Blankenship Guilty of One Count… Misdemeanor Offense

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The jury in the Blankenship trial after days of deliberation found him guilty of one misdemeanor offense of conspiring willfully to violate mine safety standards.  He was not held pending sentencing.  I don’t expect he will ever see a day in jail.  More from an excellent Ken Ward article in the Charleston Gazette Mail can be found by clicking here.

A federal jury on Thursday found former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship guilty of conspiring to willfully violate mine safety standards.

The jury found him not guilty of securities fraud and not guilty of making false statements in the wake of the Upper Big Branch Mine Disaster. The count Blankenship was convicted of, conspiring, is a misdemeanor for which he could face up to one year in prison. He had faced up to 30 years in prison, if convicted on all counts. Blankenship was released on the conditions of his bond. His sentencing has tentatively been set for March 23, 2016.

California Governor Takes on Patrick “Science Denier” Morrisey

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Jerry Brown the Governor of California has written a letter to WV Attorney General Patrick Morrisey of West Virginia and Ken Paxton Attorney General of Texas. I believe that Governor Brown has put these two no nothings in their place.  Its time we all say it like it is and point out that we are dealing with a do nothing know nothing Attorney General.

Dear Attorneys General Morrisey and Paxton,

It’s come to my attention that you penned a letter this week to U.S. Secretary of State John F. Kerry and copied top officials in the United States, French, Chinese, German, Indian, Russian and British governments seeking to undermine climate action here in America and abroad, ahead of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change. The missive argued, in part:

“The President’s representations regarding his Administration’s CO2 emission reduction plans are based on unilateral executive action that is unlikely to be the law for very long. The Power Plan – which was never voted on by Congress – has been under withering scrutiny from both Republicans and Democrats since it was proposed, and the chorus calling for its overturning grows by the day…We respect the President’s power and discretion to negotiate international agreements with foreign nations. But there are significant legal limits on his ability either to carry out the promises he has made in advance of Paris 2015 or to enforce any agreement arising out of the summit.”

Frankly, your thoughts here are, at best, legally flimsy. At worst, you’re sending a dangerous message to the world: on climate change, do nothing.

You can see the letter by clicking here,  and an article in the Los Angeles Times by clicking here.