AM I NEXT? NO LOVE AT LUMINANT ENERGY

Irving, Texas-based Luminant, an energy business specializing in power development, generation, marketing, trading, and mining, operations, has announced that Luminant will completely cease operations at their Liberty Mine and lay off additional workers at their Martin Lake Beckville Mine and the Martin Lake Railroad.

Approximately 160-170 employees will be laid off on December 26, 2021.

According to a company statement, "As Luminant has planned for some time, the Liberty Mine that provided lignite to the Martin Lake Power Plant since 2014 will be closing by the end of 2021. The estimated 160-170 employees impacted were informed earlier this year. Luminant deeply thanks and appreciates the men and women who’ve worked at Liberty and their dedication to powering Texas."

"The Liberty Mine closure was a part of the company's long term fuel plan and the Martin Lake power plant will now operate on coal from the Powder River Basin which spans parts Wyoming, Montana and South Dakota."

Part of the decision was environmental as coal-fired power plants struggles to meet environmental regulations, and part economic as the company was losing market share to more efficient gas-power plants.

Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life or promises for a bright future. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. Are you now wondering, Am I Next?

AM I NEXT? NO LOVE AT BRIDGER COAL COMPANY

Rock Springs, Wyoming-based Bridger Coal Company, Wyoming's only underground coal mine, has announced that it preparing to cease underground mining and close its underground mine. The closure plan which has been anticipated since 2016 will be implemented on or about November 19, 2021. Approximately 92 workers will be impacted by the closure.

The closure coincides with the expiration of the mine’s federally leased area in December 2021. The company does not plan to seek an extension or a new lease to continue operations.

Bridger Coal, owned by Portland, Oregon-based PacifiCorp, a utility serving multiple western states, operates both the underground mine and a local surface mine, is a subsidiary of Des Moines, Iowa-based Berkshire Hathaway Energy Co., a holding company for utilities and related operations.

Bridger Coal underground and surface mines are both owned by PacifiCorp, a utility serving multiple western states including Wyoming. PacifiCorp has decided to transition from coal-fired power and to renewable resources to meet regulatory requirements and help combat climate change.

Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life or promises for a bright future. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. Are you now wondering, Am I Next?

AM I NEXT? NO LOVE AT AMERICAN CONSOLIDATED NATURAL RESOURCES

Saint Clairsville, Ohio-based American Consolidated Natural Resources, the coal mining company previously known as Murray Energy and the fourth largest coal producer in the country, has announced the closure of its Monongalia County Coal Mine operations that straddles the West Virginia-Pennsylvania border and lies mainly in Blacksville, West Virginia.

The closure will impact 180 workers in two phases commencing on August 9, 2021, and September 7, 2021.

The decision appears to have been driven by economics where coal-fired power generation is under assault from cheaper natural gas and the Biden Administration's decision to eliminate the use of coal-fired power plants and reduce the use of certain fossil fuels to affect climate change.

Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life or promises for a bright future. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. Are you now wondering, Am I Next?