Huntington, W.Va. – January 15, 1999 - Nominations for the first Arch Coal, Inc. Teacher Achievement Awards must be made in the next six days as the nominations phase of the program will close Jan. 21, 1999, according to David G. Todd, Arch Coal’s vice president of external affairs - east.

"We are very pleased with the number of nominations we've received so far," Todd said. "However, we know there are many excellent teachers in the state who deserve special recognition. Nominations must be postmarked no later than January 21 to be considered."

The Arch Coal Teacher Achievement Awards will be made to 10 top West Virginia teachers in May. Each teacher receives a $2,500 award from Arch Coal, as well as other recognition. This is the first year Arch Coal has sponsored the awards. Nomination forms are available in SuperAmerica, Ashland, and Speedway gasoline outlets, as well as in all West Virginia public schools. Additionally, the nomination form can be completed at the Ashland Inc. web site at www.ashland.com.

The awards program is supported in the state by the West Virginia Education Association.

Arch Coal is the nation's second largest coal producer, with subsidiary operations in West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia, Illinois, Wyoming, Colorado and Utah. More than 2,500 people are employed at Arch Coal's mining operations in West Virginia, where the company produces around 30 million tons of clean-burning, low-sulfur coal annually.