Walter Energy Inc. closing North River coal mine

FAYETTE, Ala. (AP) — Walter Energy Inc. has announced it is closing its North River Mine in Fayette County.

The company laid off 131 underground coal miners and will offer jobs to about 80 employees at two other mines in the Brookwood area.

Company spokesman Dennis Hall tells the Tuscaloosa News (http://bit.ly/WUb4PR ) the mine was initially slated to close by the summer of 2014 but economic conditions led the company to act sooner.

Hall says the facility employed more than 300 people and remaining workers will help close the mine and seal its entrances.

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Information from: The Tuscaloosa News, http://www.tuscaloosanews.com