trona mining

James Kincaid moved his family over 1,000 miles to join Wyoming’s mining sector and nab a resident elk tag. Two months later, he was laid off.

Soda ash is Wyoming’s largest export. It’s in things like baking soda and glass, and it comes from the mineral trona. The industry relies on trona miners in Sweetwater County, but many are without jobs this week due to layoffs at Genesis Alkali.

At least 30 Genesis Alkali workers in Sweetwater County received notice that they’ll be laid off by early December. The company said it’s because of a downturn in the soda ash market, but workers are shocked because some of them were just hired.

About seven hundred Genesis Alkali union workers are starting the week with new contracts signed Sunday evening, just hours before the old contracts expired. It includes wage increases, but the main theme is upping safety standards.

Union workers for one of the largest producers of soda ash in the world are in contract negotiations in Sweetwater County. They have until June 30 to reach an agreement.

There’s a proposal for a trona mine between Green River and Granger in southwest Wyoming, and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is seeking public comment.

Trona mining is a widely forgotten part of the state’s extraction industries. But in Sweetwater County, it’s a big deal. Just west of Green River, there’s…