March 21, 2020 - Blackhawk Mining, LLC announced a temporary shutdown of mining operations and employee furlough Friday in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The two-week shutdown begins Monday, March 23 and ends Sunday, April 5.

A small number of essential staff will remain working.

Those not working will not receive any pay, but they are still covered under employee benefit programs.

"We regret the impact of these actions and realize that this may cause certain hardships on our employees and stakeholders," said Black Hawk President Jesse Parrish. "At the same time, we feel that this action is necessary to protect the long-term best interests of our employees, their families and our Company. Together, we will persevere through this most difficult time and get back to the business of safely and efficiently mining and selling coal.”

Blackhawk is a privately owned coal mining and marketing company headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky.

The company operates eight mining complexes across West Virginia and Kentucky with more than 2,300 employees.