And so the last bodies have been removed from Massey Energy's Upper Big Branch mine in West Virginia where an explosion last week killed 29 miners. It's the worst US industry disaster in 40 years.
But the reality is these men were killed to save the company a buck. Massey had fought every attempt to try and control the industry and make its mines safer.
According to the Charleston Gazette,Massey had been cited thousands of times for dangerous law violations including buildup of explosive methane and coal dust. But each time, the company sent in its high priced lawyers to appeal and dispute fines.
USA Today reports that inspectors were constantly finding dangerous conditions including inadequate air, faulty fire extinguishers, exposed wiring, malfunctioning communication systems, inaccurate gas monitors and water as deep as four feet that could result in people drowning. But all this was ignored which suggests there was something rotten at the heart of the company.
As Kevin Zeese writes in the Huffington Post, Massey's chief executive Don Blankenship should be criminally charged. Zeese writes: "Were it not for the deliberate actions of Don Blankenship and Massey Energy the deaths of 29 miners in West Virginia would not have occurred. These deaths were foreseeable, even predicted, and this is not the first time Massey has caused the deaths of miners. Massey Energy has been fined millions of dollars for its violations of mine safety and has already settled one case where miners were killed with criminal and civil fines totaling more than $4 million. It is time to stop coddling corporate criminals like Blankenship and hold them accountable for their actions … It is time for accountability. The Board should immediately remove Blankenship and state and federal authorities should hold him responsible for the gross negligence of Massey Energy toward mine safety. It is time for this repeat offender to be put out of business."
If the company is not brought to account, it would speak volumes about the position that US authorities take on corporate greed and human life.
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