An Alliance coal mine in Hopkins County is set to close in early 2016 as the Elk Creek site runs out of coal. But Madisonville-Hopkins County Economic Development Corporation President Gerald Cook says it’s likely the closure won’t have a big impact on the community.
“Some of the other areas they have ramped up and are doing well in their other locations and actually expanding in some of those areas,” he said.
Cook says the announcement was a surprise, but not unusual.
Nearly 370 people work at the Elk Creek mine.
“If those employees are transferred to some of their other operations around here, and there are a lot of operations going on around here now, if they’re transferred into the others well there’s going to be a negligible impact to the community.”
Mine officials would not say if any layoffs are expected.
