JobsTop story
WE Soda plans to cut about 350 Sweetwater County jobs as the Westvaco mine changes methods
The layoffs reach the county and state budgets
- 350
- jobs WE Soda plans to cut in Sweetwater County
- 40%
- of its Sweetwater County workforce
- $4 million
- a year the state mineral trust fund would lose
- $1 million
- in revenue Sweetwater County alone would lose
WE Soda plans to eliminate about 350 jobs in Sweetwater County, 40% of its workforce there. The London-based company bought the Westvaco trona mine near Green River in 2025. It announced Wednesday it's switching to solution mining, where trona is dissolved in water underground. The company says that's cheaper, and that it plans to produce less soda ash from trona and reduce exports to Asia and South America because of low-cost soda ash from China.
Sweetwater County Treasurer Mark Cowan says the State Permanent Mineral Trust Fund will lose about $4 million a year. "It'll affect schools and teachers," he said.
- Switch to solution mining: about two years
- Help: city and county are working with workforce agencies
- Worry: families fear losing health insurance
- Scale: Rep. Cody Wylie says the cuts equal 3% of the county
The mine's change of course runs from 2025 into next year
- 2025London-based WE Soda buys the Westvaco trona mine near Green River.
- Nov. 4WE Soda announces its switch to solution mining and about 350 job cuts.
- Early 2027350 workers will lose their jobs at the mine.
Source: Wyoming Public Media
Gov. Mark Gordon and Gov.-elect Eric Barlow called the news "terrible news for this cornerstone industry." They say they're working with state and federal partners to strengthen Wyoming's soda ash industry.
