In a rare public appearance, 92-year-old Senator Robert Byrd, West Virginia Democrat, blasted Massey Energy and scoffed at CEO Don Blankenship's repeated insistence that Massey puts safety first in its mines. Blankenship testified at a hearing of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education on May 20, 2010 on Capitol Hill in Washington DC. It was Blankenship's first Congressional appearance since an explosion at one of his West Virginia coal mines killed 29 the month prior. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) in background. (Photo by Jeff Malet)
In a rare public appearance, 92-year-old Senator Robert Byrd, West Virginia Democrat, blasted Massey Energy and scoffed at CEO Don Blankenship's repeated insistence that Massey puts safety first in its mines. Blankenship testified at a hearing of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education on May 20, 2010 on Capitol Hill in Washington DC. It was Blankenship's first Congressional appearance since an explosion at one of his West Virginia coal mines killed 29 the month prior. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) in background. (Photo by Jeff Malet)