Arch Coal President of Eastern U.S. Operations Charles Snavely Retiring; Gary Bennett Named Successor

SCOTT DEPOT, W.Va., Jan. 7, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Arch Coal Inc. (NYSE:ACI) today announced that Charles G. Snavely has elected to retire as president of the company's eastern U.S. operations, following an exceptional 35-year career in the coal industry.

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"Charles has made a significant contribution to Arch since joining the company at the time of the ICG acquisition," said Kenneth D. Cochran, Arch's senior vice president of operations. "He has distinguished himself as a leader, colleague and friend, and we wish him well as he transitions into a new chapter in his life."

Upon joining Arch in 2011, Snavely helped lead the company's integration of ICG. He will continue serving Arch in a consultancy role on critical projects that fall outside the scope of the day-to-day operations through 2014.

Gary L. Bennett will succeed Snavely as president of eastern operations. Bennett will have responsibility for all aspects of Arch's eastern subsidiary operations as well as the eastern engineering group.

"Gary has been a key member of Arch's management team for many years, and is very well-prepared for this important role," said Cochran. "He brings a proven track record in the areas of safety excellence, environmental stewardship, cost control, operations management, and continuous improvement, and we look forward to further progress in all these areas under Gary's leadership."

Bennett joined Arch as a senior engineer in 1990. During his 23-year tenure with Arch and 33 years in the coal industry, he has held various engineering and operating positions in West Virginia and St. Louis. He most recently served as vice president of operations support. Bennett is a 1980 graduate of West Virginia University Institute of Technology with a bachelor's of science degree in mining engineering.

Both Bennett and Snavely will report to Cochran.

U.S.-based Arch Coal Inc. is one of the world's top coal producers for the global steel and power generation industries, serving customers on five continents. Its network of mining complexes is the most diversified in the United States, spanning every major coal basin in the nation. The company controls more than 5 billion tons of high-quality metallurgical and thermal coal reserves, with access to all major railroads, inland waterways and a growing number of seaborne trade channels. For more information, visit www.archcoal.com.

SOURCE Arch Coal Inc.