In accordance with requirements of the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, the operators have given notice to 292 employees at six mines and a processing plant in southwest Virginia and eastern Kentucky of the expected idling of those facilities in anticipation of their potential sale.

Alpha executive vice president of mining operations Keith Hainer said: “This action is consistent with steps Alpha Natural Resources has taken in the past to build a sustainable portfolio of mining assets across the company's operational footprint.”

The mining operations affected by the WARN notice are Mill Branch Coal Corporation's Dorchester and Osaka deep mines in Wise County, Virginia, which have 134 employees; and North Fork Coal Corporation's North Fork No. 6 deep mine in Letcher County, Kentucky, and the Panther No. 1, Stillhouse No. 1 and North Fork No. 7 deep mines, which are currently idled. A total of 111 employees work at the No. 6 mine or perform maintenance at the idled operations.

Also affected are Pigeon Creek Processing Corporation’s Plant No. 1 in Wise County, VA, which has 31 employees and Maxxim Shared Services’ support personnel for the mining operations, totalling 16 employees.