photo by Chance Lane - RFK, Jr. and Big Coal CEO Don Blankenship debated at the University of Charleston.

Robert Kennedy Jr. is a passionate environmentalist and attorney, who has been arguing for years that coal is destroying Appalachia and the climate. Don Blankenship is the head of the biggest coal company in the south, Massey Energy, responsible for coal mining mountaintop removal and the mining of much of the coal that is polluting the country. Kennedy has been publicly speaking out against Massey and Blankenship for years, and the two finally debated on January 22nd at the University of Charleston. It’s a fascinating and maddening debate,  and I am in awe of people who can debate polluters like Blankenship, who is a climate criminal, and keep their cool. Kennedy remains logical and puts forth his case very well and very passionately. He has 100X the facts that Blankenship has.

Download or Listen to the whole debate here. (81.5 MB)

Blankenship puts forth what’s best for his business: Spin and BS about national security.  Coal has nothing to do with our national security and it certainly does not improve quality of life when its waste is so toxic and poisonous (even radioactive) and the use of it is destroying the climate.  Blankenship is also under the impression that we need to use coal and that he’s doing some type of public service.  Quite the opposite!  Kennedy does a good job of describing the damage that mountaintop removal does.

More information from West Virginia’s public radio:

“While Administration officials work to determine new policies to oversee mountaintop removal permits, a much more public debate on the subject was held Thursday in Charleston.  Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship and environmentalist Robert Kennedy, Jr. faced off on coal, climate change and the nation’s energy future.

Thousands packed the auditorium and tuned in on television and radio for the debate at the University of Charleston.  Much of the debate was predictable, as Blankenship and Kennedy stuck to talking points.  Kennedy argued that the controversial practice of mountaintop removal is not only bad for the environment, but is so efficient that it’s eliminated most of West Virginia’s mining jobs.

“Don often talks about his concern for the workers of this state,” Kennedy said. “But this is an industry that through the ruthless pursuit of total efficiency has eliminated 90,000 jobs.”

Read more here.