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Dec. 4, 2010 / 12:47 PM

Massey replaces its top executive

A memorial of miners' gear and candles representing each of the miners confirmed deceased is seen in Nuttin Special restaurant in Whitesville, West Virginia on April 8, 2010. Four miners remained unaccounted for after an April 5 explosion at the mine operated by Performance Coal Company, a subsidiary of Massey Energy. Twenty five men are confirmed dead and two others are in hospitals. UPI/Roger L. Wollenberg

A memorial of miners' gear and candles representing each of the miners confirmed deceased is seen in Nuttin Special restaurant in Whitesville, West Virginia on April 8, 2010. Four miners remained unaccounted for after an April 5 explosion at the mine operated by Performance Coal Company, a subsidiary of Massey Energy. Twenty five men are confirmed dead and two others are in hospitals. UPI/Roger L. Wollenberg | License Photo

PITTSBURGH, Dec. 4 (UPI) -- A coal mining company plagued with safety issues, including a deadly explosion in April in West Virginia, says it will replace its top executive by Dec. 31.

Massey Energy Co. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Don Blankenship, who has been with the company for 30 years, will be replaced by President Baxter Phillips Jr., who will take the CEO post, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Saturday.

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On April 5, 29 miners were killed in an explosion at the Upper Big Branch mine in West Virginia. The company is also facing safety issues at a mine in Kentucky, where officials have sought a court order to close operations due to safety violations.

"After almost three decades at Massey, it is time for me to move on," Blankenship said in a statement.

But a former federal Mine Safety and Heath Administration official, Tony Oppegard, said he had not seen any indication Blankenship was considering retiring.

"But they've been losing a lot of money and getting a lot of bad press, so I guess no one's immune," Oppegard said.

"I hope [the change] results in safer working conditions … [under] someone with a stronger commitment to mine safety than Mr. Blankenship had."

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