Massey Energy is sacrificing one of its own in what appears to be a rare occurrence of reality actually being heeded by King Coal. Reversing an earlier plea of not-guilty, Massey foreman David Runyon will instead plead guilty to one misdemeanor count regarding the tragically lax safety procedures at the Aracoma Alma Mine No. 1 in Melville, West Virginia, which caught fire, burned for nearly two hours before help arrived, and whose poor ventilation ultimately claimed the lives of two miners, Don Bragg and Ellery Hatfield, in January of 2006.

Bear in mind that Runyon’s only accepting responsibility for just one of the five charges levied against him (others include falsifaction of records and ignoring routine evacuation drills), and that Massey “strongly urged” the rejection of a $2.5 million plea bargain initially requested by the decased miners’ families. But we suppose this is good news, at least insofar that the typical punishment includes having to actually work in the very mines they so poorly operate; in a perfect world, perhaps…