Wyoming
Officials seek answers as layoff rumors swirl at southwest Wyoming coal mine – WyoFile
Officials in Lincoln County are pressing the owners of the Kemmerer coal mine for more details as rumors circulate about potential layoffs at the site.
County Commission Chairman Kent Connelly told WyoFile on Monday that he and others have heard about communications workers received from mine management concerning pending layoffs.
The company has “put out no press release, given us no numbers,” Connelly told WyoFile by phone. “The people who work there have said that [the company has] talked to them about it. Beyond that, I can’t get an official thing out of the mine at all. We would like to know what’s happening.”
Kemmerer Mayor Robert Bowen said he’s also heard the same reports spreading around the community in recent days without confirmation from the company.
“At this point, I’m not saying it’s not going to happen,” Bowen told WyoFile via phone, “but I’m just skeptical about anything I hear until it does happen, just because I’ve heard so many rumors that, you know, half the time it turned out be false.”
The mine owner, ECC Capital Corporation, did not respond to WyoFile’s inquiries before publication of this story.
Rumors of layoffs have circulated since the Southern California-based “specialty finance and asset management company” acquired the mine from PhenixFIN Corporation last year. The previous owner, Westmoreland Coal Co., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2018. In addition to serving the nearby Naughton coal- and natural gas-fired power plant, the mine ships coal to trona operations in southwest Wyoming for boiler systems used in refining processes, as well as out-of-state electrical generation customers, according to local officials.
The mine produced 2.4 million tons of coal in 2024 and employed 215 workers, according to federal data. It produced more than 4.2 million tons in 2017 and employed 279 workers in the fourth quarter of that year.
Bust or boom?
Though local officials are bullish on coal’s prospect for a potential turnaround under the second Trump administration and rising electrical demand, they can only brace for a range of short-term interruptions — from layoffs to a potential closure of the mine. Even as the mine faces uncertainty, the neighboring towns of Kemmerer and Diamondville — along with all of southwest Wyoming — anticipate huge industrial growth and a shortage of affordable housing to meet demands from new projects such as a major trona mining expansion and TerraPower’s Natrium nuclear power plant complex already under construction, Connelly explained.
“I would think people [if they get laid off] would want to stay here,” Connelly said. “They would probably be trying to get hired on at these other places that are hiring.”
However, not every major industrial project that’s in motion is a sure thing, he added. While the Natrium plant and a trona expansion appear to be on track, other plans for a large solar farm and coal-to-products still face uncertainties.
“It’s 50 different things in this area around here,” Connelly said. “There’s a lot going on.”
Though there’s much promise for an expanding industrial economy in the region, local officials are still wary, Lincoln County Economic Development Director Robert King told WyoFile.
“You can’t really depend on anything until you see concrete going in the ground and buildings going up,” King said. “Too many things can happen in the process. We’ve got some high hopes, but until it actually happens, I’m just not going to hold my breath.”
Adding to the uncertainty is what appears to be a lot of chaos under the Trump administration, King said, noting confusion around federal employee layoffs and a freeze on federal grant and research programs that could make or break several industrial projects in the region.
“It’s a strange time right now,” he said.
The 2026 postseason has arrived for Wyoming High School boys’ basketball teams in Class 3A and 4A. They participate in regional tournaments from Thursday through Saturday. The regionals will be in Buffalo, Evanston, Gillette, and Lovell. Three sites will use the format: two wins qualify a team for the state tournament next week in Casper, or two losses eliminate a team. The 4A East Region has three loser-out first-round games on Thursday, followed by two days of games for seeding. The 4A East Regular Season champ draws a first-round bye and has qualified for the state tournament.
WYOPREPS 3A-4A BOYS BASKETBALL REGIONAL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULES
Except in the 4A East Regional, Friday starts with elimination games. The regional semifinals are on Friday night. The final seeds for next week’s state tournament will be determined on Saturday. The schedules below for this weekend are based on the brackets sent to WyoPreps. It is subject to change.
THURSDAY, MARCH 5:
Final Score: (3) Pinedale 58 (6) Mountain View 40
Final Score: (2) Cody 58 (7) Powell 46
Final Score: (1) Lovell 75 (8) Lyman 43
Final Score: (4) Lander 65 (5) Worland 40
FRIDAY, MARCH 6:
Game 5: Mountain View vs. Powell, noon – loser out
Game 6: Lyman vs. Worland, 1:30 p.m. – loser out
Game 7: Pinedale vs. Cody, 6 p.m. – semifinal
Game 8: Lovell vs. Lander, 7:30 p.m. – semifinal
SATURDAY, MARCH 7:
Game 9: Winner Game 5 vs. Loser Game 8, 11 a.m. – loser out
Game 10: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 7, 11 a.m. – loser out (at LMS)
Game 11: Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 10, 5 p.m. – 3rd Place Game
Game 12: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8, 2 p.m. – Championship Game
THURSDAY, MARCH 5:
Final Score: (3) Douglas 85 (6) Rawlins 50
Final Score: (2) Wheatland 57 (7) Burns 40
Final Score: (5) Torrington 35 (4) Newcastle 28
Final Score: (1) Buffalo 69 (8) Glenrock 44
FRIDAY, MARCH 6:
Game 5: Rawlins vs. Burns, noon – loser out
Game 6: Newcastle vs. Glenrock, 1:30 p.m. – loser out
Game 7: Douglas vs. Wheatland, 6 p.m. – semifinal
Game 8: Torrington vs. Buffalo, 7:30 p.m. – semifinal
SATURDAY, MARCH 7:
Game 9: Winner Game 5 vs. Loser Game 8, noon – loser out
Game 10: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 7, 1:30 p.m. – loser out
Game 11: Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 10, 7:30 p.m. – 3rd Place Game (if necessary)
Game 12: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8, 4:30 p.m. – Championship Game
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THURSDAY, MARCH 5:
Final Score: (NW-3) Kelly Walsh 64 (SW-2) Riverton 49
Final Score: (NW-1) Natrona County 77 (SW-4) Jackson 23
Final Score: (NW-2) Green River 50 (SW-3) Evanston 40
Final Score: (SW-1) Star Valley 62 (NW-4) Rock Springs 60 – Erickson makes a turnaround jumper at the buzzer off an offensive rebound for the Braves.
FRIDAY, MARCH 6:
Game 5: Riverton vs. Jackson, noon – loser out
Game 6: Evanston vs. Rock Springs, 1:30 p.m. – loser out
Game 7: Kelly Walsh vs. Natrona County, 6:30 p.m. – semifinal
Game 8: Green River vs. Star Valley, 8 p.m. – semifinal
SATURDAY, MARCH 7:
Game 10: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 7, 11:30 a.m. – loser out
Game 9: Winner Game 5 vs. Loser Game 8, 1 p.m. – loser out
Game 11: Winner Game 10 vs. Winner Game 11, 4:30 p.m. – 3rd Place Game (at EMS)
Game 12: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8, 4:30 p.m. – Championship Game
THURSDAY, MARCH 5:
Game 1: (1) Sheridan = Bye
Final Score: (2) Cheyenne Central 75 (7) Cheyenne South 35 – Bison are eliminated
Final Score: (3) Thunder Basin 75 (6) Laramie 59 – Plainsmen are eliminated; Bolts qualify for state
Final Score: (4) Campbell County 59 (5) Cheyenne East 39 – loser out; Thunderbirds are eliminated; Camels qualify for state.
FRIDAY, MARCH 6:
Game 6: Cheyenne Central vs. Thunder Basin, 4:30 p.m. – semifinal
Game 5: Sheridan vs. Campbell County, 7:30 p.m. – semifinal
SATURDAY, MARCH 7:
Game 7: Loser Game 5 vs. Loser Game 6, 11:30 a.m. – 3rd Place Game
Game 8: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6, 2:30 p.m. – Championship Game
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Gallery Credit: Courtesy: Shannon Dutcher
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