this is what I'm talkin bout y'all
These cats wouldn't be in business if not for the govt, this is Corporatism to the extreme
Name a company that would not be in business if were not for the government?
So where are the anti-regulation/anti union now that another mine has exploded?
- Thread starter Upgrade Dave
- Start date
Name a company that would not be in business if were not for the government?
What does government and business have to do with one another?
People gotta eat. People need clothes. People need fuel. Do you actually believe if government disappeared, people wouldn't be in business to provide these things?
A better question is "What CORPORATION would exist without government?"
The heads of corporations are always going to find their way around shit. That's what they do.
He would have had to say something for you to piggyback on.
thought had a legit question: what business would operate with government? Who would settle disputes? How would product get to the masses if not on state roads?
...a bunch oof dribble...
Isn't this the same question?
Unless you exist within the barter system or hunt and build your home from logs and mud. and even then who enforces private property laws, what means of economic exchange do you use? This ain't the year 200.
I don't speak for Cruise.
I'm just kickin out somethin for the board in defense of all those "innocent people" affected by govt intervention in the auto industry.
Are we supposed to be happy with the decisions of GM?
You pro-government-types always act like the world is going to end if Washington DC doesn't tell you what to do.
Do you think the Federal government invented engineering, or masonry, or heating & cooling, or electricity, or plumbing? The government had NOTHING TO DO WITH ANY OF THAT!
So, if government didn't create a single thing you enjoy today, why exactly would they disappear if government does?
As far as property laws, believe it or not, your neighbors will help you enforce your rights. The Federal government has done a great job of protecting property rights for black people in this country. It's such an admirable history of fairness and equality.
You have heard of money, right? There was a time when people actually used it in this country. And maybe, just maybe, we can use it again, once this joke called the Federal government disappears.
Like those millions of people who's lives were saved by those bad old government mandated and air bags as well as safety glass belts belts, pollution controls and increased miles per gallon.
I didn't ask whether you spoke for anyone, I asked "how much of Cruise do you want to defend ? ? ?" That is, I was just checking to see how much of the lunacy do you subscribe to.
Its not a very good practice to answer a question with a question, especially if you haven't answered the question. I know you probably didn't mean to do that and we all tend to do it at times, but it jusst looks like you're dodging the question when thats your only real response.
QueEx
Our differences are documented in the thread but let me just say this is a piss-poor excuse to deviate from the substance of the thread. Fuck it, it's Friday!
Deviate? Ah, what market based solutions would have saved those Miners lives?
Still waiting...
No one has said that at all. Don't "Cruise" us. The decisions of GM are obviously what got them on the gov't teat, unlike Ford. What I'm saying is we, as a nation, were not in a position to handle the freefal collapse of a corporation the size of GM at that time. Unlike most of the banks/financial institutions, people were fired at GM and the company did file bankruptcy. So while it's convenient to call what happened with them a "bailout", it really wasn't.
No, no government invented those things but in this country the government builds and maintains the roads, and the electrical grids, and all the really big shit that's unprofitable for private companies to build and maintain.
And neighborly love Black folks have received from our White neighbors and each other has been absolutely spotless.
Somehow these government functions get left out of the equation.
...
It's fascinating how someone who is using a tool of anarchy (the web), cannot see how government is the problem, not the solution.
You have heard of epinions.com, Consumer Reports, Amazon reviews, in fact, this very forum.
All are examples of anarchy in action.
An authority, creates a website outlining mining issues, dangers, suggestions, recommendations, and techniques.
Miners, when they leave the mine, could just use a laptop with wireless to post comments on conditions, production, dangers, safety techniques, and concerns.
They could be updated by blogs, tweets, facebook blasts, email, or software alerts.
Of course, this is simple, painless, effective, and competitive.
The problem is the government-lovers will find some excuse why it can't work.
Or, they will create some fantasy why the government can't allow people to have that power and must FORCE us to pay taxes, regulation, supervision, and a HUGE bureaucracy for something that doesn't work.
I can see where Dave is coming from on this.
However, it's not economically viable to be bailing out big corporations at the expense of taxpayers who are still reeling from a job market that is continually eroding. The tax base is simply not there to support it, it's a vicious cycle. Recessions are necessary to "clear the junk" out of an economy..businesses that royally screwed up (Citi, GM, Lehman, etc..) need to be flushed away in times like these to allow for recovery.
However, it's not economically viable to be bailing out big corporations at the expense of taxpayers who are still reeling from a job market that is continually eroding. The tax base is simply not there to support it, it's a vicious cycle. Recessions are necessary to "clear the junk" out of an economy..businesses that royally screwed up (Citi, GM, Lehman, etc..) need to be flushed away in times like these to allow for recovery.
BWAAAHHHHH!
You get more bizarre with each post. So what if the mine coampay says those comments are bull shit, where does this blogging compel the mine owners to act on these comments? Who do they turn to then? There are inspectors now with more technical expertise listing all of the violations. Massey has a long list , years long of mine safety violations. If you haven't figured it out by now, the issues IS NOT inspection, THE ISSUE IS enforcement. In actuality the government has been doing exactly want you want. little or no intervention in private business regulation. What good is it if you are issued a speeding ticket if you are not compelled to pay it? Over the last 20 years or so the fines have been so minuscule that the cost of a life is less than the cost of the fine.
BWAAAHHHHH!
You get more bizarre with each post. So what if the mine coampay says those comments are bull shit, where does this blogging compel the mine owners to act on these comments? Who do they turn to then? There are inspectors now with more technical expertise listing all of the violations. Massey has a long list , years long of mine safety violations. If you haven't figured it out by now, the issues IS NOT inspection, THE ISSUE IS enforcement. In actuality the government has been doing exactly want you want. little or no intervention in private business regulation. What good is it if you are issued a speeding ticket if you are not compelled to pay it? Over the last 20 years or so the fines have been so minuscule that the cost of a life is less than the cost of the fine.
You do know you are making an argument AGAINST the government?
So we agree...
the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS A FAILURE.
No I'm making the argument that business has usurped the government's authority.
he don't get it
more sig material!
You stick your nose in to throw stones behind tress, why don't you answer a damn question!
Huh??? Also fascinating how you disregard any opinion on what happened with GM (whether you understand it or not) that doesn't agree with your myopic view but you seem to be an expert on W. Va mines. When Lamarr puts out an opinion on that, he can at least claim to have some experience in his family with it. Me, I read, a lot. You can't claim, in any way that any adult would believe you, to do either.
I don't recessions are a necessity. Market corrections? Yes but full on recessions, especially ones as serious as we go through every 4-5 years aren't.
I'd much rather the government come in a force a restructuring of GM, as they did, than let if just collapse. A business should be allowed to fail (Lehman is dead)but no one business should be allowed to bring everyone else down with it. So GM will survive but it won't be the same animal in many ways. That's a much more sound outcome than what was happening.
I'm much more aggravated by the way the financial institutions were handled. They should have gotten the same rough treatment that GM received (ie, big people losing jobs).
Stop saying this like it's true. It's not. We've gone over this already and your theory made no sense. Hell, you still haven't answered my question about a successful anarchist society.
BWAAAHHHHH!
You get more bizarre with each post. So what if the mine coampay says those comments are bull shit, where does this blogging compel the mine owners to act on these comments? Who do they turn to then? There are inspectors now with more technical expertise listing all of the violations. Massey has a long list , years long of mine safety violations. If you haven't figured it out by now, the issues IS NOT inspection, THE ISSUE IS enforcement. In actuality the government has been doing exactly want you want. little or no intervention in private business regulation. What good is it if you are issued a speeding ticket if you are not compelled to pay it? Over the last 20 years or so the fines have been so minuscule that the cost of a life is less than the cost of the fine.
And your reading comprehension is piss poor. Thought made no such argument. That whole post is a strong argument for stronger government intervention.
You would fit in great with the right-wing, white supremacist mentality.
You go around accusing others of doing the very things you love.
BWAAAHHHHH!
You get more bizarre with each post . . .
A stupendous observation.
QueEx
This is his attempt at appearing clever by never responding directly to a direct point.
It's like he's some sort of Bizarro moniker: what's up is down, what's right is left. It's hard to decipher. But that must be my fault. Bizarro am smart.
^^^^^^^^
update
source: Wall Street Journal
Security Chief Guilty in Mine-Blast Case
A Massey Energy Co. security chief was convicted Wednesday on both charges he was facing related to the investigation of the 2010 explosion in West Virginia that killed 29 miners, in the first criminal case to come from the disaster.
Hughie Elbert Stover was found guilty by a jury in U.S. District Court in Beckley, W.Va., of obstructing a federal criminal investigation, and lying to federal investigators. Mr. Stover, who had been security chief of the Upper Big Branch mine since 1999, faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison but remains free pending a Feb. 29 sentencing.
The case marks a victory for the government which has undertaken a broad criminal probe into the blast, the worst U.S. mining accident in four decades. No other mine personnel or Massey officials have been charged but the criminal investigation is continuing.
"Today's verdict sends a clear message that when a person obstructs an investigation—especially an investigation as important as this one—there will be consequences," said U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin.
The obstruction charge was for ordering a security guard to dispose of thousands of security-related documents earlier this year, several months after Mr. Stover was interviewed by investigators about the accident.
Mr. Stover testified Tuesday in his own defense that the records disposal was an innocent oversight, the "stupidest mistake" he had made in his life.
He was charged with lying to federal investigators about notifying mine personnel when government inspectors arrived on the property, which is itself a violation of federal law. He testified that he hadn't lied to investigators about announcing government inspectors because he understood notification to involve using the telephone, a practice he prohibited.
Mr. Stover's attorney, William D. Wilmoth of Steptoe & Johnson, declined to say Wednesday whether he would appeal. "We are all obviously disappointed with the verdict," he said, but noted that "the debate was vigorous" among the jury, which deliberated for about six hours.
Mr. Wilmoth had argued that the government engaged in a "rush to judgment" against his client while the people who were directly responsible for the mine accident have yet to be charged. "Elbert Stover is the head security guard. Now we hope that our government will go after the real villain or villains," he said Wednesday.
In closing arguments, Assistant U.S. Attorney Larry Ellis drew a link between Mr. Stover's trial and potential future cases, according to the Associated Press. "There's too much at stake here," he said, adding that the jury should "send a message that this investigation ought to be allowed to go forward."
Virginia-based Alpha Natural Resources Inc. acquired Massey in June. Alpha officials couldn't immediately be reached for comment.
source: Wall Street Journal
Security Chief Guilty in Mine-Blast Case
A Massey Energy Co. security chief was convicted Wednesday on both charges he was facing related to the investigation of the 2010 explosion in West Virginia that killed 29 miners, in the first criminal case to come from the disaster.
Hughie Elbert Stover was found guilty by a jury in U.S. District Court in Beckley, W.Va., of obstructing a federal criminal investigation, and lying to federal investigators. Mr. Stover, who had been security chief of the Upper Big Branch mine since 1999, faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison but remains free pending a Feb. 29 sentencing.
The case marks a victory for the government which has undertaken a broad criminal probe into the blast, the worst U.S. mining accident in four decades. No other mine personnel or Massey officials have been charged but the criminal investigation is continuing.
"Today's verdict sends a clear message that when a person obstructs an investigation—especially an investigation as important as this one—there will be consequences," said U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin.
The obstruction charge was for ordering a security guard to dispose of thousands of security-related documents earlier this year, several months after Mr. Stover was interviewed by investigators about the accident.
Mr. Stover testified Tuesday in his own defense that the records disposal was an innocent oversight, the "stupidest mistake" he had made in his life.
He was charged with lying to federal investigators about notifying mine personnel when government inspectors arrived on the property, which is itself a violation of federal law. He testified that he hadn't lied to investigators about announcing government inspectors because he understood notification to involve using the telephone, a practice he prohibited.
Mr. Stover's attorney, William D. Wilmoth of Steptoe & Johnson, declined to say Wednesday whether he would appeal. "We are all obviously disappointed with the verdict," he said, but noted that "the debate was vigorous" among the jury, which deliberated for about six hours.
Mr. Wilmoth had argued that the government engaged in a "rush to judgment" against his client while the people who were directly responsible for the mine accident have yet to be charged. "Elbert Stover is the head security guard. Now we hope that our government will go after the real villain or villains," he said Wednesday.
In closing arguments, Assistant U.S. Attorney Larry Ellis drew a link between Mr. Stover's trial and potential future cases, according to the Associated Press. "There's too much at stake here," he said, adding that the jury should "send a message that this investigation ought to be allowed to go forward."
Virginia-based Alpha Natural Resources Inc. acquired Massey in June. Alpha officials couldn't immediately be reached for comment.
Great!, though little consolation to the families who lost loved-ones caused by this industry's disregard for regulations and the safety of its workers. And, just to add to the point (or to dispel the 'other' argument opponents of reasonable regulation like to make):
This should not be the end of investigations in to this tragedy. A lone security person could not bring down this mine. The people at the top had to create an atmosphere for these things to happen.
Last edited:
source: Bloomberg Businessweek
Charged exec cooperating in W.Va. mine blast probe
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — An executive who ran several coal companies for Massey Energy and worked closely with former CEO Don Blankenship faces criminal conspiracy charges and is cooperating with federal prosecutors, a sign that authorities may be aiming their sights even higher in the company as they probe a fatal West Virginia blast that was the nation's worst mine disaster in four decades.
David Craig Hughart, president of a Massey subsidiary that controlled White Buck Coal Co., is named in a federal information document — which signals a defendant is cooperating — filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Beckley.
Although Upper Big Branch is never directly mentioned in the document, U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin told The Associated Press the charges come from the wide-ranging and continuing investigation of the April 2010 explosion that killed 29 men.
Hughart (HYOO'-gurt) is the highest-ranking official yet to be charged, and his cooperation suggests that federal officials could be working their way up the Massey hierarchy. Blankenship was known for dealing directly with presidents of his subsidiaries, possibly even bypassing layers of management in between.
Massey was bought after the disaster by Virginia-based Alpha Natural Resources, which has said it was sealing the mine permanently.
The court document accuses Hughart of working with co-conspirators to ensure miners at White Buck and other, unidentified Massey-owned operations received advance warning about surprise federal inspections many times between 2000 and March 2010.
Those illegal warnings gave workers time to conceal violations that could have led to citations, fines and costly shutdowns, the document says.
Four investigations have concluded that Massey concealed problems at the mine through an elaborate scheme that included sanitized safety-inspection books and an advance-warning system.
The United Mine Workers of America, which accused Massey of "industrial homicide," has demanded that Blankenship and 17 other Massey managers who refused to talk to investigators be compelled to testify publicly or cited for contempt. It says those responsible for the disaster must be brought to justice.
Neither Blankenship nor one of his attorneys immediately responded to an email seeking comment Wednesday.
Hughart could be the link prosecutors need to go up the Massey food chain.
He's been president of at least 10 Massey subsidiaries throughout his career, positions that would have required the consent of a CEO whose micromanagement is well documented. At Big Branch, for example, Blankenship demanded production reports every 30 minutes.
Investigators say that at other Massey mines, Hughart colluded with others to violate laws requiring adequate ventilation, the removal of explosive coal dust and the application of pulverized limestone to prevent explosions.
Hughart has agreed to plead guilty to two charges: felony conspiracy to defraud the federal government by impeding the actions of MSHA, and misdemeanor conspiracy to violate mandatory health and safety standards. The felony charge carries a possible sentence of five years in prison. The misdemeanor carries up to one year.
Goodwin wouldn't say who else might be charged or when. His investigators are "trying to push forward as quickly as we can," Goodwin said, but that developing the necessary evidence means obtaining the cooperation of people like Hughart.
Hughart is the third person to face serious criminal charges in the mine-blast investigation.
Former Upper Big Branch superintendent Gary May is also cooperating with prosecutors. He pleaded guilty to a federal conspiracy charge for his actions at the mine and is set to be sentenced in January.
Former Massey security chief Hughie Elbert Stover, meanwhile, is appealing his conviction last fall on charges he lied to investigators and ordered a subordinate to destroy documents. He was sentenced to three years behind bars — one of the stiffest punishments ever handed down in a mine safety case — but has been free pending appeal. Witnesses testified that Stover instructed mine guards to send radio alerts whenever inspectors entered the property. He's denied any wrongdoing.
The explosion at Upper Big Branch was sparked by worn teeth on a cutting machine, and fueled by methane and coal dust. It was allowed to propagate by clogged and broken water sprayers. The force of the blast traveled miles of underground corridors, rounding corners and doubling back on itself to kill men instantly.
Goodwin's office negotiated a $210 million agreement with Alpha to settle past violations at UBB and other Massey mines, protecting the company from criminal prosecution.
But individuals such as Hughart remain on the hook.
A memo suggesting Blankenship regularly ordered underlings to put profits before safety emerged during a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by the widows of two men killed in a 2006 fire at Massey's Aracoma Coal Alma No. 1 mine.
The memo told workers that if their bosses asked them to build roof supports or perform similar safety-related tasks, "ignore them and run coal."
"This memo is necessary only because we seem not to understand that the coal pays the bills," it said.
Massey settled that lawsuit for undisclosed terms, and Aracoma paid $4.2 million in civil and criminal penalties.
Public records suggest Hughart worked closely for at least 15 years with Blankenship, who retired about eight months after the disaster.
Blankenship dropped out of public view for a while but has been resurfacing. Last month, he donated $300,000 to the Marshall University medical school, and he's been posting his thoughts on politics and other matters on a website.
Gary Quarles, who lost his son Gary Wayne at Upper Big Branch, said he wants the former CEO to face criminal charges.
"Everybody thinks he's above the law," he said. "I want at least something filed against him, to show him you can be had. It doesn't matter what he's charged with, just something. ... Even Martha Stewart went to jail.
"If they can get him in prison for at least a year — and I don't care if he's catered to every day he's there — then at least we got something. That's what we've asked for," Quarles said. "He shouldn't be able to get off scott-free. He was in charge, and everybody knows it.
Clay Mullins, who lost brother Rex in the explosion, is disappointed that no one directly linked to Upper Big Branch was charged Tuesday, but he sees the Hughart charges as "good news" and an indication that investigators are going up the chain of command.
"They need to go after anybody that's done wrong, and it don't have to be at the UBB mine," he said. "That's other lives that man put in danger. People like that, they need to get rid of them. They need to put them away before they kill somebody.
"It's time the United States government stands up to these coal companies — and anybody who acts like that," he said. "They need to cut them down. If they can't abide by the law, then close the doors. Let somebody who can abide by the law run it."
Charged exec cooperating in W.Va. mine blast probe
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — An executive who ran several coal companies for Massey Energy and worked closely with former CEO Don Blankenship faces criminal conspiracy charges and is cooperating with federal prosecutors, a sign that authorities may be aiming their sights even higher in the company as they probe a fatal West Virginia blast that was the nation's worst mine disaster in four decades.
David Craig Hughart, president of a Massey subsidiary that controlled White Buck Coal Co., is named in a federal information document — which signals a defendant is cooperating — filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Beckley.
Although Upper Big Branch is never directly mentioned in the document, U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin told The Associated Press the charges come from the wide-ranging and continuing investigation of the April 2010 explosion that killed 29 men.
Hughart (HYOO'-gurt) is the highest-ranking official yet to be charged, and his cooperation suggests that federal officials could be working their way up the Massey hierarchy. Blankenship was known for dealing directly with presidents of his subsidiaries, possibly even bypassing layers of management in between.
Massey was bought after the disaster by Virginia-based Alpha Natural Resources, which has said it was sealing the mine permanently.
The court document accuses Hughart of working with co-conspirators to ensure miners at White Buck and other, unidentified Massey-owned operations received advance warning about surprise federal inspections many times between 2000 and March 2010.
Those illegal warnings gave workers time to conceal violations that could have led to citations, fines and costly shutdowns, the document says.
Four investigations have concluded that Massey concealed problems at the mine through an elaborate scheme that included sanitized safety-inspection books and an advance-warning system.
The United Mine Workers of America, which accused Massey of "industrial homicide," has demanded that Blankenship and 17 other Massey managers who refused to talk to investigators be compelled to testify publicly or cited for contempt. It says those responsible for the disaster must be brought to justice.
Neither Blankenship nor one of his attorneys immediately responded to an email seeking comment Wednesday.
Hughart could be the link prosecutors need to go up the Massey food chain.
He's been president of at least 10 Massey subsidiaries throughout his career, positions that would have required the consent of a CEO whose micromanagement is well documented. At Big Branch, for example, Blankenship demanded production reports every 30 minutes.
Investigators say that at other Massey mines, Hughart colluded with others to violate laws requiring adequate ventilation, the removal of explosive coal dust and the application of pulverized limestone to prevent explosions.
Hughart has agreed to plead guilty to two charges: felony conspiracy to defraud the federal government by impeding the actions of MSHA, and misdemeanor conspiracy to violate mandatory health and safety standards. The felony charge carries a possible sentence of five years in prison. The misdemeanor carries up to one year.
Goodwin wouldn't say who else might be charged or when. His investigators are "trying to push forward as quickly as we can," Goodwin said, but that developing the necessary evidence means obtaining the cooperation of people like Hughart.
Hughart is the third person to face serious criminal charges in the mine-blast investigation.
Former Upper Big Branch superintendent Gary May is also cooperating with prosecutors. He pleaded guilty to a federal conspiracy charge for his actions at the mine and is set to be sentenced in January.
Former Massey security chief Hughie Elbert Stover, meanwhile, is appealing his conviction last fall on charges he lied to investigators and ordered a subordinate to destroy documents. He was sentenced to three years behind bars — one of the stiffest punishments ever handed down in a mine safety case — but has been free pending appeal. Witnesses testified that Stover instructed mine guards to send radio alerts whenever inspectors entered the property. He's denied any wrongdoing.
The explosion at Upper Big Branch was sparked by worn teeth on a cutting machine, and fueled by methane and coal dust. It was allowed to propagate by clogged and broken water sprayers. The force of the blast traveled miles of underground corridors, rounding corners and doubling back on itself to kill men instantly.
Goodwin's office negotiated a $210 million agreement with Alpha to settle past violations at UBB and other Massey mines, protecting the company from criminal prosecution.
But individuals such as Hughart remain on the hook.
A memo suggesting Blankenship regularly ordered underlings to put profits before safety emerged during a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by the widows of two men killed in a 2006 fire at Massey's Aracoma Coal Alma No. 1 mine.
The memo told workers that if their bosses asked them to build roof supports or perform similar safety-related tasks, "ignore them and run coal."
"This memo is necessary only because we seem not to understand that the coal pays the bills," it said.
Massey settled that lawsuit for undisclosed terms, and Aracoma paid $4.2 million in civil and criminal penalties.
Public records suggest Hughart worked closely for at least 15 years with Blankenship, who retired about eight months after the disaster.
Blankenship dropped out of public view for a while but has been resurfacing. Last month, he donated $300,000 to the Marshall University medical school, and he's been posting his thoughts on politics and other matters on a website.
Gary Quarles, who lost his son Gary Wayne at Upper Big Branch, said he wants the former CEO to face criminal charges.
"Everybody thinks he's above the law," he said. "I want at least something filed against him, to show him you can be had. It doesn't matter what he's charged with, just something. ... Even Martha Stewart went to jail.
"If they can get him in prison for at least a year — and I don't care if he's catered to every day he's there — then at least we got something. That's what we've asked for," Quarles said. "He shouldn't be able to get off scott-free. He was in charge, and everybody knows it.
Clay Mullins, who lost brother Rex in the explosion, is disappointed that no one directly linked to Upper Big Branch was charged Tuesday, but he sees the Hughart charges as "good news" and an indication that investigators are going up the chain of command.
"They need to go after anybody that's done wrong, and it don't have to be at the UBB mine," he said. "That's other lives that man put in danger. People like that, they need to get rid of them. They need to put them away before they kill somebody.
"It's time the United States government stands up to these coal companies — and anybody who acts like that," he said. "They need to cut them down. If they can't abide by the law, then close the doors. Let somebody who can abide by the law run it."
source: USA Today
Ex-CEO implicated in Massey coal mine case
A former president of a Massey Energy subsidiary implicated the company's chief executive officer for the first time in safety violations as he pleaded guilty Thursday to charges resulting from the 2010 explosion at a Massey mine that killed 29 people.
David Hughart, 54, entered the plea to two federal conspiracy charges in U.S. District Court. He was accused of working with others to ensure miners at White Buck Coal Co. and other Massey-owned operations got advance warning about surprise federal inspections between 2000 and March 2010.
The judge asked Hughart if there was a policy to give advanced warnings and, if so, what company officials ordered the policy.
"What officers are you talking about?" Judge Irene Berger asked.
"The chief executive officer," he replied.
The CEO at the time, Don Blankenship, was not mentioned by name. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steve Ruby declined comment about Blankenship after the hearing because the investigation is continuing.
REPORT ON THE DEADLY EXPLOSION: At Upper Big Branch coal mine
Blankenship retired about eight months after the explosion at the Upper Big Branch mine and is the man whom many families of those killed have said they'd like to see prosecuted. Massey has since been bought out by Virginia-based Alpha Natural Resources.
Hughart was cooperating with investigators, a sign that authorities may be gathering evidence to target other Massey officials in their investigation. Prosecutors have declined to say who else could face charges in the wide-ranging probe of the worst U.S. coal mine disaster in four decades.
Blankenship did not immediately respond to messages Thursday. Nor did an attorney who represents him in a civil lawsuit related to the Upper Big Branch disaster.
Blankenship has been re-emerging as a public figure the past year, launching a website where he shares his thoughts and reviving a long-dormant Twitter account.
On April 5, 2010, Massey's Upper Big Branch mine exploded and killed 29 men in southern West Virginia. On a website updated recently, Blankenship calls that day one of the worst of his life.
Many people in West Virginia's coalfields hold Blankenship personally responsible for the blast, accusing him of putting profits before people throughout his long career as an operator. Multiple investigations found the explosion at Montcoal was caused by blatant disregard of federal safety laws, and Blankenship had a well-documented record of micromanaging his mines.
Blankenship had long been a public figure and household name in West Virginia, lavishing millions on conservative political candidates including state Supreme Court Justice Brent Benjamin, and accusing the former head of the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration of lying to Congress.
But the Upper Big Branch disaster made him known outside the state, and a week before his retirement, a national magazine profile labeled him "the dark lord of coal country." The retirement came abruptly on a Friday night, and for a while, he virtually vanished from public view.
Hughart became the highest ranking of three former mine workers convicted since the investigation began into the explosion at Upper Big Branch mine. He faces up to six years and a $350,000 fine when he's sentenced on June 25. Hughart and his attorney, Michael Whitt, were not immediately available for comment after the hearing.
Four investigations into the Upper Big Branch explosion have concluded that Massey concealed problems at the mine through an elaborate scheme that included sanitized safety-inspection books and an advance-warning system. The mine has since been sealed.
Prosecutors also have negotiated a $210 million agreement with the company that bought Massey, Alpha Natural Resources, to settle past violations at Upper Big Branch and other Massey mines. That protects the company from criminal prosecution but leaves individuals open to it.
Gary May, a former superintendent at the Upper Big Branch mine where the blast occurred, was sentenced last month to 21 months in prison for his guilty plea to charges he defrauded the government through his actions at the mine. That included manipulating the mine ventilation system during inspections to fool safety officials and disabling a methane monitor on a cutting machine a few months before the explosion.
May had testified at the February 2012 sentencing of former Massey security chief Hughie Elbert Stover, who was sent to prison for three years for lying to investigators and ordering a subordinate to destroy documents. It was one of the stiffest punishments ever handed down in a mine safety case. In December, a federal appeals court upheld Stover's conviction.
U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin has said his office is sifting through a large amount of information on Upper Big Branch, and the investigation that has moved up the management ladder will continue until all avenues are exhausted. After May was sentenced, Goodwin didn't mention Blankenship when asked about him, noting instead that Hughart supervised a group of mines and had a long career at Massey.
Thanks for the update, T1.