Powder River Basin mine lays off 50 temporary workers

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — Peabody Energy has laid off 50 temporary workers at a Wyoming coal mine.

Company spokeswoman Charlene Murdock tells the Casper Star-Tribune Thursday’s cuts are in line with Peabody’s practice of matching staffing levels with production.

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.

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