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Don Blankenship on Environment
WV Senate contender and Constitution Party presidential nominee
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Repeal wetlands protection & Endangered Species Act
We call for repeal of federal wetlands legislation and the federal Endangered Species Act. We oppose any attempt to designate private or public property as United Nations World Heritage sites or Biosphere reserves. We call for an end to United
States participation in UN programs such as UNESCO, Man and the Biosphere, and the UN Council on Sustainable Development. We oppose environmental treaties and conventions such as the Biodiversity Treaty, the Convention on Climate Control, and Agenda 21.
Source: Constitution Platform adopted by 2020 presidential hopeful
, May 2, 2020
Mine Safety agency forced bad ventilation that exploded
Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship filed a $12-billion defamation suit against multiple media companies and individuals. He based much of his suit on his claim that the federal government, specifically the Obama-era Mine Safety and Health Administration
(MSHA), forced his company to use inadequate ventilation of the Upper Big Branch coal mine. Within hours of implementing the MSHA-mandated ventilation plan, there was a natural gas (as distinct from coal bed methane) explosion that killed 29 miners.
In addition to his defamation lawsuit, Blankenship is suing to get his misdemeanor conviction overturned. Mrs. Davis's settlement lends credence to his position. The key factual piece of evidence in that effort is whether the flammable gas that
exploded was coal bed methane or natural gas. Natural gas is mostly methane but also includes other gases such as ethane. The evidence suggests that the feds are coming around to agree with Blankenship.
Source: American Thinker on 2020 presidential hopefuls
, May 19, 2019
AdWatch: Year in prison for contaminating drinking water
The "Mountain Families PAC" targets Republican Senate hopeful Don Blankenship. The Republican establishment has launched an emergency intervention in the primary aimed at stopping coal baron Don Blankenship from winning the party's nomination.
Last week, the newly-formed super PAC began airing TV ads targeting Blankenship, who spent one year behind bars following a deadly 2010 explosion at his Upper Big Branch Mine. The national party isn't promoting its role in the group but its fingerprints
are all over it.
The 30-second commercials, which the group is spending nearly $700,000 to air, accuse Blankenship's company of contaminating drinking water by pumping "toxic coal slurry," even as the multimillionaire installed a piping system that
pumped clean water to his mansion. "Isn't there enough toxic sludge in Washington?" the narrator intones.
Blankenship last month issued a statement saying he was well aware of the possibility that party leadership could target him.
Source: Politico.com AdWatch on 2018 West Virginia Senate race
, Apr 15, 2018
EPA is biggest polluter,moving jobs to unregulated countries
Don Blankenship said the Environmental Protection Agency has become "the biggest polluter in the world" by forcing U.S. jobs to carbon-spewing countries like China. "When you look at Trump's margin [of victory] and look at the fact that
I advocated his policies before he advocated his policies--I've long believed that trade policies are unfair and that regulations are stifling," the former coal titan said last week in an interview.
Source: Washington Times on 2018 West Virginia Senatorial race
, Jan 1, 2018
AdWatch: role of MSHA in mine disaster was covered up
Blankenship produced an ad that said the Obama administration's internal review of the Mine Safety and Health Administration's role in a deadly mine explosion was "fixed." The ad said the government's own documents revealed "Obama's deadliest cover-up."
Blankenship's spokesman claimed to have emails that proved the point, but said they would not share them.An extensive review of multiple government reports, plus a search through a database of thousands of news articles produced no supporting facts.
Source: Politifact AdWatch on 2016-2018 West Virginia Senate race
, Dec 11, 2017
Environmental movement not great cause but great business
After listening to Blankenship's short diatribe against the Sierra Club and Greenpeace, I asked Blankenship what should be done about these environmental groups. "You've got to fight them at every step," he replies. "The environmental movement isn't a
great cause, it's a great business."To Blankenship, the EPA's coal power plant regulations and the mine safety crowd all represent the same ideology. "The actual UBB explosion was partially the result of the war on coal," he says.
Source: The Nation magazine on 2020 presidential hopefuls
, Jul 28, 2014
Page last updated: Sep 07, 2020