those infractions could be considered petty, but the examples that got quoted in the articles about not performing safety inspections and allowing the coal dust to build up are pretty major violations.

Yes, I read that about the coal dust, but I never saw an acceptable level vs. the measured level. Was it really a dangerous level, or just above a ridiculous safe level?

Government regulations with regards to safety can be burdensome, but I wouldn't go so far as to call them stupid. In fact it's been my experience within the engineering/construction industry that most companies safety policies exceed government requirements.

I have seen my share of ridiculously stupid safety regulations. Because of that, the mention of them, without measurable specifics, have no effect of making me believe they were negligent of actual safety.

Accidents happen. There are sudden things that occur that cannot be stopped by safety regulations. Especially in this type of work.

[FromWayDowntown]

Corporations cannot be negligent! Ever!

[clambake]

it appears to be more than negligence.

it appears to be "willful negligence".