September 8, 2025 - A McDowell County, WV coal mine has closed, laying off 32 employees.

Workers at the Ramaco mine at Laurel Fork were informed Friday of the layoff, effective immediately, but the company is optimistic that the mine will reopen soon.

Chris Blanchard, operations manager for Ramaco, said the coal market is volatile and it is a slow market right now.

“We hate we had to take this action,” he said. “We hope the coal market will improve quickly.”

Blanchard said the mine will continue to be maintained and ready to reopen.

The mine produces metallurgical coal, which is used to make coke for steel manufacturing, and he said two-thirds is shipped overseas.

Ramaco Resources Inc, based in Lexington, Kentucky, operates three mine complexes and processing facilities in West Virginia and Virginia and total employment is about 1,000.

Former employees of the mine claim the total number of employees laid off is closer to 60.

This announcement comes in addition to the roughly 700 mining jobs eliminated from the West Virginia workforce this year alone.

The majority of those layoffs cited the market as well.

The fear of a shrinking job market and public benefits is a concern of West Virginia residents.

“I’m worried for the people that are laid off, and are they going to be able to find another job? You know, are they my age? How are you going to start over? You’ve got to find a job back in what you know, because you can’t start over at my age,” said Ricky Estes, a former Coal Mining Safety Representative, who was laid off.