CASPER, Wyo. (AP) - Peabody Energy has laid off 50 temporary workers at a Wyoming coal mine.
Company spokeswoman Charlene Murdock told the Casper Star-Tribune that Thursday’s cuts are in line with Peabody’s practice of matching staffing levels with production need.
The North Antelope Rochelle mine employed 1,242 workers in 2019, according to federal data. Production for the three months ending in December was 21.4 million tons of coal, which is 13% less than over the same period in 2018.
The layoffs come after the Federal Trade Commission blocked a proposed joint venture between Peabody Energy and Arch Coal, the two biggest coal companies in the country.
The deal would effect several mines, including North Antelope Rochelle and Black Thunder along with the nearby Caballo, Rawhide and Coal Creek mines.
The two companies control two-thirds of the coal reserves in the southern Powder River Basin, which has been hit hard by the industry downturn.
Within the Powder River Basin, “a layoff of 50 workers is uncommon, though not unheard of,” said University of Wyoming economist Rob Godby.
In March 2016, Peabody Energy cut 235 workers from the North Antelope Rochelle mine. At the same time, neighboring Arch Coal laid off 230 people.
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