BRISTOL, Va., May 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Operating
affiliates of Alpha Natural Resources, Inc. (NYSE: ANR) have
notified employees today of the expected idling of the mining and
processing operations where they work. In accordance with
requirements of the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification
(WARN) Act, notices were given today to 439 employees at Rockspring
Development's Camp Creek Underground Mine and Processing Plant in
Wayne County, West Virginia,
regarding the expected idling of those facilities based on the mine
operator's current assessment of market conditions.
Additionally, three other Alpha-affiliated mine operators
announced last week that reductions in force were taking place at
their locations due to sustained weak market conditions and
government regulations that have challenged the entire Central
Appalachian coal industry. A total of 71 employees were
impacted:
- Enterprise Mining's EMC #9 underground mine in Knott County, KY and Roxana Prep plant in
Letcher County, KY reduced the
workforce by 17.
- Knox Creek Coal's Tiller #1 underground mine in Tazewell County, VA eliminated 35
positions.
- Mill Branch Coal's Dorchester
and North Fork underground mines
in Wise County, VA and
Letcher County, KY reduced the
number of workers by 19.
These actions are being triggered by persistent weakness in U.S.
and overseas coal demand and depressed price levels, along with
government regulations that are causing electric utilities to close
existing coal-fired power plants and forego construction of new
coal-fired capacity. Excess supply of coal worldwide also has
contributed to sustained price weakness.
Alpha's Chairman and CEO Kevin
Crutchfield said, "This is an unprecedented time in the coal
industry and Alpha continues to take difficult but necessary
actions to ensure that our production is aligned with the reduced
market demand we see today and anticipate in the future. These
actions are consistent with steps we have taken in the past to
build a smaller but more sustainable portfolio of mining assets
across our operational footprint."
Alpha Executive Vice President of Mining Operations,
Keith Hainer, echoed that today's
action is an indication that production and expenses continue to be
carefully analyzed to meet current and expected future
demand. "We are working to maintain flexibility and our
coal-producing affiliates are rationalizing their operations and
cost structure to manage effectively through these challenged
markets," Hainer said. "These are hard decisions because they
affect good people, but these changes are necessary to help address
the challenges that Alpha is facing."
About Alpha Natural Resources
Alpha Natural Resources is one of the largest and most
regionally diversified coal suppliers in the United States. With affiliate mining
operations in Virginia,
West Virginia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Wyoming, Alpha supplies metallurgical coal to
the steel industry and thermal coal to generate power to customers
on five continents. Alpha is committed to being a leader in
mine safety with our Running Right safety process, and an
environmental steward in the communities where its affiliates
operate. For more information, visit Alpha's website
(www.alphanr.com).
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SOURCE Alpha Natural Resources