SALINA, Utah, Aug. 31, 2011 --

Arch Coal, Inc. (NYSE: ACI) today announced that Sufco mine has earned top honors for underground mine safety within an eight-state region.

The Rocky Mountain Coal Mining Institute (RMCMI) presented the employees of Sufco with the 2011 Safety Award among large underground mines for achieving a perfect safety record during calendar year 2010. Sufco's employees completed 797,517 hours incident-free in 2010. Large coal operators in the states of Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, North Dakota, Montana, Arizona and Texas competed for the top award.

"The employees of Sufco are very deserving of this recognition for their hard work and dedication to workplace safety," said John W. Eaves, Arch's president and chief operating officer. "In addition to a perfect safety record, Sufco also achieved a perfect environmental record during 2010. Sufco achieved Arch Coal's Perfect Zero and received the Arch Coal President's Award for such high performance levels last year."

Canyon Fuel Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Arch Coal, Inc. Canyon Fuel is Utah's largest coal producer and a large, state employer with a workforce of approximately 800. Canyon Fuel's Sufco mine is located near Salina, Utah, and employs more than 385 people. Sufco sold more than 6 million tons of low-sulfur coal in 2010. In addition to the top RMCMI safety award, Sufco earned a statewide safety award from the Utah Mining Association.

U.S.-based Arch Coal is a top five global coal producer and marketer, with 179 million tons of coal sold pro forma in 2010. Arch is the most diversified American coal company, with mining complexes across every major U.S. coal supply basin. Arch's core business is supplying cleaner-burning, low-sulfur thermal and metallurgical coal to power generators and steel manufacturers on four continents. A list of safety and environmental awards is available at http://www.archcoal.com/aboutus/awards.aspx.