Arch Coal Recognized for Operational Excellence by the State of West Virginia, Takes Home Nine Safety and Environmental Awards

ST. LOUIS, Feb. 5, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Arch Coal, Inc. ACI today announced that its Appalachian operations in West Virginia were recently recognized for safety and environmental excellence, earning a total of nine state awards at the Annual West Virginia Mining Symposium held on January 28-30. 

"We commend our West Virginia operations for their keen focus on our core values of operating safely and responsibly," said John W. Eaves, Arch's president and chief executive officer.  "These achievements underscore our employees' deep commitment to responsible practices as they strive for continuous improvement each year."

Arch operations and facilities were honored with five West Virginia Mountaineer Guardian Awards for exemplary safety records achieved during calendar year 2014: Beckley's Pocahontas mine and Pocahontas preparation plant; Leer's preparation plant; Mingo Logan's Mountain Laurel Mountaineer II mine; and Wolf Run's Sentinel mine.

In addition to the state safety awards, four of Arch's operations received environmental awards from the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection. Coal-Mac's Phoenix No. 4 mine received statewide praise for exhibiting exemplary performance in the mining and reclamation of a surface operation. Wolf Run's Sentinel mine was honored for their outstanding construction and operational techniques used in the installation of the latest environmental protection and control technology for the mine refuse area. Mingo Logan's Left Fork surface mine received the National Wild Turkey Federation award for restoring former mine land for wildlife habitat.

Furthermore, Coal-Mac's Pine Creek No. 1 surface mine was selected for the 2014 West Virginia Good Neighbor Award for its exceptional performance in community outreach and good neighbor practices.

"It is an honor to receive statewide recognition again this year," said Paul A. Lang, Arch's executive vice president and chief operating officer. "Arch employees, across our operating platform, work hard every day to prove themselves as industry leaders in safety and environmental stewardship. We applaud each and every one of their efforts." 

U.S.-based Arch Coal, Inc. is one of the world's top coal producers for the global steel and power generation industries, serving customers on five continents. Its network of mining complexes is the most diversified in the United States, spanning every major coal basin in the nation. The company controls more than 5 billion tons of high-quality metallurgical and thermal coal reserves, with access to all major railroads, inland waterways and a growing number of seaborne trade channels. For more information, visit www.archcoal.com.

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SOURCE Arch Coal, Inc.