Montana Coal Mine Laying Off 75 Workers
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BILLINGS, Mont. – One of the west’s largest open-pit coal mines is laying off 75 employees.
Montana’s Decker Coal Mine near the Wyoming border plans to hand out pink slips in mid-January. Officials say the layoffs will cut the site’s workforce in half.
A dispute between the mine’s owners regarding potential expansion is ongoing, but authorities maintain the layoffs are unrelated. Production at Decker has also dropped significantly in recent years, from 7 million tons in 2006 to 3 million tons last year.