Alpha idles 2 mines, puts on hold plans for 8 others

Alpha Natural Resources made employment announcements Friday concerning more than a dozen of its mining operations in southern West Virginia. Alpha said it plans to idle two surface mines immediately, extending layoff notices for another two months at eight other operations and keeping one mine open.

Alpha issued Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notifications on July 31 for the 11 operations and layoffs were planned for Oct. 1 unless market conditions changed. WARN requires employers to provide notice 60 days in advance of covered plant closings and covered mass layoffs.

Alpha said Friday Independence Coal’s Twilight (Progress) surface mine in Boone County and Pioneer Fuels’ Ewing Fork No. 1 (Pax) surface mine in Kanawha and Raleigh counties are being idled immediately, eliminating 193 mining jobs.

The mines produced more than 1.4 million tons of steam and metallurgical coal in the first half of this year.

The company pushed back the WARN notices at its Highland Mining’s Superior, Reylas, Freeze Fork and Trace Fork surface mines in Logan County and the North surface mine in Mingo and Logan counties.  Also, WARN extension notices were given to Black Castle Mining’s surface mine in Boone County, Republic Energy’s Republic and Workman Creek surface mines in Raleigh County. The new WARN notices are set for Nov. 26. Hundreds of layoffs could come in early December at those operations.

Alpha also said its Alex Energy’s Edwight mine in Raleigh County will continue to operate as usual. The WARN notice was not extended.

The company is also making changes at its Raleigh County-based Marfork Coal Company. It’s eliminating 68 positions throughout the company including the idling of the Marsh Fork mine.