A coal operator headquartered in Kentucky, which bought assets from Blackjewel LLC after the company went bankrupt last year, has now filed for bankruptcy protection, the Associated Press reported. Rhino Resource Partners announced that they plan to sell all their assets and the assets of their subsidiaries to a bidder. Many of the company’s coal mining operations have been idled since March due to the coronavirus pandemic. This has led to a decline in revenue. The coal operator has nearly 550 employees in different states. The assets they purchased from Blackjewel last year include underground coal mines and a preparation plant in Virginia, the news outlet reported. Those assets were then placed under Jewell Valley Mining, a subsidiary of Rhino. When Blackjewel filed for chapter 11 last summer, it laid off workers with little notice and issued them bad checks. Coal miners in Kentucky protested the unpaid wages by blocking coal shipments.
