Massey Energy, owner of the Big Branch mine where 29 miners met their fate when an explosion ripped through the West Virginia mine, is run by the infamous Don Blankenship – long considered a “really bad dude,” and by bad, I do not mean good – not at all.
As the following video demonstrates, what happened at the Big Branch mine came as no surprise to anyone that was paying attention, and Blankenship has repeatedly expressed his disdain for mine safety (as well as global warming, but no real surprise there).
The question becomes, how could Blankenship not know the miners at Big Branch were in serious danger, given the repeated warnings and violations at the mine, and at what point does Massey Energy – and Don Blankenship – bear some responsibility for the tragic results?
At the very least it’s time for Don Blankenship to go – quit or be fired from his job as CEO of Massey Energy. Retire a rich man; indeed a filthy, rich man.
