SHARPLES, W.Va., June 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Arch Coal, Inc. and its Mountain Laurel mining complex recently were recognized for superior corporate citizenship by the American Coal Council.
The Excellence in the Advancement of Public Service and Community Development award was presented to the employees of Mountain Laurel complex for benefiting their communities through direct involvement in local organizations and improvement projects.
"Arch Coal demonstrates a clear and consistent companywide commitment to serving the communities in which they operate, and they deserve to be recognized for their efforts," said Jason Hayes, communications director of the American Coal Council.
"In the first year of the program in 2005, two Arch Coal subsidiaries -- Coal-Mac and Thunder Basin Coal Company -- won the Excellence Award and Honorable Mention in the Public Service or Community Development category," said Hayes. "This year, Arch Coal's Mountain Laurel complex won the Excellence Award for this category."
Mountain Laurel's community outreach includes helping 90 homes in the neighboring towns of Sharples and Mifflin gain public water access, as well as funding the construction of a new stretch of highway, a railroad overpass and a bridge in Clothier, W.Va. that now provide residents with a safe and reliable connection to the existing state highway. Additionally, Mountain Laurel's Spruce Fork Community Advisory Panel meets regularly to work toward common goals and utilizes Arch Coal Foundation funding to award mini-grants to qualifying classroom teachers in the area.
Mingo Logan Coal Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Arch Coal, Inc. Mingo Logan's Mountain Laurel mining complex is located in Logan County, W.Va. near Sharples, and employs more than 250 people. Earlier this year, Mountain Laurel earned the Greenlands Award from the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection for its outstanding achievements in environmental care.
St. Louis-based Arch Coal is one of the nation's largest coal producers. The company's core business is providing U.S. power generators with clean-burning, low-sulfur coal for electric generation. Through its national network of mines, Arch supplies the fuel for approximately 6 percent of the electricity generated in the United States. A list of Arch's environmental and safety awards is available at http://www.archcoal.com/aboutus/awards.asp.
