The landmark conviction of former Massey Energy CEO and coal baron Don Blankenship today on a misdemeanor conspiracy charge to violate mine safety laws is a small, but historic first step in holding mining outlaws accountable for their reckless operations. For the first time in memory for those of us with friends, family, miners and loved ones living amid the toxic fallout of the coal industry, this conviction may only serve as a tiny reckoning of our nation’s complacency with a continua上海419龙凤网
With the most serious charges dropped, Blankenship’s misdemeanor charge only carries up to one year in prison.
Meanwhile, the trauma of loss for the Upper Big Branch mining families will endure among generations of families.
The tragedy of spiraling black lung disease among coal miners will continue, notably part of the autopsies among 71 percent of the miners lost in the Upper Big Branch disaster.
The crime of cancer-linked mountaintop removal from Blankenship’s violation-ridden former Massey Energy operations will continue; the potential disasters from coal slurry impoundments will still hang above the heads of residents.
“Either way there is no justice for the men that lost their lives in the Upper Big Branch Explosion,” said Maria Gunnoe, a Goldman Prize recipient in West Virginia, “nor will there be justice for the families that lost so much more than just coal miners. The time has come that there is no other choice but to convict these obvious criminals. Don Blankenship’s punishment will never match his crimes against the people of Appalachia.”
“Don Blankenship’s conviction doesn’t feel like victory” added Bob Kincaid, President of Coal River Moun爱上海
