Photo by: Reuters
Part of the Black Mountain coal mining complex, formerly owned by now-bankrupt mining company BlackJewel, in Cumberland, Kentucky, US. Blackjewel and its affiliates had coal operations in Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia and Wyoming, and its assets went up for auction. Blackjewel follows other major US coal producers that have filed for bankruptcy protection in recent years. "The entire US mining complex has been impacted by these events. The entire industry either has gone through, or is currently going through, a period of financial distress and reorganisation," Blackjewel CEO Jeff Hoops said in a court filing. Truckers blocked a highway in Kentucky last month in solidarity with affected mineworkers.