SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): July 29, 2005 (July 28, 2005)

Arch Coal, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware		1-13105		43-0921172
(State or other jurisdiction		(Commission File Number)		(I.R.S. Employer
of incorporation)				Identification No.)

One CityPlace Drive, Suite 300, St. Louis, Missouri 63141

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (314) 994-2700

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

o Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

o Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

 

 

 

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Exhibit Index begins on page 4.

Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Principal Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Principal Officers

Mr. Wesley M. Taylor was elected to the Board of Directors of Arch Coal, Inc. (“the Company”) effective July 28, 2005. Mr. Taylor will serve in the class of Directors with a term expiring at the Company’s 2006 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. Mr. Taylor will serve as a member of the Board’s Finance and Personnel & Compensation Committees.

Item 7.01 Regulation FD Disclosure

On July 28, 2005, the Company announced via a press release the election of Mr. Taylor as Director. A copy of the press release is furnished as Exhibit 99.1 attached hereto and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits

     99.1 Press Release dated July 28, 2005

 

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SIGNATURES

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

 

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Exhibit Index begins on page 4.

EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit No.		Description
99.1		Press Release dated as of July 28, 2005

 

Page 4 of 4 pages.

Exhibit 99.1

News from
Arch Coal, Inc.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:

Deck S. Slone
Vice President, Investor
Relations and Public Affairs
(314) 994-2717
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 28, 2005

Arch Coal Names Wesley M. Taylor to Board of Directors

     St. Louis — Arch Coal, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) today announced that Wesley M. Taylor, 62, has been elected to its board of directors effective immediately. Taylor will serve on the board’s finance and personnel & compensation committees.

     “We are very pleased that Wes has agreed to join our board of directors,” said Steven F. Leer, Arch Coal’s president and chief executive officer. “Wes is a proven leader with nearly 40 years of energy industry experience. He brings to our board tremendous insight into the rapidly changing power generation and transmission sector, as well as a keen understanding of the evolving needs of our principal customer base.”

     Taylor served as president of TXU Generation, a subsidiary of TXU Corporation (NYSE:TXU), for 13 years prior to his retirement in 2004. TXU Generation owns and operates more than 18,000 megawatts of generating capacity at power plants fueled with nuclear technology, coal and natural gas. Taylor also served for three years as president of Dallas Power & Light during his 38-year tenure with TXU.

     A graduate of Texas A&M University with BS and MS degrees in mechanical engineering, Taylor currently serves on the board of FirstEnergy Corporation. He is a past chairman of the National Coal Council and a former member of the board of the National Mining Association and the Coal-Based Generation Stakeholders Group. He is also a former member of the Edison Electric Institute’s Policy Committee on the Environment.

     St. Louis-based 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 7% of the electricity generated in the United States.