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Deck S. Slone Director, Investor Relations and Public Affairs (314) 994-2717

April 26, 2001

Robert G. Potter, retired chairman and CEO of Solutia Inc., joins board of Arch Coal, Inc.

St. Louis - April 26, 2001 - Arch Coal, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) announced today that Robert G. Potter, 62, had been elected to its board of directors at the company's annual meeting of shareholders. Mr. Potter is the retired chairman and chief executive officer of Solutia Inc., a producer and marketer of a variety of high-performance, chemical-based materials.

"We are very pleased that Bob Potter has agreed to join our board," said Steven F. Leer, Arch Coal's president and chief executive officer. "We are looking forward to his counsel and leadership as we enter an exciting period of growth and change in the coal industry."

Mr. Potter served for 32 years with Monsanto Company (now Pharmacia Corporation) prior to its spinoff of Solutia in 1997. Immediately prior to the spinoff, he served as chief executive of its chemical businesses. He is a director of Stepan Company as well as several private companies.

Arch Coal is the nation's second largest coal producer with subsidiary operations in West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia, Wyoming, Colorado and Utah. Through these operations, Arch Coal provides the fuel for approximately 6% of the electricity generated in the United States.