"Massey Energy President Don Blankenship and environmental lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Thursday evening debated the future of coal and the science of climate change, agreeing on little but drawing still more national attention to the crucial issues that face the Appalachian coalfields.

Blankenship said coal has built the nation and must remain strong to protect national security and ensure a high quality of life for Americans. ...

But Kennedy argued giant mining machines have cost thousands of miners their jobs at the same time that mountaintop removal has been destroying ancient peaks, burying and otherwise polluting pristine streams and eliminating once-vital rural communities."

Ken Ward Jr. reports in the Charleston Gazette January 21, 2010. [2]

"Blankenship vs. Kennedy: A great show, but what then?" (Coal Tattoo) [3]