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Former Coal Executive Don Blankenship Sentenced To 1 year In Prison

Former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship was sentenced to the maximum of one year in prison for conspiring to break safety laws and defrauding mine regulators at West Virginia's Upper Big Branch Mine, which exploded in 2010, killing 29 men. Tyler Evert /AP hide caption

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Tyler Evert /AP

The Two-Way

Former Coal Executive Don Blankenship Sentenced To 1 year In Prison

The former Massey Energy CEO also must pay a $250,000 fine for his role in a 2010 mining disaster that killed 29 miners.

U.S. Appeals Court Overturns Gag Order In Mine Disaster Case

Former Massey Energy Company Chairman and CEO Don Blankenship, seen in July 2010, has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy charges associated with the 2010 West Virginia mine explosion that killed 29 men. Jacquelyn Martin/AP hide caption

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Jacquelyn Martin/AP

The Two-Way

U.S. Appeals Court Overturns Gag Order In Mine Disaster Case

Dozens of news organizations, including NPR, appealed after a judge issued the gag order in a criminal case involving ex-Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship and the 2010 Upper Big Branch mine disaster.

Mine Disaster Probe Leads To Conspiracy Charges Against Former Executive

Mine helmets and painted crosses at the entrance to Massey Energy's Upper Big Branch coal mine, as a memorial to the 29 miners killed there. Jeff Gentner/AP hide caption

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Jeff Gentner/AP

The Two-Way

Mine Disaster Probe Leads To Conspiracy Charges Against Former Executive

David C. Hughart, former president of a Massey Energy subsidiary, is pleading guilty. The charges relate to a corporate culture that investigators say contributed to the nation's worst mine disaster in 40 years. Twenty nine miners died at one of Massey's West Virginia mines in a 2010 explosion.

West Virginia Report On Mine Disaster Points To State's Shortcomings

At an April 25, 2010, service in Beckley, W. Va., for the 29 miners killed in the Upper Big Branch explosion, helmets — placed on crosses — were lined up in their honor. Jewel Samad /AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Jewel Samad /AFP/Getty Images

The Two-Way

West Virginia Report On Mine Disaster Points To State's Shortcomings

While a state review of the 2010 disaster that killed 29 coal miners isn't as pointed in assigning blame as some other reports, it does single out weaknesses in state laws that make it difficult to hold those responsible accountable.