• $209 million the amount Massey Energy’s parent, Alpha Natural Resources, will pay in penalties over the 2010 mine blast
• $47 millionthe amount that will go to individual families and those injured in the deadly blast source

• » The mine blast killed 29 miners: One of the first things that became clear after last year’s deadly West Virginia mine blast was that the company in charge of the mine, Massey Energy, did a very poor job of following regulatory standards. This is their punishment. While the company will avoid getting prosecuted as a result of this settlement, individual Massey executives could face prosecution as part of the agreement. Does the punishment reflect the crime?

• reno The latest report is that nine people died in the accident yesterday, including the pilot, Jimmy Leeward. Many of those in the hospital — roughly three dozen — suffered head injuries. NTSB officials will have a press conference at 9:15 EDT to relay the latest updates.
• martinsburg Another crash — a day after that at the Reno Air Races — spooked people at a race in Martinsburg, West Virginia today. The crash killed the pilot but did not affect anyone in the crowds. The pilot, much like Leeward, was flying a vintage World War plane. source

• I don’t know how you could have assembled a worse record than the record they have assembled in the last few years. It does not appear the culture has changed at Massey. That is most unfortunate.
• Davitt McAteer, chair of the West Virginia Governor’s Independent Investigation Panel • Speaking on his examination and report about the deadly explosion at the Upper Big Branch coal mine, under the ownership of Massey Energy.  The full report, available here, is pretty damning — the subtitle of the report is, simply, “a failure of basic coal mine safety practices.” Said Senator Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia: “This report tragically reinforces that the disaster that took the lives of 29 men at Upper Big Branch last year was absolutely preventable. That will always be one of the most painful facts about this explosion.” source

• Why are we doing all this when the most powerful person in these negotiations, our president, has failed to lead this debate or offer a serious proposal for spending and cuts that he would be willing to fight for?
• Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin • Calling out President Obama’s leadership on the floor of the Senate today. That this criticism came from freshman Senator Manchin shouldn’t come as a big surprise, as he’s a very conservative Democrat (you may remember him shooting the cap-and-trade bill with a rifle). With the looming departure of Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman in 2012, the West Virginia senator seems primed to hoist the title of “Democrat who most antagonizes his own party” going forward. source

• It’s funny. All you have to do to make a basic statement of fact, like West Virginia Rep. Nick Rahall’s mention that he helped get out the vote to Arab-Americans for Obama, into an attack ad is to add some dark music, deep voices and foreboding fades. In other news, holy crap. Can you believe how blatantly racist this ad is? source

• He said: ‘There are things I regretted in my youth; you may – you may know that.’ And I said: ‘None of us are absent some regrets, senator. That’s why we enjoy and seek the grace of God.’
• President Barack Obama • Giving the eulogy at Sen. Robert Byrd’s funeral in Charleston, West Virginia on Friday. He further noted that his indiscretions were made up for over time. “As I reflect on the full sweep of his 92 years, it seems to me that his life bent towards justice,” he said. Bill Clinton also spoke a little too, noting his KKK affiliation directly – he was the only speaker that did. But then again, a black president spoke at his funeral. So that’s definitely something to be said about the power of redemption. source

• Say what you will about Robert Byrd – career politician bar none, former KKK member – but he made it through health care. It probably took a lot out of him to make sure health care had his 60th vote, but he made it. Despite certain GOP members suggesting they hoped he missed the vote, he still made it. In a lot of ways, the endeavor speaks more of his career than anything else – a fighter, a guy who got beyond his racist past to have a heck of a second act. Some highlights:

• 9number of times he was re-elected to the Senate (totally unprecedented)

• a racist past, moderatedMaybe in another era, Byrd’s early association with the KKK may have been a career-killer, but many (many) apologies and the passage of time ultimately moderated his views on civil rights. It wasn’t instant – he famously filibustered the Civil Rights Act of 1964 – but the effect was lasting.
• Propping up West VirginiaByrd used his power in the Senate to help build jobs and infrastructure in a state that had little of both when he first started. To some, he earned the nickname “the prince of pork,” but to West Virginians, he was seen as a savior who was voted to both chambers of both the state and federal legislatures.
• A senate leaderByrd ultimately became much more than simply a West Virgina senator – first chairing the Appropriations committee, then later becoming Majority Whip, and spending two separate spans as Majority leader. “A leadership role is different,” he said, “and one does represent a broader constituency.”

Robert Byrd, in his own words

• It has been my constant desire to improve the lives of the people who have sent me to Washington time and time again.
• Sen. Robert Byrd • From his 2005 autobiography, “Robert C. Byrd: Child of the Appalachian Coalfields.” Say what one will about Byrd, but he’s always held up this part of the bargain for West Virginia. West Virginia has responded in kind, naming 30 federal projects after the senator. The state also voted him back into office by wide margins. If anything, he’s proof that a man with a controversial past can be moderated. He’ll be missed. source

• Every place I’ve ever worked, safety has been a distant second to production. If you take 30 minutes out of the day doing it right, that takes a lot out of the tonnage of the mine.
• Kentucky-based miner Billy Brannon • Regarding safety standards for miners. In the wake of the Upper Big Branch mine disaster last week, which killed 29, many are questioning whether the government’s regulatory administration, The Mine Safety and Health Administration, has enough teeth to properly take on organizations like Massey Energy. Unlike the EPA and FDA, the MSHA doesn’t make its investigators law enforcement officers, and the fines the group offers are mere pittances – $168,393 for Massey, for example. source

• The West Virginia mining disaster is scary and stuff, and all some jerks can think about is trashing Jamie Foxx on live TV. We’re impressed with Shep’s way of preventing that prank from getting more play than it could’ve.