CONSOL Energy Inc announced a restructuring plan at its Fola Surface and Preparation Plant operations near Bickmore in West Virginia that will keep 301 people employed as work schedules are adjusted from a continuous operation to a traditional 5 day work week.

Originally, the company thought it would have to layoff nearly 500 workers at the site due to a ruling by US Judge Robert Chambers. Environmental groups challenged the permit due to a technical error. The company issued WARN notices to those workers in December, but Judge Chambers eventually granted a stay so the company could correct the error in the permit.

CONSOL officials say without the stay they would not have been able to continue operating. In order to compensate for market conditions, CONSOL will move 300 of its employees to a five day work week opposed to the current continuous production schedule. Only 157 will be laid off due to the schedule change effective immediately.

The change in schedule will take effect Monday, February 22nd 2010 following a temporary weekend idle of the operations to make the workforce adjustments necessary to implement the restructuring plan, including a move of the majority of the mining equipment at the Fola surface operations to the Ike's Fork portions of the mine site.

Mr Nicholas J DeIuliis executive VP & COO of CONSOL Energy said “We have a plan and our tonnages have been sold, but in an effort to manage our stockpiles and to balance coal production with expected customer demand and shipping schedules, we are faced with making adjustments which unfortunately will impact a portion of our workforce. If we had not been able to obtain the stay on the Ike's Fork permit, the number of Fola employees impacted by the current restructuring would have been much greater.”

CONSOL Energy Inc, a high Btu bituminous coal and natural gas company, is a member of the Standard & Poor's 500 Equity Index and the Fortune 500. At year end 2009, it had 11 bituminous coal mining complexes in six states and reports proven and probable coal reserves of 4.5 billion tons. It is also a majority owner of CNX Gas Corporation, a leading Appalachian gas producer, with proved reserves of over 1.9 trillion cubic feet.