PREWITT, N.M. (AP) — State labor officials say workers laid off as a result of the planned closure of a power plant in western New Mexico will be eligible for unemployment benefits.
Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association announced earlier this year it would close the coal-fired Escalante Station.
Layoffs are expected in March. State and local officials have said they are concerned about the economic effects the closure will have, especially in a rural region where jobs are scarce.
State Workforce Solutions Secretary Bill McCamley says workers who will be forced to look for a new job should have access to a safety net as they transition.
