The struggle over southeastern Montana’s Decker coal mine has taken another turn with both co-owners trying to oust each other from the partnership.
This month, Cloud Peak Energy Inc. sued Ambre Energy Limited to remove Ambre as the mine’s manager. Now Ambre has filed a countersuit seeking to kick Cloud Peak out of the joint venture.
Cloud Peak claims that Ambre Energy planned to expand production outside of their joint management committee. Cloud Peak says that is a breach of contract.
Ambre says in a countersuit announced Monday that Cloud Peak has a conflict of interest because it owns a nearby coal mine that competes with Decker.
Production at the Decker mine has decreased and the current plan calls for an end to production when the last contract ends in 2013.