Questa mine closes; about 300 workers laid off
The Chevron molybdenum mine in Questa is closing down, putting about 300 employees out of work. (Journal file)
SANTA FE – After years of boom and bust based on the price fluctuations of an element used in hardening steel, Questa’s nearly 100-year-old molybdenum mine appears to have reached the end.
The operation that has provided a livelihood for hundreds of residents and their ancestors in northern Taos County and around the region for decades is closing – and this time local officials and mine insiders say it’s for good.
Employees of Chevron Mining Inc. who gathered at the convention center in Red River on Monday morning received layoff letters indicating that their final day of work will be Aug. 2. About 300 workers were given the 60-day notices, said Chevron spokeswoman Margaret Lejuste, speaking from company headquarters in San Ramon, Calif.
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