Ex-coal exec pleads not guilty in W.Va. mine blast

BECKLEY, W.Va. (AP) -- Ex-coal company chief executive Don Blankenship pleaded not guilty Thursday to conspiracy and other charges in the deadliest U.S. mine accident in four decades.

It was the first appearance in federal court for the former Massey Energy CEO since he was indicted last week. He is accused of ignoring safety and health regulations to make more money at the Upper Big Branch mine and lying to investigators about his company's safety practices. In April 2010, an explosion at the mine in Montcoal killed 29 men, and the indictment said Blankenship could have prevented most of the violations the mine was committing.

Blankenship, 64, could face up to 31 years in prison if convicted. He was released on a $5 million bond and his travel was restricted to Washington, D.C., and parts of West Virginia and Kentucky. He was ordered not to speak with family members of the victims.

Blankenship, wearing a navy blue pinstriped suit and red tie, looked at ease in the courtroom. He gave the media a quick, cordial greeting before the hearing and put his right arm behind his chair, leaned back and laughed a couple of times with his attorney. Otherwise, the executive once dubbed by Rolling Stone magazine as "The Dark Lord of Coal Country," was calm and his answers to the judge were short.

Some relatives of the men killed in the blast attended the hearing, and at least one family cried and hugged one another when it was over.