×

Planned loss of Powhatan mine would hurt families

ALLEDONIA — Mary Saffell and Liz Moskal aren’t sure how their convenience store will survive if Murray Energy Corp. fulfills its plan to close the Powhatan No. 6 Mine by the end of the year, an act which would impact nearly 500 miners and their families.

According to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act notice, the southern Belmont County mine will close in December. Murray officials announced the planned closure in May, citing the facility reaching the end of its “productive life” because there are no longer any minerals to extract in an economical manner.

“It’s just awful,” said Moskal, an employee for the JLK Carryout at the interchange of state Routes 148 and 145, near the entrance to the Powhatan mine. “There won’t be any good jobs left around here, that’s for sure.”

“It will affect the whole community, that’s for sure,” said Saffell, a fellow store employee. “This is a scary thing. So many of them are close to retirement age. What are they supposed to do now?”

Near the mine, there are numerous signs supporting the candidacy of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. Throughout the campaign, the billionaire entrepreneur has publicly vowed to support the coal industry, while referencing comments Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton made regarding the employment of coal miners.

“Even the Democrats, 90 percent of them down here are for Trump. They want the coal mines to stay open,” Moskal said. Approximately 40 years ago, numerous smaller coal mines dotted the East Ohio countryside. However, economic conditions and environmental concerns have left Murray’s Century Mine near Beallsville and the Powhatan mine as the only remaining underground mines in the Buckeye State.

In May, Murray spokesman Gary Broadbent said the Powhatan mine would close in the fall because it had reached the end of its productive life. The W.A.R.N. notice filed with Ohio Department of Job and Family Services shows that up to 492 workers could be displaced between Dec. 11 and Dec. 25.

“Nothing changed,” Broadbent said this week when asked about this, while referencing the company’s statement issued in May.

“These reductions are a result of depleted coal reserves and reduced coal markets, as caused by the ongoing destruction of the U.S. coal industry by President Barack Obama and his political supporters and regulatory agencies, and the increased utilization of natural gas to generate electricity,” the statement reads, in part.

“We will transfer as many of these employees as practicable to other operations. However, most of them will be laid off,” it adds.

Data from the Mine Safety and Health Administration show hours worked at the Powhatan mine fell from 1.5 million in 2014 to 1.15 million in 2015. To this point in 2016, MSHA statistics indicate miners only 496,000 worked hours at Powhatan.

Murray operates both union and nonunion mines, with the Century Mine near Beallsville being nonunion. Hourly workers at the Marshall County Mine, the Ohio County Mine and Powhatan No. 6 have United Mine Workers of America representation.

According to the administration, Murray was the nation’s fifth-largest coal producer in 2014 by grinding out 62.8 million tons. Peabody Energy led the U.S. in 2014 with 189.5 million tons, while Arch Coal finished second with 135.8 million tons. Cloud Peak Energy, with operations almost exclusively in Wyoming, finished third in the nation with 85.8 million tons, while Alpha Natural Resources came in fourth with 80.2 million tons.

Of these five mines, Peabody, Arch and Alpha have filed for bankruptcy during the last two years. Murray officials are trying to avoid this, according to published reports.

Ida Brubaker said the convenience store she and her family have run along state Route 148 for more than 50 years already is suffering because of steady cutbacks at the Powhatan mine. A full closure, she said, may leave her in a dire predicament.

“If people aren’t working, there aren’t any paychecks. It can be nothing but bad,” she said.

Inside her store, Brubaker proudly displays multiple Donald Trump signs.

“We used to be the good coal country that provided the energy needed to power the nation,” she said. “Now, people want to make us out to be bad. We have to hope for Donald Trump to win. He’ll get the coal miners back to work.”

Saffell noted how some of the miners at the nearby Century facility have lost their jobs, even though Murray shows no signs of shuttering this mine.

“I’m just afraid of what will happen to the whole area. How many families are going to have to leave the area because there won’t be any good jobs here?” she wondered.

“Some people just don’t understand. These guys are second- or third-generation coal miners. It’s all they know,” Moskal added. “And, how do you replace it?”

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

COMMENTS

Starting at $4.73/week.

Subscribe Today