Yesterday former Massey Coal Executive, David Hughart, was sentenced to prison for 42 months for failing to follow basic safety practices, such as limiting the buildup of coal dust, which led to the death of 29 miners at the Upper Big Branch mine blast in 2010 — the worst U.S coal-mining disaster in 40 years.

While this justice is warranted, it is not enough. For over two years, Free Speech for People has been following this case in an effort to revoke Massey Energy’s Charter completely. A corporation is an artificial entity. It exists only because we the people — represented by a state government — give it a charter. Just as surely as we can grant that charter, we can also revoke it, and prevent future tragedies like this one from occurring with Massey Energy again.

Click here to call on Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden to revoke Massey Energy’s corporate charter.

Excerpt from the The Wall Street Journal article,

"A former Massey Energy Co. executive was sentenced Tuesday to more than three years in federal prison as part of a criminal probe that was launched after a West Virginia coal-mine explosion killed 29 miners.

David Hughart, 54 years old, a former president of a Massey operating unit, is the highest-ranking former company official charged in the case.

He is cooperating with federal prosecutors in an investigation that now reaches beyond the 2010 accident into other practices at the company, court filings show.

Mr. Hughart admitted in February that he conspired with other Massey officials to warn miners of impending safety inspections and conceal violations such as excessive coal dust.

At a plea hearing, he implicated former Massey Chief Executive Don Blankenship in the alleged conspiracy. Mr. Blankenship declined to comment Tuesday beyond a statement he wrote on his personal website in May. He wrote then that Mr. Hughart was "not telling the truth about me."

Mr. Hughart was sentenced to 42 months in prison. His attorney, Michael Whitt, said his client was disappointed with the sentence but "stands ready" to cooperate in the investigation.

The April 2010 blast at the Upper Big Branch mine in Montcoal, W.Va., was the worst U.S. coal-mining disaster in 40 years. Federal regulators found that Massey failed to follow basic safety practices, such as limiting the buildup of coal dust."   Read the full article here.