29 coal mining deaths bring misdemeanor conviction

They say it's a rare prosecution.

I'd call the outcome a slap on the wrist.

In a rare prosecution of a mining executive for safety violations, former Massey Energy chief executive Don Blankenship was convicted by a federal jury on one of the three counts brought against him in relation to the 2010 Upper Big Branch mine collapse in West Virginia that killed 29 people. 

An investigation of the event found a plethora of warning signs before the accident, including sparking machinery and a buildup of toxic gases. The jury found Blankenship guilty of conspiracy to violate mine safety regulations, which is a misdemeanor, but acquitted him on the more serious counts of deceiving investors and regulators.

You hear about the war on coal. I'd say the war's against the miners and justice.