As closure nears, miners grapple with next steps

CASPER — With four weeks left before Wyoming’s last underground coal mine shutters, the employee transition is well underway.

The long-anticipated closure of the Bridger Underground Coal Mine was originally expected to impact 94 mine workers, according to the layoff notice sent to the Rock Springs City Council a month ago. The number of affected staff has since fallen to 89 and is continuing to shrink as staff leave to start new jobs.

“Employees are aware that the mine will be closing,” said Tiffany Erickson, media relations manager for Rocky Mountain Power, whose subsidiary Bridg...