Total Kentucky coal production in the second quarter dropped by about 5.9% year over year and 7.2% from the first three months of the year to about 9.4 million tons, according to a recent report from the commonwealth's Energy and Environment Cabinet.
The state's western coal operations posted a 2.7% increase from the year-ago period to nearly 5.8 million tons, but eastern Kentucky's output sank 16.9% to 3.6 million tons, according to the "Kentucky Quarterly Coal Report." Coal production in Harlan County, Ky., where miners and community members have staged a protest blocking a train full of coal after Blackjewel LLC filed for bankruptcy protection and miners reported bounced checks and unpaid wages, fell 45.9% year over year. The eastern Kentucky county produced 451,935 tons of coal during the recent period, about 37.7% less than the first quarter.
All told, total Kentucky coal mining employment fell by 5.7%, or 361 jobs, from the year-ago period, and 640 jobs, or 9.7%, from the first quarter, totaling 5,942 jobs.
