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One of the nation’s largest coal companies laid off 50 temporary workers Thursday at its North Antelope Rochelle mine in Wyoming, according to owner Peabody Energy.

Located in Campbell County near Wright, the North Antelope Rochelle mine employs 1,242 workers, according to 2019 data from the U.S. Mining Safety and Health Administration.

But the mine has not been producing coal at the levels it once did. It pumped out 21.4 million tons of coal during last year’s final quarter, over 13 percent less than in 2018.

“We routinely match staffing levels with production needs and the reduction in temporary workers is consistent with that approach,” Charlene Murdock, a spokeswoman for the company, told the Star-Tribune in a statement.

Temporary workers are typically sourced through a local agency by the mining company to augment the existing workforce. The temp agency pays the workers, not the mining company.

Within the Powder River Basin, “a layoff of 50 workers is uncommon, though not unheard of,” said University of Wyoming economist Rob Godby.