SCOTUS Denies Appeal of Death-Trap Coal Mine Owner Don Blankenship
The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to take up the case of an ex-coal baron convicted of fraud and conspiracy after the worst mining accident in decades. Justices denied the opportunity to hear the appeal of Don Blankenship, the former Massey Energy CEO found criminally liable for the 2010 disaster at the Upper Big Branch (UBB) mine in West Virginia. Twenty-nine workers were killed after explosions rocked the mine. Blankenship was convicted in late 2015 for deceiving federal mining and securities regulators and for willfully violating…