CHARLESTON, W.Va., June 22, 2010 -- The Arch Coal Foundation today announced that it plans to donate a total of $100,000 over the next four years to the Mine Academy at Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College, which is located near the Mountain Laurel and Coal-Mac operations.

"As a long-standing supporter of education, the Arch Coal Foundation is pleased to provide financial backing to Southern's Mine Academy," said Dave Runyon, president and general manager of Mountain Laurel. "Southern provides an important function not only to the local students who often are current or future employees, but also to the rural communities through enrichment and cultural experiences."

"Thanks to the generous financial pledge from Arch Coal, Southern can continue to provide the highest quality programs and services to its students and is committed to meeting the educational and training needs of the residents in our service district," said Joanne Jaeger Tomblin, president of Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College.

The Arch Coal Foundation was formed in December 2005 with an initial endowment from Arch Coal, Inc. These funds are used to support organizations who engage in improving the quality of life in the communities in which Arch Coal operates. The Arch Coal Foundation focuses much of its giving in the area of education, including contributions to schools, as well as through sponsorship of its signature program - the Arch Coal Teacher Achievement Awards - that recognizes top classroom teachers in West Virginia, Wyoming and Utah.

St. Louis-based Arch Coal, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) is the nation's second largest coal producer. 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 and 4,600-person workforce, Arch supplies the fuel for approximately 8 percent of the electricity generated in the United States. In West Virginia, Arch subsidiaries operate the Mountain Laurel mining complex near Sharples and Coal-Mac, Inc. near Holden.