Don Blankenship Says Mine Tragedy That Killed 29 Isn't His Fault (HBO)

A 2010 explosion in West Virginia’s Upper Big Branch coal mine killed 29 of the 39 employees on site. Most of the blame for the tragedy fell on Don Blankenship, the CEO of the mine’s parent company, Massey Energy, which was already being monitored by the feds. Before the explosion, the mine had been written up dozens of times for safety violations, including problems with ventilation and methane buildup.
In 2015, Blankenship became the first top executive in U.S. history to be sentenced to prison for safety violations.
VICE News spoke with Blankenship soon after he completed his one-year prison sentence.
The man referred to as the “Dark Lord of Coal” has reemerged from incarceration to proclaim his innocence and inform the public on what he believes to be the truth: that t the explosion was the result of natural gas, not safety violations. President Obama, West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, and the victims’ families all blame him, but he says he is a political prisoner, a victim of a system that prosecutes based on beliefs, not facts.
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[@atombomb232610]

if it was a natural gas explosion, How was the mine able to fill with enough gas to ignite and no sensors or alarms tripped?

[@MadMrMatter]

29 ppl died and he was only on prison for a year? And a nice comfy prison, too. Dude should still be in prison.

[@Fektthis]

nah, he's blaming Obama and Hilary and trying to be governor of West Virginia these days. Somehow it's their fault and MHSA that his mines routinely flouted safety violations and as a result these men died.

[@vanessamw1140]

Yes he should be, but instead he's running for Senate and apparently doing interviews and regarding himself as a local hero because he played baseball in was top of the class. He pretends he's innocent but he was a CEO. That reason alone almost makes him guilty because his best interest was not the best interest of the miners. His best interest was found in the best interest of the company, therefore he was never on the side of his workers. Then there's people like this guy who commented above who excuse him and will probably vote for him. Smdh. If this guy wins, West Virginia is done.

[@Shnikies78]

He beat the three felony violations against him he was sent to prison on a misdemeanor.

[@vanessamw1140]

Politically Incorrect hey "asshole'. I'll side with the majority of families there, thanks though, corporate shill.

[@jamesmadison3580]

Don Blankenship chose to save $10,000 rather than change the coal dust filters. The resulting explosion KILLED 29 coal miners. Can you imagine the damage to the country this kind of warp thinking could do?

[@erinwalker6185]

Thank God, voters in West Virginia told him that he should not be rewarded with a bid for the U.S.Senate! Miners Lives Matter!

[@Tearakan]

Responsibility and power come hand in hand. He should have been in prison longer. If you violate safety willingly for profit then you should go to prison at least. Manslaughter should be broadened to include this shit.

[@zz773]

They hit a pocket of natural gas that no one knew about. How is that his fault?

[@walperstyle]

it isn't his fault. The workers are supposed to use their discretion and equipment such as gas detectors. This is another socialist news protest piece that goes against any real world knowledge. Its HBO at work... hate industry, government knows best. That is what they are selling you. Government monopolies over resources.

[@dflatt1783]

@walperstyle O no, you're absolutely right, industry tycoons certainly know what's best. They wouldn't endanger a worker's life to turn a larger profit. (sarcastic btw). 1. Government regulations on safety came about for a reason. Look into it. 2. Advocating for safety doesn't make you a socialist.

[@walperstyle]

Sarcastic? Having people die is bad for business because it shuts down production and because the customer generally doesn't like to buy from bad practice....OH WAIT, yes you do. $50 says you buy saudi oil instead of ethical canadian oil. Profit isn't a bad thing, and the government doesn't make things safe, personal education does. Again, I hope someday you own a business, hire an addict and find out how much it sucks. You can't get rid of shitty employees unless you catch them breaking rules... and in the case of this disaster, all it takes is one mistake from an idiot/addict and its all over. You can't combat that, no matter how much you wish to drive up the costs of the companies.

[@walperstyle]

Furthermore, I'd bet the only people that are upset about this are the family members that didn't have any life insurance. Again, how is that the CEO's fault? How is that up to the government to come to the rescue? Remember, government cannot provide what it first hasn't stolen through extortion (taxation)

[@ohreally8929]

It's not only in the mine, turns out Don's rear end also has problems with ventilation and methane buildup.

[@justinkase1360]

Anyone who works in an industry where safety meeting are a daily occurrence knows exactly the kinds of things management turns a blind eye to in the interest of production. those who speak up are seen as troublemakers and if anything does result from it then they claim we are all in it together because we all knew we were doing wrong so they want a cover up. It starts with the ATTITUDE that comes from management, not their words. Because they will never come out and say they want to allow unsafe practices, especially on paper. They will take your job from you if you push safety too much though, and everyone knows it. This creates a culture of keeping your head down and it's unsafe.It starts from the top, I can read between the lines.

[@JG-wg4wg]

His compensation from Massey says it all

[@cmkidd9310]

It's not the employees job to make their workplace safe, it's their employers (it's called trust). No one likes accepting their wrong especially when there mistakes cost them something, 'the dark lord' has no evidence that it was natural gas while the government has literal tonnes proving it most likely wasn't. Regardless of the cause of the explosion the very fact that it was possible shows negligence on his part, if there was a chance for a natural gas explosion he should have known about and avoided it. It's called responsibility and obviously this sleazbag wants to avoid it

[@queerasthedayislonglove8950]

Cmkidd mate when he said natural gas explosion is he referring to CH4? The reason I ask (without knowing the whole story) is that methane is usually what initially explodes in underground mines causing a secondary coal dust explosion which is much bigger. Either way someone needs to be held accountable in these cases

[@jamesmadison3580]

Don Blankenship chose to save $10,000 rather than change the coal dust filters. The resulting explosion KILLED 29 coal miners. Can you imagine the damage to the country this kind of warp thinking could do?

[@jamesmadison3580]

The CEO Don Blankenship chose to save $10,000 rather than change the coal dust filters. The resulting explosion KILLED 29 coal miners The CEO Don Blankenship as well as the ceos of the other coal companies with the assistance of the WV republicans. They weakened by law the West Virginia Office of Miners' Health Safetys' ability to enforce safety laws.. "we dont need safety oversite you can trust us" Less than a year later... BOOM

[@scttiedsntknow]

You sound like that it's not my job kind of person I wouldn't hire

[@mottthehoople693]

I think your wrong.Its the employees responsibility to make their pit safe.Would you look down the barrel of a loaded shotgun? You wouldnt you would make sure its unloaded and safe.Same in the pit.

[@wcherron]

He should have spent the rest of his life in prison those 29 men died because he wanted to put more money in his pocket

[@serge00storms]

We have a form of feudalism here in West Virginia and people like Blankenship can not be touched.

[@theoccasionalvideo]

serge00storms How responsible are the voters for this?

[@gabehorn5079]

Update, he should STILL be in prison.

[@pyrusrex2882]

Massey Energy Slogan: "We live here too" They just don't drink the water

[@danr1920]

But we just don't go in the mine.

[@ericanderson2108]

Classic signs of an evil sociopath.

[@VICENews]

"It's actually ignorant to say that you can have 3.5-million cubic feet of natural gas come out of a coal mine after an explosion and that natural gas wasn’t the energy source for the explosion." WATCH MORE: bit.ly/2fZrxQM

[@Zelielz1]

I dont think a ceo knows with detail what all the engineers are doing...

[@dkupke]

Except he did. A big part of why at least some of the charges stuck is that prosecutors were able to prove he absolutely knew about the safety violations in the mines and never did anything to address them. He only got such a light sentence because they were unable to prove that he deliberately ordered the safety violations.

[@bf9562m]

Daniel Ryan they weren’t tho his charge was “conspiracy to commit a safety violation” fake charge basically

[@dkupke]

akeetorres in other words: he knew the safety violations were going on and did nothing, but they couldn’t price beyond doubt that he deliberately ordered them.

[@garyquarles5040]

My name is Gary quarles and what I would like to know is what fucken difference does it make you still got 29 dead men that nobody took any kind of blame for

[@rbrucerye]

This man has sociopath written all over him. That's an evil man indeed.

[@bart234465]

The worse thing that happened in his lifetime? Poor him...

[@shocktrauma85]

And now they want him in the Senate? Wow.

[@blockchainbot.6596]

Why rich people cannot go to normal prison like everyone else???

[@janedoe1176]

wow his excuse for the safety violations is that others have just as many??? what is he - 3 years old?

[@JG-wg4wg]

He can delegate authority, not responsibility

[@openyoureyes3308]

Thanks for stopping by and exposing your self, its funny when the corrupt system doesn't want your money anymore and you cry 😢

[@0Wayland]

Maybe it isn't his fault.

[@dkupke]

If it wasn’t he would not have gone to jail

[@randalljames3080]

He went to jail for mail fraud. He was found NOT GUILTY in District 9 federal court of all charges of being responsible for that tragedy. Get you fucking facts straight

[@BLUEGENE13]

@@dkupke that is possibly the stupidest thing i've ever heard

[@johntoothman4888]

He killed these men for money an all of you know this. He is not good for our state.

[@niklasjiru7775]

hadnt this been posted before?

[@dantheman4421]

Actually, a prosecutor and/or a sitting judge can be disbarred if sufficient evidence of egregious Constitutional violations is present.

[@JustVisiting_]

Oh I see, he's the victim

[@joejoerunya8908]

“But other companies have violations too..”

[@tecke11]

Spoiler: it was his fault

[@randalljames3080]

Tucker Ecke District 9 Federal Court disagrees with you

[@wvragtopsestep2165]

But imsha has No responsibility in this ? Even though they have a representative at the mine almost daily?

[@beth-bi9yv]

Sounds guilty to me...

[@kristennoelle9447]

"I played baseball".....😳

[@christianskidmore8735]

Don needs to go in longer

[@johnrife7134]

How can you live with yourself?

[@lillianballard9795]

How can he run if a felon?

[@randalljames3080]

lillian ballard he's not...he was convicted of misdemeanor mail fraud

[@leshanjordan4577]

Now I know,what the devils voice sounds like.

[@walperstyle]

Vice news didn't spawn from hell, but it went there after HBO took over.

[@user-tr3kf9hs6g]

Omg There is a Lot of House Explosions now days too! How does that happen where there is Gas lines etc. Check the USA records of House Explosions in Suburban areas too! It's Wild How they just explode.

[@roboticunclephil]

6:10 it sounds like he actually learned something about the criminal justice system during his time in prison. it's crazy, he doesn't speak this clearly about anything throughout this entire interview or even others. he's running for president in 2020 as a conservative and it's extremely ironic that this kind of statement, advocating for justice system reform, would be extremely unpopular with the exact base he's trying to attract. of course so is killing 29 of your employees by trying to save a few bucks on safety measures but that's more of a universal thing.

[@user-ge8vc8gw8s]

The price of justice anyone?

[@EricDemamp]

I looked up this video cause I saw Blankenship leading in some polls for West Virginia Senate.

[@trgodbeynicu]

He was the president,,, he was overall responsible!!!!

[@luca25hunter]

So he peaked in high school.

[@TriniLush7]

And he's still living why? 🙄

[@charlesbawesome]

Of course it wasn’t his fault! He was only in charge!

[@sameddy2729]

Duty of care

[@christopherferrell3353]

No there was others who went to jail too, and MSHA didn't do there job either. There was more to it then what your seeing here.

[@jasminhook96]

Is this the guy suing jon oliver? Is this the guy that got his ideas from a squirrel?

[@kartman568]

jasminhook96 nah that's murray

[@thepoo1234]

No. That was another rich, asshole, coal baron.

[@brandonboyyy]

he may or may not be guilty, but what he said at the end is true about immunization.

[@dkupke]

Brandon Doan its also intensely ironic coming from him, of all people.

[@jdbaseball838]

The price of justice is a book about all the shit Blackenship did. Good read.

[@reglabrum6928]

What goes around comes around the same thing that Happened to Bob Murray and Murray Energy after the Crandall Canyon Mine Cave In In Utah will happen to Mr Blankenship

[@ariefraiser140]

In China they do worse to company men who do this.

[@Bustah2016]

How many violations mine was less. Because everyone knows when the inspectors are coming. This is how all business works. Worked for Burger King and we knew when the inspectors were coming. I showed the violation because that what the higher people didn’t want to have them see.

[@ALNunnery]

Dark Lord Of Coal .. He sure enjoys that ..

[@danr1920]

If you run the company, you are responsible, even by default. You are in charge, you set the culture. I am a capitalist supporting person. You can have both safety and profits.

[@AR-vd4wo]

Don Blankenship for president!

[@frankdanger135]

Did rick and morty reference this?

[@virginianative847]

It was the fans that they made changed

[@HeraLove66]

This rich guy gives no fucks. He's just pissed they held him responsible.

[@walperstyle]

Say you have a business and one of your employees drives in the front door, by accident, killing a large chunk of your staff... should the CEO be held responsible?

[@NeoWind]

Time out did you guys edit when he was talking ??

[@ErickCartman069]

DigsArt Realm Vice allways edits videos, makes them more dramatic

[@kicker7955]

He doesn't seem like a nice guy, but he does seem to be honest in this particular case. Doesn't help that the reporter sounds like a gossip columnist baiting for a headline.

[@manowar7134]

Amen

[@adamrandolph7531]

It wasn’t his fault he is a good man I worked for him at Knox creek he gave us all of what we need to be safe it was the foreman’s fault for not doing his job and the men’s for not checking gas

[@HoursFreeAOLsp]

Don't taint these people's deaths with shitty reporting like this please. They deserve much more.

[@burtonl7239]

Is that Trump's Vegas Hotel outside the window? Is Vice trying to do a subliminal message thing? Sneaky, sneaky...

[@ashketchum351]

It was a bomb, is what he's trying to say.

[@GlorifiedTruth]

Don Blanensip willm ake Amrica greeat agen

[@McMillen330]

I don't want to believe him but I do..

[@randalljames3080]

Doug McMillen he put a small book out he wrote while he was incarcerated...it's a good read

[@leneay9]

so are you guys supporting the dark loard?

[@foxdemon4209]

i do as with any tragedy there just looking for someone to blame and his higher ups are all gonna say its him just to save there asses from getting the heat

[@jobo8281]

foxdemonshippo wasn't he the higher up? The Ceo is the boss.

[@foxdemon4209]

he wasnt calling the shots lol i promise ya

[@DS-qp1om]

Ceo isn't even close to the top, investors have the real power

[@DS-qp1om]

The Ceo runs the company, investors have the real power

[@ashketchum351]

Thanks Obama.

[@Peter-um9ty]

Ash Ketchum cry

[@Kevinyock]

You should thanks professor oak for sending your way.