The Virginia-based company, currently in the midst of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy case, issued Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN Act) letters on September 25 indicating a closing date for the mine of November 24.
Officials said the mine will be idled at that time due to the exhaustion of the final panel of mineable coal; the producer first announced the impending end of Emerald’s life in August 2014, at that time projecting the end of 2015 for a closure date.
About 290 workers, along with a few operational support crew members, will be impacted by the move to idle.
United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) officials told the Associated Press this week that about 140 miners have already been transferred from the Emerald mine to the company’s nearby Cumberland operation, which it is ramping up.
About 250 of the remaining 290 workers are union members, the spokesman added.
