The company once again did not mince words as to the impetus for the closure of the Redbird West highwall mine near Brilliant.

It says the actions of US President Barack Obama and his administration are “the entire reason” every worker at the eastern Ohio complex will now be unemployed.

“Mr Obama has already destroyed 83,000 megawatts of coal-fired electricity generation in America,” Murray Energy government affairs vice president Michael T W Carey said.

He noted electricity prices in the recent PJM Interconnection monthly auction were up 800% for 2015-2016 for the same reason.

Mine superintendent and general manager Stanley Piasecki said: “At its peak, OhioAmerican employed 239 local people in high-paying, well-benefited jobs.”

He said according to university studies, mines could create up to 11 local secondary jobs to serve its direct employees.

Using this 11-to-1 multiplier, the Obama administration has been responsible for the extinction of 2868 jobs in eastern Ohio just with this closure.

“This is a sad day for all of us, and particularly [founder] Robert E Murray,” Piasecki said.

“He is so distraught that he came to the mine and personally announced the layoffs to each of the employees.”

The Redbird West complex started production in May 2007, and had an estimated life span of at least a decade at its opening.

Spokesman Gary Broadbent told ILN in addition to Redbird, all other projects at properties that were to be mined with the same workforce had been cancelled.

“Now we have been forced by our own country's president and his followers and supporters to permanently close the operation,” Piasecki said.

Company vice president of operations Ryan Murray said the company would be able to employ 32 of the employees at another Murray mine.

“But these 32 people will fill jobs that would have gone to others,” Murray said.

“Therefore, considering this, we have lost all of the jobs at OhioAmerican, and we are deeply saddened.”

Earlier this month, Ohio Valley Coal general manager Ronald Koontz confirmed the furlough of 29 workers at the No 6 longwall mine in Belmont County.

Piasecki and Murray recalled a somber Koonz, who said at the time, “this is not the end".

“There will be additional layoffs, not only at Murray Energy, but also throughout the United States coal industry due to Mr Obama's 'war on coal' and the destruction that it has caused to so many jobs and families in the Ohio Valley area and elsewhere,” Murray said.

“Both Mr Obama and vice president Joe Biden stated that there would be 'no coal in America' prior to their elections. They are making good on their intentions while they destroy so many lives and family livelihoods in this area for no benefit whatsoever.”