Massey Energy Awarded Coal Boss $2 Million Bonus for Safety Numbers in 2009, Even as Mines Amassed Record Violations

April 29, 2010— -- Massey Energy paid its controversial CEO more than $2 million in bonuses for exceeding goals on mine safety, even as the coal mines were piling up record numbers of federal citations and fines for safety infractions.

"In 2009, when the company had more violations than in any prior year, and was warned more than any other company, [CEO Don Blankenship] got the maximum payout for bonus money tied to safety," Michael Garland, a spokesman with CtW Investment Group, told ABC News on Thursday.

The union-backed investment group highlighted the bonus payments in a letter to shareholders Thursday as they argued that three corporate board members – all allies of Blankenship -- should be ousted at an upcoming company meeting. Massey's dismal safety record, the investor group argued, provides evidence of "a risk oversight failure that likely led to the catastrophic and preventable mine explosion on April 5 that killed 29 miners and destroyed $1.1 billion in shareholder value."

In a press release issued Thursday night, Massey Energy responded to the CtW allegations, calling them "unfounded and misinformed." "CtW insists on distorting the facts to influence the opinion of respected shareholders and is motivated by a political agenda that does not meet the best interests of Massey's employees or shareholders, nor the best practices of corporate governance," the company statement says. "It is unfortunate that CtW has attempted to leverage the accident at Upper Big Branch to its benefit at a time when Massey is focused on that tragedy and its aftermath." In a letter to shareholders, the corporate board's lead director, retired Admiral Bobby Inman, answers the most serious allegations of safety lapses, calling any assertion that Massey has been lax on safety untrue. "I want to reassure you that Massey puts the safety of its members first -- and always first," Inman writes. Inman also takes issue with suggestions that board members are compromised by other financial ties to the company. "Massey Energy is dedicated to maintaining the highest level of integrity in every aspect of its operations. Directors, executives and members sign ethics statements pledging to adhere to high standards of behavior. The ethics agreement includes guidelines for avoiding conflicts of interest and for reporting questionable accounting practices," his letter states.

Blankenship's safety bonus came as part of an eye-popping compensation package, the shareholder group said, which in 2009 was valued at $17.8 million. That was 186 percent above the average total compensation of the CEOs at Massey's three larger U.S. peers (Arch Coal, Consol Energy and Peabody Energy), even though Massey reported net income that was 70 percent lower than the average of its larger peers, the investor group said in the letter signed by executive director William Patterson.