Don Blankenship and the West Virginia Republican Party

During the 2006 election, Massey Energy CEO, Don Blankenship vowed to defeat West Virginia Democrats serving in the state legislature and state Republicans cooperated.  Their unprecdented efforts targeted about 40 seats in the West Virginia House of Delegates held by Democrats.  Blankenship's campaign seemed to create a huge backlash among West Virginia voters and went down in utter defeat.  Democrats gained four seats in the House of Delegates and two in the State Senate.

But, just who is Don Blankenship?

These articles reveal a great deal about the man and his business practices:

The Rape of Appalachia By Michael Shnayerson, Vanity Fair Magazine, May 2006
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2006/05/appalachia200605

Not King Coal  by Bernard Condon, Forbes Magazine, 5/26/2003
http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2003/0526/080_print.html

What follows are some of Mr. Blankenship's thoughts in his own words.
 
On miner safety:

"As far as avoiding accidents, the industry avoids thousands of accidents every year," said Don L. Blankenship, chairman, CEO and president of the Massey Energy Co. of Richmond, Va. "Most often, the problem is not the safety rules, it's the day to day (activities of mine workers). Anything you do every day, you sort of take it for granted."

Hagerstown Herald-Mail, 2/19/2006

"Shame on you, Don Blankenship.', Delegate Bill Hamilton

Delegate Bill Hamilton, R-Upshur, upbraided Blankenship for his Feb. 18 address to the Berkeley County Republican Club. The Massey chief had commented on the series of fatal mine accidents that marked the opening weeks of 2006. They include the Jan. 19 fire at a Massey subsidiary in Logan County that killed two miners.

Charleston Daily Mail, 2/27/2006

On the Sago Disaster:

Blankenship said before the speech that he believes the Aracoma mine explosion was caused by fire in the belt, the mechanism that brings coal from the interior of the mines to the surface. He said he believes that type of explosion, and the Jan. 2 Sago Mine explosion in Upshur County that killed 12 workers, is rare and statistically insignificant.

Hagerstown Herald-Mail, 2/19/2006

On Aracoma Mine:

The Mine Safety Health Administration issued four citations to Massey earlier this month tied to the Aracoma mine, according to published reports. The citations, issued Feb. 2 and 9, alleged violations of rules concerning ventilation and the use of explosives.

The administration issued more than 90 citations to the Aracoma mine last year, according to published reports.

Hagerstown Herald-Mail, 2/19/2006

On the Big Sandy Spill in 2000

"could have happened to anyone."

Forbes Magazine, 5/26/03

In October 2000 the floor of a 72-acre wastewater reservoir built above an abandoned mine in Kentucky collapsed, sending black sludge through the mine and out into a tributary of the Big Sandy River. The sludge killed fish and plants for 36 miles downstream. Water supplies were shut down in several towns for a month. In total, 230 million gallons spilled out, 20 times the volume of the crude oil from the Exxon Valdez. Lawns nearby were covered in as much as 7 feet of muck.

Blankenship says the accident "could have happened to anyone" and partly blames faulty maps of the old mine. But the company had had a similar (though much smaller) accident six years earlier and had been told to seal part of the reservoir. Further, the reservoir had shown signs of leaking right before the accident and Massey failed to report that fact to regulators as required, according to the U.S. Mine Safety & Health Administration. The cleanup has cost $58 million so far.

On the Robinson Creek Spill in 2001

"an honest mistake."  Forbes Magazine, 5/26/03

In June 2001 a pump at a mine near Madison, W.Va. sprang a leak during the night shift. Instead of shutting it down, workers handed the problem off to a maintenance crew in the morning. Over the next five hours 30,000 gallons of sludge emptied into Robinson Creek below. The company never told the regulators about the accident; Blankenship says workers made an honest mistake in believing the leak would be contained. Regulators were alerted by residents calling in to report their river had turned black. There were three more illegal discharges into the river over the next two months.

West Virginia Surface Mine Board on the Robinson Creek disaster:

 "absolutely the worst behavior by any company that any member of this board has ever seen over the decades that this board has been in existence."

Forbes Magazine, 5/26/03

On West Virginia's economy

"Leave me alone, and I'll give you all the flat land you want," Blankenship said.

Charleston Gazette, 8/21/2005

On raising the weight limits for coal trucks

"Four to six fatalities a year, with the number of miles coal trucks are traveling on these highways each year, is no worse than average," said Blankenship

Charleston Gazette, 7/16/2003

On the silo at Marsh Fork Elementary

"You talk about the silo near the Marsh Fork School as if it were a negative. You should know that the silo, if anything, is an improvement for the school and that the coal facility that is, in your view, suddenly unbearable has been in operation for 40-plus years."

Letter to the editor from Don Blankenship, Beckley Register Herald, 8/4/2006

On the requirement to report mine accidents in 15 minutes:

"You don't want a lot of wolf things - you know, crying wolf before you know you've got a problem - and the 15-minute requirement that was introduced runs that risk," Blankenship said. "Outside of that, it is important that all coal companies report their accidents as timely as they can."

Charleston Gazette, 1/28/006

And For the Sake of the Kids Foundation:

It has been more than 736 days since he pledged to start the foundation.

"After the election, Blankenship said, he will start a foundation also called And for the Sake of the Kids to "provide needed clothing and other necessities to the most needy children of West Virginia." He said that he intends to help the foundation raise an amount "similar" to $1.7 million in the coming years." 

Charleston Gazette, 10/15/2004

Massey Citations:

WVDEP issued 4,268 citations to Massey operations (4^th largest coal company in the US) between 1/1/2000 and 12/2/2005.  Arch Coal (2^nd largest coal company in the US) earned 732 and Peabody (largest private sector coal company in the world) earned 355.

Show cause:

Massey 117, ARCH 20, Peabody 0

"Numbers don't lie." Jeff McCormick, WVDEP Mining and Reclamation

Vanity Fair Magazine, May 2006

Food Tax

Several lawmakers said Blankenship plans to devote $50,000 during the 2006 elections against each lawmaker who sided with Manchin. Through a spokesman, Blankenship denied that allegation and said he has yet to form his 2006 campaign strategy.

"I can't believe the courage and the willpower that it took for everyone to hold together the way they have," Joe Manchin said. "Basically, they said, 'This state is not for sale. You cannot bully me. You cannot intimidate me, and you cannot buy me."

Herald Mail, 9/14/2005