Company president Jesse Parrish told local news station WYMT-TV that the Blue Diamond Buckeye preparation plant in Perry County has been idled, along with two of the mines that feed it.
Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act notifications were given to about 160 at the facility, he said, and an undisclosed number at the Pine Branch operation will be cut. A request for additional details was not immediately returned.
Parrish, however, did tell the news station on November 19 that the layoffs at Pine Branch are considered temporary, citing the market for the company’s decision.
The Blue Diamond complex is spread across Perry, Knott and Leslie counties, and includes both surface and underground operations. Its sales include PCI, thermal, stoker and specialty coals.
Blackhawk Mining was founded in 2010, and in the last year, it has purchased assets from bankrupt James River Coal and Patriot Coal. It currently has five operating complexes in three states.
