‘Workforce Reduction’ Underway at Wyoming Coal Mine
An undetermined number of employees will be laid off at a Wyoming coal mine due to "the realities of the [coal] market."
The Buckskin Mine -- which its owner, Kiewit Corporation, calls one of the most productive in the country -- is "communicating with... employees about a workforce reduction," Kiewit spokeswoman Jessica Jensen said in a statement to K2 Radio News on Thursday.
"We are still determining how many positions will be impacted, but we wanted to communicate to our employees as soon as possible," Kiewit said.
Kiewit says it will work with those who will see their jobs eliminated to find employment opportunities elsewhere within the corporation for as many people as possible.
"This is not driven by the performance of our employees, but rather the realities of the market," the corporation said.
"We remain focused on safely managing the mine to meet our commitments to our clients and to ensure the mine's long-term viability," the statement concluded.
It's the latest shakeup in what has been a turbulent several years for Wyoming coal mines and the industry as a whole.
Last summer saw Blackjewel LLC, previous owner of the Belle Ayr and Eagle Butte mines in Campbell County, file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and lock hundreds of miners out of work on July 1.
The federal government has filed a complaint to block a joint venture in the Powder River Basin between Peabody Energy and Arch Coal.
Cloud Peak Energy owned three Wyoming mines and had roughly $400 million in outstanding debt when it filed for bankruptcy last May.