March 19, 2026 - Alliance Resource Partners’ subsidiary, Mettiki Coal, issued Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act notices to all employees of Mettiki’s Mountain View mine near Tucker County, West Virginia. The closure of the mine will affect about 200 workers at the mine, after operating in the community under the management of Alliance and its predecessor entities for nearly 50 years.

The company cited a series of planned and unplanned outages at a key customer’s plant in 2025, along with expected additional outages in 2026, as justification for the mine’s closure. Due to the location of the mine and the low-volatile quality of coal the mine produces, the company anticipated that this customer would purchase a minimum of one million tons per year to be viable under its existing operating plan, but Alliance said that the customer is not in a position to commit to purchase any additional tons from Mettiki for the foreseeable future. Though Alliance did not cite the customer’s name, the Mountain View mine has been the main provider of coal to Dominion Energy’s nearby Mount Storm power station for many years.

“We recognize today’s announcement will affect families and communities that have supported this mine for generations, and that decision weighs heavily on us,” said Joe Craft, chairman, president and CEO of Alliance. “With no clear alternative customer to absorb production, issuing WARN Act notices became an unavoidable step. We remain committed to open communication with our employees and community partners as we move forward.”

Mettiki’s full-year coal sales and production volumes for 2025 were approximately 1.2 million tons, with 300,000 tons shipped to the export metallurgical market and the balance to the key customer’s plant in question.

The company expects to fulfill its existing contractual commitments, which are scheduled to conclude in March 2026, primarily from existing inventory. Production will immediately cease, giving Mettiki time to evaluate its options concerning the mine’s future and the exact timing for permanent closure. The company said that employees not involved in the reduced production of coal will focus efforts on reclamation activities throughout the Mountain View mine.