Massey Energy CEO Blankenship indicted in UBB explosion
A federal grand jury in Charleston, West Virginia yesterday indicted former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship for routinely violating federal mine safety rules at the Upper Big Branch Mine, leading to one of the worst mining disasters in U.S. history. The indictment is the latest in a long line of legal actions stemming from the April 2010 explosion at UBB, which killed 29 miners.
The four-count indictment that was filed in U.S. District Court charges Don Blankenship with conspiring to cause willful violations of ventilation requirements and coal dust control regulations as well as hindering Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) enforcement efforts by providing advance warnings of government inspections “so their underground operations could conceal and cover up safety violations that they routinely committed,” according to a statement released by the U.S. attorney.