According to an official for a Boone County coal mine, Long Branch Energy has closed its No 25 mine and put 65 people out of jobs.

Mr Greg Patterson GM of Long Branch Energy said that some of the mine's 80 workers have been reassigned to other sites. Long Branch Energy owns 3 other mines in Boone County.

Mr Patterson blames the economic downturn in the steel industry. He said that Eastern Associated Coal said that Long Branch it no longer needed coal from the mine.

He said that a notice was filed Monday under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act and workers were told of the decision last Tuesday.

(Sourced from AP)