Interior Department Honors Coal-Mac for Excellent Environmental Practices, Mountain Laurel for Citizenship

ST. LOUIS (September 19, 2007) – Two of Arch Coal's (NYSE: ACI) mines were recognized yesterday by the U.S. Department of Interior for demonstrating the best reclamation and stewardship practices of the past year.

The 2007 National Award was presented on Sept. 18 to Coal-Mac, Inc.'s Holden 22 mine for excellence in surface mine reclamation, specifically for the environmental restoration of nearly two miles of previously abandoned mine lands in just two years. Holden 22 was nominated and then selected from a national pool of reclamation sites across the United States.

The 2007 Gold Good Neighbor Award was presented to Arch's Mountain Laurel mining complex for its exemplary interaction, communication and involvement with the surrounding communities. Mountain Laurel is the third Arch Coal subsidiary in four years to earn a national Good Neighbor Award from the U.S. Department of the Interior since the award was created in 2003.

"I'm extremely proud of the legacy Mountain Laurel and Holden 22 are leaving to the state of West Virginia," said Arch Coal's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Steven F. Leer. "Our employees earned these top honors thanks to their dedication to environmental excellence and good corporate citizenship."

Since the awards program began in 1986, Arch Coal and its subsidiaries have won the coveted Director's Award three times, the National Award three times, the national Good Neighbor Award three times, as well as the Special 25th Anniversary Award. For a more complete list of Arch Coal's recent environmental and safety awards, visit www.archcoal.com/aboutus/awards.asp.

The U.S. Department of Interior's Office of Surface Mining (OSM) is the agency responsible for regulating the environmental impacts of coal production. Nominations from coal mine operators are first judged by state mining regulatory agencies, which forward state-level winners to OSM Headquarters for final judging at the national level. A panel of experts from OSM completes the final judging. More information is available at: http://www.osmre.gov/activerules01.htm.

Coal-Mac is located near Holden, W.Va., and the mining complex employs 295 people. In addition to the National Award, Coal-Mac earned the West Virginia Reclamation Award and the Wildlife West Virginia Award from the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection earlier this year, and earned the 2002 and 2004 Greenlands Award from the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection for outstanding reclamation. Coal-Mac also earned OSM's National Good Neighbor Award in 2004 and the American Coal Council award for its community activities in 2005.

Mingo Logan Coal Company'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 this year's top environmental award, the Greenlands Award, given by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection for its outstanding achievements in environmental care, as well as the American Coal Council's Excellence in Community Development Award.

St. Louis-based Arch Coal, Inc. is one of the largest U.S. 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 provides the fuel for approximately 6 percent of the electricity generated in the United States. More information is available at www.archcoal.com.