CONSOL Energy Inc.:

CONSOL Energy Inc. said recently it planned to cut coal production from its Jones Fork and Mill Creek mines in Kentucky by 250,000 tons this year, resulting in layoffs of 150 people. A spokesman said the majority of the planned cuts were due to weak coal prices after mild weather in the fall and an early winter caused higher-than-normal stockpile levels at regional utilities. Kentucky produces about 70 million tons of coal per year for CONSOL.