On July 1 Arch Coalmarked its 10-year anniversary and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Steven F. Leer said: “We are delighted to celebrate this anniversary with our customers, employees and other stakeholders, who together have made Arch Coal a world-class energy company. We set a high standard from the beginning and have demonstrated responsible and progressive leadership in the coal industry.”

Arch Coal was officially formed on July 1, 1997, through the merger of publicly traded Ashland Coal and privately held Arch Mineral Corp, whose origins date back to 1975 and 1969, respectively. With the completion of the merger, Arch became the leading producer of low-sulphur coal in the eastern USA. During the past 10 years, Arch Coal has strategically expanded its position in clean-burning, low-sulphur coal regions. Today, Arch contributes roughly 11% of the annual US coal supply, with 95% consumed by 128 US electric power plants in 33 states and the remaining 5% consumed by domestic and international industrial and steel companies.

Leer has led Arch Coal since the day of its initial public offering, and previously served as President and CEO of Arch Mineral. “Electricity from Arch’s coal has helped power America’s growth for the past decade, fueling everything from lights to laptops,” he said. “And with the help of clean-coal technologies, we expect Arch Coal to be right there providing fuel that meets the nation’s economic and environmental objectives for many years to come.”