GILLETTE, Wyo. (AP) - A coal mining company in northeast Wyoming has informed its workers of potential layoffs in response to lower production at the mine and a weak domestic market for Powder River Basin coal.
It is unclear how many jobs would be affected at Buckskin Mining Company, the Gillette News Record reported Thursday.
The workforce reduction “is not driven by the performance of our employees, but rather the realities of the market,” said Jessica Jensen, a spokeswoman for the mine’s Omaha-based parent company Kiewit Corporation.
The mine north of Gillette has produced 17.6 million tons (16 million metric tons) of coal in 2019, a 30% increase over the 13.5 million tons (12 million metric tons) in 2018.
A first-quarter report reflecting numbers so far in 2020 has not yet been released.
The company had 222 employees at the end of 2019, 49 workers fewer than the 271 workers reported at the end of the third quarter last year, federal Mine Safety and Health Administration officials said.
The company will do what it can to assist affected workers in finding other jobs, Jensen said.
“We will actively work with those affected to identify work opportunities within our parent organization for as many as possible,” she 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 mine previously laid off 83 workers in 2016 when the coal market crashed and caused more than 600 coal layoffs around the region.
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