Arch Coal

Infobox_Company
company_name = Arch Coal, Inc.
company_
company_type = Public (NYSE: [http://www.nyse.com/about/listed/lcddata.html?ticker=ACI ACI] )
company_slogan = N/A
foundation = 1969 (founded)
1997 (current corporation) | location = St. Louis, Missouri
key_people = Steven F. Leer, Chairman/CEO John W. Eaves, President/COO
num_employees = 3,600 (2006)
industry = Coal mining
products = Coal
revenue = $2.55 billion U.S (2005)
homepage = http://www.archcoal.com/

Arch Coal (NYSE|ACI) is a United States coal mining and processing company. The company mines, processes, and markets bituminous and sub-bituminous coal with low sulfur content in the United States. Arch Coal is the second largest supplier of coal in the U.S [ [http://www.hoovers.com/arch-coal,-inc./--ID__10134--/free-co-factsheet.xhtml Hoovers.com fact-sheet] - (retrieved 10/10/06)] - second only to Peabody Energy [ [http://www.hoovers.com/peabody-energy/--ID__56753--/free-co-factsheet.xhtml Hoovers.com Fact-sheet on Peabody Energy] (Retrieved 10/10/06)] . Arch Coal claims to supply 12% of the domestic market [ [http://www.archcoal.com/aboutus/ Official Biography] - (retrieved 10/10/06)] . Demand comes mainly from generators of electricity [http://www.hoovers.com/arch-coal,-inc./--ID__10134--/free-co-factsheet.xhtml] .

Arch Coal operates 21 active mines and controls approximately 3.1 billion tons of proven and probable coal reserves, located in Central Appalachia, the Powder River Basin, and the Western Bituminous regions. [As of December 31, 2005. Source [http://finance.yahoo.com/q/pr?s=aci Yahoo! Finance profile] (retrieved 10/10/06)] The company operates mines in Colorado, Kentucky, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming, and is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. [ [http://finapps.forbes.com/finapps/jsp/finance/compinfo/CIAtAGlance.jsp?tkr=ACI Forbes profile] (retrieved 10/10/06)] The company sells a substantial amount of its coal to producers of electric power, steel producers and industrial facilities.

History

Arch Mineral Corporation was founded in 1969 as a partnership between Ashland Oil (now Ashland, Inc.) and the Hunt family of Dallas, Texas. Ashland Coal, Inc. was formed in 1975 as a subsidiary of Ashland Oil. The privately held Arch Mineral Corporation merged with Ashland Coal, Inc. in July 1997, creating the present-day company.

Politics

Big coal givers to West Virginia politicians includes Arch Coal PAC [http://www.wvoter-owned.org/news/2006/01_09.html] .

Competitors

Top Arch Coal competitors are [http://www.hoovers.com/arch-coal,-inc./--ID__10134--/free-co-factsheet.xhtml] :

*CONSOL Energy
*Massey Energy
*Peabody Energy

Environmental impact

The company practices mountaintop removal mining, which is controversial because of the erosion and water contamination it causes. [http://www.epa.gov/region3/mtntop/eis.htm EPA Environmental Impact Statement] Arch Coal's West Virginia mining operations in the Appalachian Mountains were the subject of a critical documentary in 2002 on "Now with Bill Moyers" on PBS. [ [http://www.pbs.org/now/science/coalupdate.html Now with Bill Moyers, "The Cost of Coal"] ] [ [http://www.pbs.org/now/science/coal.html Now with Bill Moyers, "The Cost of Coal" Update] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.archcoal.com Official website]