Massey has been repeatedly cited for violating laws designed to protect human health, safety and the environment. The disaster that killed 25 people, in a mine with over 600 safety violations, is only the latest example of his behavior. His rap sheet includes agreeing to pay "$4.2 million in criminal fines and civil penalties and to plead guilty to several safety violations related to a 2006 fire that killed two miners at a coal mine in Logan, W.Va."
Blankenship isn't content with just safety violations. He flaunts labor laws to keep out the United Mine Workers.
Even before the latest mine explosion, Robert Kennedy Jr. pointed out Massey Energy's lead role in committing the catastrophic environmental disaster of mountaintop removal.
Morality aside, mountaintop removal is undeniably a criminal enterprise. Mr. Blankenship acknowledged, in a recent debate with me, that mountaintop removal cannot be accomplished without violating the law. His company paid a record $20 million penalty for 60,534 Clean Water Act violations it admitted committing between 2000 and 2006, including spills of deadly chemicals like arsenic and selenium illegally dumped into Appalachia’s waterways. Thanks to the coal industry, every waterway in central Appalachia is now contaminated with dangerous levels of heavy metals like mercury. But the fines are merely a business expense, which explains why Massey has since admitted to 12,500 more Clean Water Act violations.
Why is it that someone who repeatedly violates the law and threatens the safety of others is allowed to freely walk the streets? Why should lady justice continue turning a blind eye to a notorious lawbreaker? If America is serious about dealing with corporate criminals then it's time we start treating them like other lawbreakers.