A great longform article about the rise and fall of "King of Coal" Donald Blankenship. The details are light on the mountaintop mining and subsequent filling of valleys, may of which contained wetlands, but the article paints a damning portrait of the Massey Energy's owner,Donald Blankenship. His hardball tactics, already detailed in the book "Coal River" and the wanton disregard for both safety and environmental regulations, lead to the Big Branch mining disaster that killed 29 miners in 2010. Blankenship's trial for the lapses in miner safety is now underway.

Trial Begins For Former Massey Energy CEO
The Fall of King Coal

Wetlands in the News

29 March 2024