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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, DC 20549

Form 10-K

Commission file number: 1-13105

Arch Resources, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

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

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐ No ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management's assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes☐ No ☒

The aggregate market value of the voting stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant (excluding outstanding shares beneficially owned by directors, officers, other affiliates and treasury shares) as of June 30, 2021 was approximately $871.4 million.

At January 31, 2022 there were 15,393,053 shares of the registrant’s common stock outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

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If you are not familiar with any of the mining terms used in this report, we have provided explanations of many of them under the caption “Glossary of Selected Mining Terms” on page 38 of this report. Unless the context otherwise requires, all references in this report to “Arch,” the Company,” “we,” “us,” or “our” are to Arch Resources, Inc. and its subsidiaries.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

This report contains forward-looking statements, within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, such as our expected future business and financial performance, and are intended to come within the safe harbor protections provided by those sections. The words “anticipates,” “believes,” “could,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “may,” “plans,” “predicts,” “projects,” “seeks,” “should,” “will” or other comparable words and phrases identify forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this report. Forward-looking statements by their nature address matters that are, to different degrees, uncertain. Actual results may vary significantly from those anticipated due to many factors, including:

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All forward-looking statements in this report, as well as all other written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf, are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained in this section and elsewhere in this report. These factors are not necessarily all of the important factors that could affect us. These risks and uncertainties, as well as other risks of which we are not aware or which we currently do not believe to be material, may cause our actual future results to be materially different than those expressed in our forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which such statements were

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made, and we do not undertake to update our forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by the federal securities laws.

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PART I

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

Introduction

We are one of the world’s largest coal producers and a premier producer of metallurgical coal. For the year ended December 31, 2021, we sold approximately 73 million tons of coal, including approximately 0.2 million tons of coal we purchased from third parties. We sell substantially all of our coal to steel mills, power plants and industrial facilities. At December 31, 2021, we operated 7 active mines located in three of the major coal-producing regions of the United States. The locations of our mines and access to export facilities enable us to ship coal worldwide. We incorporate by reference the information about the geographical breakdown of our coal sales for the respective periods covered within this Form 10-K contained in Note 24 to the Consolidated Financial Statements, “Risk Concentrations.”

Business Strategy

We are a leading U.S. producer of metallurgical products for the global steel industry, and the leading supplier of premium High-Vol A metallurgical coal globally. We operate four large, modern metallurgical mines that consistently set the industry standard for both mine safety and environmental stewardship. The flagship Leer mine consistently ranks among the lowest cost U.S. metallurgical mines and produces a product quality that is recognized and sought-after worldwide.

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In the third quarter of 2021, Arch commenced its highly anticipated second longwall operation at its world-class Leer South mine, where the ramp towards full production is expected to be completed in early 2022. The startup of Leer South is expected to increase our annual High-Vol A output to around 8 million tons per year, and is expected to enhance our already advantageous position on the U.S. cost curve; strengthen our coking coal profit margins across a wide range of market conditions; and solidify our position as the leading supplier of High-Vol A coal globally.

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The Leer and Leer South operations are complemented by the Beckley and Mountain Laurel mines, which in aggregate provide us with a full suite of high-quality metallurgical products for sale into the global metallurgical market.

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Arch and its subsidiaries also operate thermal mines in the Powder River Basin and Colorado. These mines produce thermal coal for sale into the domestic and international power generation markets as well as industrial applications. Arch intends on completing its strategic transition towards steel and metallurgical markets, while managing the long-term wind-down of its legacy thermal assets in the Powder River Basin and Colorado including considering the needs of the Company's thermal employee base, mining communities, and thermal power customers.  The Company remains confident that the thermal mines can and will self-fund their own closure obligations while at the same time providing significant, incremental cash flow that will complement the strong cash-generating capabilities of the Company’s core metallurgical franchise.

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Arch believes that its long-term success depends upon achieving excellence in mine safety and environmental stewardship; conducting business in an most ethical and transparent manner; investing in its people and the communities in which it operates; and demonstrating strong corporate governance. With its strategic shift towards metallurgical products – which are an essential input in the production of new steel – the Company has realigned its value proposition to reflect the global economy's intensifying focus on de-carbonization. During the year, the Company joined Responsible Steel, the steel industry’s first global not-for-profit multi-stakeholder standard and certification initiative. Arch is the first and only U.S. metallurgical coal producer to join the organization to date.

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Arch is a demonstrated leader in mine safety, with an average lost-time incident rate of 1.01 which is well below the national average of 2.36 (which represents the national average through the third quarter of 2021). Arch subsidiaries have won nine Sentinels of Safety awards — the nation’s highest honor for excellence in mine safety — over the course of the past 10 years.

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In the environmental arena, Arch subsidiaries have achieved a near-perfect compliance record from 2017 to 2020, with just one notice of violation issued by state mining regulators in each of the past five years. In 2021, Arch subsidiaries had no violations issued by state mining regulators. In the area of water management, Arch subsidiaries took more than 134,000 water quality measurements from over 600 discharge points without a violation in 2021.

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Coal Characteristics

End users generally characterize coal as thermal coal or metallurgical coal. Heat value, sulfur, ash, moisture content, and volatility, in the case of metallurgical coal, are important variables in the marketing and transportation of coal. These characteristics help producers determine the best end use of a particular type of coal. The following is a description of these general coal characteristics:

Heat Value. In general, the carbon content of coal supplies most of its heating value, but other factors also influence the amount of energy it contains per unit of weight. The heat value of coal is commonly measured in Btus. Coal is generally classified into four categories, lignite, subbituminous, bituminous and anthracite, reflecting the progressive response of individual deposits of coal to increasing heat and pressure. Anthracite is coal with the highest carbon content and, therefore, the highest heat value, nearing 15,000 Btus per pound. Bituminous coal, used primarily to generate electricity and to make coke for the steel industry, has a heat value ranging between 10,500 and 15,500 Btus per pound. Subbituminous coal ranges from 8,300 to 13,000 Btus per pound and is generally used for electric power generation. Lignite coal is a geologically young coal which has the lowest carbon content and a heat value ranging between 4,000 and 8,300 Btus per pound.

Sulfur Content. Federal and state environmental regulations, including regulations that limit the amount of sulfur dioxide that may be emitted as a result of combustion, have affected and may continue to affect the demand for certain types of coal. The sulfur content of coal can vary from seam to seam and within a single seam. The chemical composition and concentration of sulfur in coal affects the amount of sulfur dioxide produced in combustion. Coal-fueled power plants can comply with sulfur dioxide emission regulations by burning coal with low sulfur content, blending coals with various sulfur contents, purchasing emission allowances on the open market and/or using sulfur dioxide emission reduction technology.

Ash. Ash is the inorganic material remaining after the combustion of coal. As with sulfur, ash content varies from seam to seam. Ash content is an important characteristic of coal because it impacts boiler performance and electric generating plants must handle and dispose of ash following combustion. The composition of the ash, including the proportion of sodium oxide and fusion temperature, is also an important characteristic of coal, as it helps to determine the suitability of the coal to end users. The absence of ash is also important to the process by which metallurgical coal is transformed into coke for use in steel production.

Moisture. Moisture content of coal varies by the type of coal, the region where it is mined and the location of the coal within a seam. In general, high moisture content decreases the heat value and increases the weight of the coal, thereby making it more expensive to transport. Moisture content in coal, on an as-sold basis, can range from approximately 2% to over 30% of the coal’s weight.

Other. Users of metallurgical coal measure certain other characteristics, including fluidity, volatility, and swelling capacity to assess the strength of coke produced from a given coal or the amount of coke that certain types of coal will yield. These characteristics are important elements in determining the value of the metallurgical coal we produce and market.

Industry Overview

Background. Coal is mined globally using various methods of surface and underground recovery. Coal is primarily used for steel production and electric power generation, but it is also used for certain industrial processes such as cement production. Coal is a globally marketed commodity and can be transported to demand centers by ocean-going vessels, barge, rail, truck or conveyor belt.

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In 2021, world coal production recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic related supply and demand disruptions experienced in 2020. An expansionary economic environment was supportive of coal fundamentals in 2021. Based on International Energy Agency (IEA) and internal estimates, world coal production increased around 4% in 2021 to approximately 8.0 billion metric tons. In spite of the year-over-year growth, 2021 global coal production is likely to fall short of 2019 levels.

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China is the largest producer of coal in the world accounting for around 50% of total production. According to the Chinese National Bureau of Statistics, China produced over 4.0 billion metric tons of coal in 2021. Other major coal producing countries are India, Indonesia, the United States, Australia, and Russia. In 2021, U.S. coal production increased by approximately 8% to 525 million metric tons, after decreasing more than 24% in 2020 to around 486 million metric tons mainly due to lower demand for power generation and subdued exports. U.S. coal production has been roughly halved in the past decade as coal-fired generation demand has continued to decrease. The U.S. is now the fourth largest producer after trailing only China a decade ago.

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Steel is produced via two main methods: basic oxygen furnace (BOF) and electric arc furnace (EAF). EAF steelmaking produces steel by using an electrical current to melt scrap steel, while BOF steelmaking relies on coke and iron ore as key inputs to produce pig iron, which is then converted into steel. Metallurgical coal is a key part of the BOF process as it is used to make coke.

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Approximately 73% of global steel is produced via the BOF steelmaking process, while in the United States, BOF accounts for around 30% of steel production. The main steel producing countries are China, India, Japan, United States, Russia, South Korea, Turkey, Germany, Brazil, and Ukraine. Arch sells high-quality metallurgical coal products that are essential inputs for BOF steel production worldwide. Our focus is to be a premier low-cost, metallurgical coal supplier to the global steel industry.

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As economic activity began to recover throughout 2021, so did steel production. After falling sharply in 2020 due to the economic slowdown resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, steel production rebounded broadly in 2021. World steel production is expected to have increased more than 4% in 2021, based on preliminary data. Demand and production in Europe, North America, South America, and most of Asia returned the steel sector recovery back to pre-pandemic levels or higher. Chinese steel production was a growth outlier during 2020; however, in 2021 it lagged due to government-imposed production controls. Chinese production decreased around 2.5% in 2021, while rest-of-world production grew more than 10%.

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Global trade of metallurgical coal was also affected by the pandemic. We estimate metallurgical coal import-export trade flows improved around 4% in 2021 after decreasing by around 8% in 2020. A restoration of trade volumes back to pre-pandemic levels might not take place until after 2021 due to factors that continue to affect the industry including weather, geological issues, workforce absenteeism, supply chain constraints, and COVID-19. The primary nations that supply seaborne metallurgical coal to the global steel markets are Australia, the United States, Canada, and Russia.

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Australia is the largest metallurgical coal exporter and the second largest thermal coal exporter, behind Indonesia. Towards the end of 2020, China implemented a ban on coal imports from Australia. This ban imposed by the key importer of coal on the key exporter of coal rearranged historical global trade patterns in 2021. The ban on the import of Australian coal opened up further the Chinese markets to United States coal suppliers in 2021. It is difficult to predict the duration of the ban.

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We rank among the largest metallurgical coal producers in the United States. Based on internal estimates, we produced around 11% of total U.S. metallurgical coal, which was estimated to be close to 65 million tons in 2021. Our metallurgical coal was sold to six North American customers and exported to 24 customers overseas in 15 countries in 2021.

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All of our metallurgical coal is produced at operations in West Virginia. Approximately 50% of the metallurgical coal produced in the United States is produced in West Virginia. Carbon content, volatility, fluidity, coke

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strength after reaction (CSR), and other chemical and physical properties are among critical characteristics for metallurgical coal.

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We produce coal used for electric power generation (thermal) from our mines located in Wyoming and Colorado. The sharp economic rebound of 2021 also benefited thermal coal prices. A sharp increase in natural gas prices and tempered investment in thermal coal mine, a lack of qualified labor availability, and other factors limited the supply response, which resulted in record prices for domestic and international markets.

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Much of our coal is sold at the mine where title and risk of loss transfer to the customer as coal is loaded into the railcar or truck. Customers are generally responsible for transportation - typically using third party carriers. There are, however, some agreements where we retain responsibility for the coal during delivery to the customer site or intermediate terminal. Our export coals usually change title and risk of loss as the coal is loaded on a vessel. Normally we contract for transportation services from the mine to the ocean loading port. On occasion, we retain title to the coal to the ocean receiving port.

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In 2021, approximately 90% of our coal sales volume was sold as a thermal product with the remaining 10% sold as metallurgical. However, due to the significantly higher value and selling price of our metallurgical coals compared to thermal coals, our metallurgical segment contributed around 52% of our sales revenue in 2021.

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We seek to establish long-term relationships with customers through exemplary customer service while operating safe and environmentally responsible mines. The commercial environment in which we operate is very competitive. We compete with domestic and international coal producers, traders or brokers, and non-coal based power producers, as well as with electric arc based steel producers. We compete using price, coal quality, transportation, optionality, customer administration, reputation, and reliability.

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We have an experienced and knowledgeable sales and marketing group. This group is dedicated to meeting customer needs, coordinating transportation, and managing risk.

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Coal prices are tied to competing fuel sources as well as supply and demand patterns, which are influenced by many uncontrollable factors. For power generation, the price of coal is affected by the relative supply and demand of competitive coal, transportation, availability, weather, competing power generation fuels particularly natural gas, governmental subsidies of alternate energy sources, regulations and economic conditions. For metallurgical coal, the price of coal is affected by the supply and demand of competitive coal, transportation, the price of steel, the price of scrap, demand for steel, transportation rates, strength of the U.S. dollar, regulations, international trade disputes and economic conditions.

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U.S. Coal Production. The United States is among the top five largest coal producers in the world. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), there are over 250 billion short tons of recoverable coal reserves in the United States. Current domestic recoverable coal reserves could supply the coal-fired generation fleet for the next 450 years, based on current demand.

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The EIA subdivides United States coal production into three major areas: Western Region, Appalachia, and Interior Region. According to the preliminary information from EIA, total U.S. coal production increased by an estimated 45 million short tons in 2021, to around 579 million short tons.

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The Western Region includes the Powder River Basin and the Western Bituminous region. According to the EIA, coal produced in the Western Region increased from an estimated 306 million short tons in 2020 to 325 million short tons in 2021. The Powder River Basin is located in northeastern Wyoming and southeastern Montana and is the largest producing region in the United States. Coal from this region is sub-bituminous coal with low sulfur content ranging from 0.2% to 0.9% and heating values ranging from 8,300 to 9,500 BTU/lb. Powder River Basin coal generally has a lower heat content than other regions and is produced from thick seams using surface recovery methods. The Western Bituminous region includes Colorado, Utah and southern Wyoming. Coal from this region typically has low sulfur content ranging from 0.4% to 0.8% and heating values ranging from 10,000 to 12,200 BTU/lb. Western

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Bituminous coal has certain quality characteristics, especially its higher heat content and low sulfur, that make this a desirable coal for domestic and international power producers.

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Appalachia is divided into north, central and southern regions. According to the EIA, coal produced in the Appalachian region increased from 139 million short tons in 2020 to 158 million short tons in 2021. Appalachian coal is located near the prolific eastern shale-gas producing regions. Central Appalachian thermal coal is disadvantaged for power generation because of the depletion of economically attractive reserves, increasing costs of production, and permitting issues. However, virtually all U.S. metallurgical coal is produced in Appalachia and the relative scarcity and high quality of this coal allows for a pricing premium over thermal coal. Appalachia, while still a major producer of thermal coal, is undergoing a shift towards heavier reliance on metallurgical coal production for both domestic and international use. This is especially the case in Central Appalachia.

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Northern Appalachia includes Pennsylvania, Northern West Virginia, Ohio and Maryland. Coal from this region generally has a high heat value ranging from 10,300 to 13,500 BTU/lb and a sulfur content ranging from 0.8% to 4.0%. Central Appalachia includes Southern West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky and Northern Tennessee. Coal mined from this region generally has a high heat value ranging from 11,400 to 13,200 BTU/lb and low sulfur content ranging from 0.2% to 2.0%. Southern Appalachia primarily covers Alabama and generally has a heat content ranging from 11,300 to 12,300 BTU/lb and a sulfur content ranging from 0.7% to 3.0%. Southern Appalachia mines are primarily focused on metallurgical markets.

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The Interior Region includes the Illinois Basin and Gulf Lignite production in Texas and Louisiana, and a small producing area in Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Arkansas. The Illinois Basin is the largest producing region in the Interior and consists of Illinois, Indiana and western Kentucky. According to the EIA, coal produced in the Interior Region increased from 91 million short tons in 2020 to approximately 96 million short tons in 2021. Coal from the Illinois Basin generally has a heat value ranging from 10,100 to 12,600 BTU/lb and has a sulfur content ranging from 1.0% to 4.3%. Despite its high sulfur content, coal from the Illinois Basin can generally be used by electric power generation facilities that have installed emissions control devices, such as scrubbers.

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Coal Mining Methods

The geological characteristics of our coal reserves largely determine the coal mining method we employ. We use two primary methods of mining coal: underground mining and surface mining.

Underground Mining. We use underground mining methods when coal is located deep beneath the surface. We have included the identity and location of our underground mining operations below under “Our Mining Operations-General.”

Our underground mines are typically operated using one or both of two different mining techniques: longwall mining and room-and-pillar mining.

Longwall Mining. Longwall mining involves using a mechanical shearer to extract coal from long rectangular blocks of medium to thick seams. Ultimate seam recovery using longwall mining techniques can exceed 75%. In longwall mining, continuous miners are used to develop access to these long rectangular coal blocks. Hydraulically powered supports temporarily hold up the roof of the mine while a rotating drum mechanically advances across the face of the coal seam, cutting the coal from the face. Chain conveyors then move the loosened coal to an underground mine conveyor system for delivery to the surface. Once coal is extracted from an area, the roof is allowed to collapse in a

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controlled fashion. The following diagram illustrates a typical underground mining operation using longwall mining techniques:

Room-and-Pillar Mining. Room-and-pillar mining is effective for small blocks of thin coal seams. In room-and-pillar mining, a network of rooms is cut into the coal seam, leaving a series of pillars of coal to support the roof of the mine. Continuous miners are used to cut the coal and shuttle cars are used to transport the coal to a conveyor belt for further transportation to the surface. The pillars generated as part of this mining method can constitute up to 40% of the total coal in a seam. Higher seam recovery rates can be achieved if retreat mining is used. In retreat mining, coal is mined from the pillars as workers retreat. As retreat mining occurs, the roof is allowed to collapse in a controlled fashion.

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The following diagram illustrates our typical underground mining operation using room-and-pillar mining techniques:

Coal Preparation and Blending. We crush the coal mined from our Powder River Basin mining complexes and ship it directly from our mines to the customer. Typically, no additional preparation is required for a saleable product. Coal extracted from some of our underground mining operations contains impurities, such as rock, shale and clay occupying a wide range of particle sizes. All of our mining operations in the Appalachia region use a coal preparation plant located near the mine or connected to the mine by a conveyor. These coal preparation plants allow us to treat the coal we extract from those mines to ensure a consistent quality and to enhance its suitability for particular end-users. In addition, depending on coal quality and customer requirements, we may blend coal mined from different locations, including coal produced by third parties, in order to achieve a more suitable product.

The treatments we employ at our preparation plants depend on the size of the raw coal. For coarse material, the separation process relies on the difference in the density between coal and waste rock and, for the very fine fractions, the separation process relies on the difference in surface chemical properties between coal and the waste minerals. To remove impurities, we crush raw coal and classify it into various sizes. For the largest size fractions, we use dense media vessel separation techniques in which we float coal in a tank containing a liquid of a pre-determined specific gravity. Since coal is lighter than its impurities, it floats, and we can separate it from rock and shale. We treat intermediate sized particles with dense medium cyclones, in which a liquid is spun at high speeds to separate coal from rock. Fine coal is treated in spirals, in which the differences in density between coal and rock allow them, when suspended in water, to be separated. Ultra fine coal is recovered in column flotation cells utilizing the differences in surface chemistry between coal and rock. By injecting stable air bubbles through a suspension of ultra-fine coal and rock, the coal particles adhere to the bubbles and rise to the surface of the column where they are removed. To minimize the moisture content in coal, we process most coal sizes through centrifuges. A centrifuge spins coal very quickly, causing water accompanying the coal to separate.

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For more information about the locations of our preparation plants, you should see the section entitled “Our Mining Operations.”

Surface Mining. We use surface mining when coal is found close to the surface. We have included the identity and location of our surface mining operations below under “Our Mining Operations-General.” The majority of the thermal coal we produce comes from surface mining operations.

Surface mining involves removing the topsoil then drilling and blasting the overburden (earth and rock covering the coal) with explosives. We then remove the overburden with heavy earth-moving equipment, such as draglines, power shovels, excavators and loaders. Once exposed, we drill, fracture and systematically remove the coal using haul trucks or conveyors to transport the coal to a preparation plant or to a loadout facility. We reclaim disturbed areas as part of our normal mining activities. After final coal removal, we use draglines, power shovels, excavators or loaders to backfill the remaining pits with the overburden removed at the beginning of the process. Once we have replaced the overburden and topsoil, we reestablish vegetation and plant life into the natural habitat and make other improvements that have local community and environmental benefits.

The following diagram illustrates a typical dragline surface mining operation:

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Our Mining Operations

General. At December 31, 2021, we operated 7 active mines in the United States. On December 31, 2020, the Company sold its Viper operation. As a result, the Company revised its reportable segments beginning in the first quarter of 2021 to reflect the manner in which the chief operating decision maker (CODM) views the Company’s businesses going forward for purposes of reviewing performance, allocating resources and assessing future prospects and strategic execution. Prior to the first quarter of 2021, the Company had three reportable segments: MET, Powder River Basin (PRB), and Other Thermal. After the divestment of Viper, the Company has three remaining active thermal mines: West Elk, Black Thunder, and Coal Creek. With two distinct lines of business, metallurgical and thermal, the movement to two segments aligns with how the Company makes decisions and allocates resources. No changes were made to the MET Segment and the three remaining thermal mines are now reported as the “Thermal Segment”. The prior periods have been recast to reflect the change in reportable segments.

The Company reports its results of operations primarily through the following reportable segments: Metallurgical (MET) segment, containing the Company’s metallurgical operations in West Virginia, and the Thermal segment containing the Company’s thermal operations in Wyoming and Colorado. For additional information about the operating results of each of our segments for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020, and 2019, see Note 27 to the Consolidated Financial Statements, “Segment Information.”

In general, we have developed our mining complexes and preparation plants at strategic locations in close proximity to rail or barge shipping facilities. Coal is transported from our mining complexes to customers by means of railroads, trucks, barge lines, and ocean-going vessels from terminal facilities. We currently own or lease under long-term arrangements all of the equipment utilized in our mining operations. We employ sophisticated preventative maintenance and rebuild programs and upgrade our equipment to ensure that it is productive, well-maintained and cost-competitive.

In November of 2021, we sold our equity investment in Knight Hawk Holdings, LLC, which had been part of our Corporate, Other and Eliminations grouping. For further information on the sale of Knight Hawk Holdings, LLC, please see Note 4 to the Consolidated Financial Statements, “Divestitures.”

In December of 2020, we sold our Viper operation, which had been part of our Other Thermal segment, to Knight Hawk Holdings, LLC. For further information on the sale of Viper to Knight Hawk Holdings, LLC, please see Note 4 to the Consolidated Financial Statements, “Divestitures.”

In December of 2019, we sold our Coal-Mac operation, Coal-Mac LLC, which had been part of our Other Thermal segment, to Condor Holdings LLC. For further information on the sale of Coal-Mac LLC to Condor Holdings LLC, please see Note 4 to the Consolidated Financial Statements, “Divestitures.”

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The following map shows the locations of our active, royalty and undeveloped mining operations.  Note that this is limited to those properties in which we have current mining operations or expect to have an economic benefit due to mining activity in the future:

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The following table provides a summary of information regarding our active mining complexes as of December 31, 2021, including the total tons sold associated with these complexes for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020, and 2019 and the total reserves associated with these complexes at December 31, 2021. The amount disclosed below for the total cost of property, plant and equipment of each mining complex does not include the costs of the coal reserves that we have assigned to an individual complex. The Company owns 100% of the active mining complexes below.

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In October 2018, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) adopted amendments to its current disclosure rules to modernize the mineral property disclosure requirements for mining registrants. The amendments include the adoption of S-K 1300, which will govern disclosure for mining registrants (the “SEC Mining Modernization Rules”).

Descriptions in this report of our mineral reserves and resources are prepared in accordance with S-K 1300, as well as similar information provided by other issuers in accordance with S-K 1300, may not be comparable to similar information that is presented elsewhere outside of this report. Please refer to the Technical Report Summaries (“TRS”) filed as Exhibits 96.1-96.3 hereto for additional information with respect to our material properties.  Refer to Item 2. Properties for further discussion on the reserves and material properties.

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Metallurgical

Leer. The Leer Complex, located in Taylor County, West Virginia, includes approximately 44.4 million tons of coal reserves as of December 31, 2021 and is primarily sold as High-Vol A metallurgical quality coal in the Lower Kittanning seam, and is part of approximately 93,100 acres that is considered our Tygart Valley area. Substantially all of the reserves at Leer are owned rather than leased from third parties.

All the production is processed through a 1,400 ton-per-hour preparation plant and loaded on the CSX railroad. A 15,000-ton train can be loaded in less than four hours.

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Leer South. The Leer South mining complex consists of the newly commenced longwall Leer South operation in the Lower Kittanning seam, existing Sentinel underground mine in the Clarion seam, a preparation plant and a loadout facility located on approximately 26,000 acres in Barbour County, West Virginia. Plant and coal handling facilities were upgraded to handle longwall volumes and include a 1,600 ton-per-hour preparation plant located near the mine, as well as a loadout facility served by the CSX railroad and connected to the plant by a 4,000 ton-per-hour conveyor system. The loadout facility is capable of loading a 15,000 ton unit train in less than four hours.

Coal quality is primarily High-Vol A metallurgical coal similar to our Leer Complex. The Leer South mining complex had approximately 64.5 million tons of proven and probable reserves at December 31, 2021. A significant portion of the reserves at Leer South are owned rather than leased from third parties.

Beckley. The Beckley mining complex is located on approximately 19,700 acres in Raleigh County, West Virginia. Beckley is extracting high quality, Low-Vol metallurgical coal in the Pocahontas No. 3 seam. The Beckley mining complex had approximately 17.6 million tons of proven and probable reserves at December 31, 2021.

Coal is conveyed from the mine to a 600-ton-per-hour preparation plant before shipping the coal via the CSX railroad. The loadout facility can load a 10,000-ton train in less than four hours.

Mountain Laurel. Mountain Laurel is an underground mining complex located on approximately 38,200 acres in Logan County and Boone County, West Virginia. Underground mining operations at the Mountain Laurel mining complex extracts High-Vol B metallurgical coal from the Alma and No. 2 Gas seams. Including the No. 2 Gas seam, the Mountain Laurel mining complex has approximately 17.8 million tons of proven and probable reserves at December 31, 2021.

We process all of the coal through a 1,400-ton-per-hour preparation plant before shipping the coal to our customers via the CSX railroad. The loadout facility can load a 15,000-ton train in less than four hours.

Thermal

Black Thunder. Black Thunder is a surface mining complex located on approximately 35,400 acres in Campbell County, Wyoming. The Black Thunder complex extracts thermal coal from the Upper Wyodak and Main Wyodak seams.

We control a significant portion of the coal reserves through federal and state leases. The Black Thunder mining complex had approximately 545 million tons of proven and probable reserves at December 31, 2021.

The Black Thunder mining complex currently consists of four active pit areas and two active loadout facilities. We ship all of the coal raw to our customers via the Burlington Northern Santa Fe and Union Pacific railroads. We do not process the coal mined at this complex. Each of the loadout facilities can load a 15,000-ton train in less than two hours.

Coal Creek. Coal Creek is a surface mining complex located on approximately 7,400 acres in Campbell County, Wyoming. The Coal Creek mining complex extracts thermal coal from the Wyodak-R1 and Wyodak-R3 seams.

In alignment with our desire to shrink our operational footprint and associated liabilities, we have committed to systematically reclaiming our Coal Creek operation in the Powder River Basin as sales from Coal Creek taper down.

The Coal Creek complex currently consists of one active pit area and a loadout facility. We ship all of the coal raw to our customers via the Burlington Northern Santa Fe and Union Pacific railroads. We do not process the coal mined at this complex. The loadout facility can load a 15,000-ton train in less than three hours.

West Elk. West Elk is an underground mining complex located on approximately 18,400 acres in Gunnison County, Colorado. The West Elk mining complex extracts thermal coal from the E seam. We are currently working on developing the B seam at the complex.

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We control a significant portion of the coal reserves through federal and state leases. The West Elk mining complex had approximately 51.9 million tons of proven and probable reserves at December 31, 2021.

The West Elk complex currently consists of a longwall, continuous miner sections and a loadout facility. We ship most of the coal raw to our customers via the Union Pacific railroad. The loadout facility can load an 11,000-ton train in less than three hours.

Sales, Marketing and Trading

Overview. Coal prices are influenced by a number of factors and can vary materially by region. The price of coal within a region is influenced by general marketplace conditions, the supply and price of alternative fuels to coal (such as natural gas and subsidized renewables), production costs, coal quality, transportation costs involved in moving coal from the mine to the point of use and mine operating costs. For example, in thermal coal markets, higher heat and lower ash content generally result in higher prices, and higher sulfur and higher ash content generally result in lower prices within a given geographic region. In metallurgical coal markets, chemical properties within the coal and transportation costs determine price differences.

The cost of producing coal at the mine is also influenced by geologic characteristics such as seam thickness, overburden ratios and depth of underground reserves. It is generally less expensive to mine coal seams that are thick and located close to the surface than to mine thin underground seams. Within a particular geographic region, underground mining, which is the mining method we use in certain of our Appalachian mines, is generally more expensive than surface mining, which is the mining method we use in the Powder River Basin. This is the case because of the higher capital costs relative to the reserve base, including costs for construction of extensive ventilation systems, and higher per unit labor costs due to lower productivity associated with underground mining.

Our sales, marketing and trading functions are principally based in St. Louis, Missouri and consist of sales and trading, transportation and distribution, quality control and contract administration personnel as well as revenue management. We also have sales representatives in our Singapore and London offices. In addition to selling coal produced from our mining complexes, from time to time we purchase and sell coal mined by others, some of which we blend with coal produced from our mines. We focus on meeting the needs and specifications of our customers rather than just selling our coal production.

Customers. The Company markets its metallurgical and thermal coal to domestic and foreign steel producers, domestic and foreign power generators, and other industrial facilities. For the year ended December 31, 2021, we derived approximately 20% of our total coal revenues from sales to our three largest customers, ArcelorMittal, ThyssenKrupp AG and Union Electric dba Ameren Missouri and approximately 49% of our total coal revenues from sales to our 10 largest customers.

In 2021, we sold coal to domestic customers located in 27 different states. The locations of our mines enable us to ship coal to most of the major coal-fueled power plants in the United States.

In addition, in 2021 we exported coal to Europe, Asia, Central and South America. Exports to seaborne countries were $1.1 billion, $0.5 billion and $1.0 billion for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, trade receivables related to metallurgical-quality coal sales totaled $251.5 million and $69.1 million, respectively, or 78% and 62% of total trade receivables, respectively. We do not have foreign currency exposure for our international sales as all sales are denominated and settled in U.S. dollars.

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The Company’s seaborne revenues by coal shipment destination for the year ended December 31, 2021, were as follows:

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Long-Term Coal Supply Arrangements

As is customary in the coal industry, we enter into fixed price, fixed volume term-based supply contracts, the terms of which are sometimes more than one year (“Long-Term”), with many of our customers. Multiple year contracts usually have specific and possibly different volume and pricing arrangements for each year of the contract. Long-term contracts allow customers to secure a supply for their future needs and provide us with greater predictability of sales volume and sales prices. In 2021, we sold approximately 63% of the tonnage (representing approximately 35% of the Company’s revenues) of our coal under long-term supply arrangements. The majority of our supply contracts include a fixed price for the term of the agreement or a pre-determined escalation in price for each year. Some of our long-term supply agreements may include a variable pricing system. While most of our sales contracts are for terms of one to five years, some are as short as one month. At December 31, 2021, the average volume-weighted remaining term of our long-term contracts for metallurgical and thermal coal was approximately 2.5 years, with remaining terms ranging from one to five years. At December 31, 2021, remaining tons under long-term supply agreements, including those subject to price re-opener or extension provisions, were approximately 127.8 million tons.

We typically sell coal to North American customers under term arrangements through a “request-for-proposal” process. We also respond to private solicitations and generally do not know if a customer intends to buy the coal for which they solicited. The terms of our coal sales agreements are dictated by the availability and price of alternative fuels, general marketplace conditions, the quality of the coal we have available to sell, our mine operations (including operating costs), the length of contract, as well as negotiations with customers. Consequently, the terms of these contracts may vary to some extent by customer, including base price adjustment features, price re-opener terms, coal quality requirements, quantity parameters, permitted sources of supply, future regulatory changes, extension options, force majeure, termination, damages and assignment provisions. Our long-term supply contracts typically contain provisions to adjust the base price due to new statutes, ordinances or regulations. We typically sell our metallurgical coal to non-North American customers based on various indices or agreements to mutually negotiate the price. These agreements generally are for one year and can reset pricing with each shipment. Additionally, some of our contracts contain provisions that allow for the recovery of costs affected by modifications or changes in the interpretations or application of any applicable statute by local, state or federal government authorities. These provisions only apply to the base price of coal contained in these supply contracts. In some circumstances, a significant adjustment in base price can lead to termination of the contract.

Certain of our contracts contain index provisions that change the price based on changes in market based indices or changes in economic indices or both. Certain of our contracts contain price re-opener provisions that may allow a party to commence a renegotiation of the contract price at a pre-determined time. Price re-opener provisions may automatically set a new price based on prevailing market price or, in some instances, require us to negotiate a new price, sometimes within a specified range of prices. In a limited number of agreements, if the parties do not agree on a new price, either party has an option to suspend the agreement for the pricing period not agreed to. In addition, certain of our contracts contain clauses that may allow customers to terminate the contract in the event of certain changes in environmental laws and regulations that impact their operations.

Customers are generally required to take their coal on a ratable basis but have been known to push sales out in low demand periods when contract prices are higher. Each of these situations must be dealt with on an individual basis.

Coal quality and volumes are stipulated in coal sales agreements. In most cases, the annual pricing and volume obligations are fixed, although in some cases the volume specified may vary depending on the customer consumption

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requirements. Most of our coal sales agreements contain provisions requiring us to deliver coal within certain ranges for specific coal characteristics such as heat content (for thermal coal contracts), volatile matter (for metallurgical coal contracts), and for both types of contracts, sulfur, ash and moisture content. Failure to meet these specifications can result in economic penalties, suspension or cancellation of shipments or termination of the contracts.

Our coal sales agreements also typically contain force majeure provisions allowing temporary suspension of performance by us or our customers, during the duration of events beyond the control of the affected party, including events such as strikes, adverse mining conditions, mine closures or serious transportation problems that affect us or unanticipated plant outages that may affect the buyer. Our contracts also generally provide that in the event a force majeure circumstance exceeds a certain time period, the unaffected party may have the option to terminate the purchase or sale in whole or in part. Some contracts stipulate that this tonnage can be made up by mutual agreement or at the discretion of the buyer. Agreements between our customers and the railroads servicing our mines may also contain force majeure provisions.

In most of our thermal coal contracts, we have a right of substitution (unilateral or subject to counterparty approval), allowing us to provide coal from different mines, including third-party mines, as long as the replacement coal meets quality specifications and will be sold at the same equivalent delivered cost.

In some of our coal supply contracts, we agree to indemnify or reimburse our customers for damage to their or their rail carrier’s equipment while on our property, which results from our or our agents’ negligence, and for damage to our customer’s equipment due to non-coal materials being included with our coal while on our property.

Trading. In addition to marketing and selling coal to customers through traditional coal supply arrangements, we seek to optimize our coal production and leverage our knowledge of the coal industry through a variety of other marketing, trading and asset optimization strategies. From time to time, we may employ strategies to use coal and coal-related commodities and contracts for those commodities in order to manage and hedge volumes and/or prices associated with our coal sales or purchase commitments, reduce our exposure to the volatility of market prices or augment the value of our portfolio of traditional assets. These strategies may include physical coal contracts, as well as a variety of forward, futures or options contracts, swap agreements or other financial instruments, in coal or other commodities such as natural gas and foreign currencies.

We maintain a system of complementary processes and controls designed to monitor and manage our exposure to market and other risks that may arise as a consequence of these strategies. These processes and controls seek to preserve our ability to profit from certain marketing, trading and asset optimization strategies while mitigating our exposure to potential losses.

Transportation. We generally sell coal to international customers at export terminals, and we are usually responsible for the cost of transporting coal to the export terminals. We transport our coal to Atlantic coast terminals, Pacific cost terminals or terminals along the Gulf of Mexico for transportation to international customers. Our international customers are generally responsible for paying the cost of ocean freight. We may also sell coal to international customers delivered to an unloading facility at the destination country.

We own a 35% interest in Dominion Terminal Associates LLP, a limited liability partnership that operates a ground storage-to-vessel coal transloading facility in Newport News, Virginia. The facility has a rated throughput capacity of 20 million tons of coal per year and ground storage capacity of approximately 1.7 million tons. The facility primarily serves international customers, as well as domestic coal users located along the Atlantic coast of the United States. From time-to-time, we may lease a portion of our port capacity to third parties.

We ship our coal to domestic customers by means of railcars, barges, or trucks, or a combination of these means of transportation. We generally sell coal used for domestic consumption free on board (f.o.b.) at the mine or nearest loading facility. Our domestic customers normally bear the costs of transporting coal by rail, barge or truck.

Historically, most domestic electricity generators have arranged long-term shipping contracts with rail, trucking or barge companies to assure stable delivery costs. Transportation can be a large component of a purchaser’s total cost.

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Although the purchaser pays the freight, transportation costs still are important to coal mining companies because the purchaser may choose a supplier largely based on cost of transportation. Transportation costs borne by the customer vary greatly based on each customer’s proximity to the mine and our proximity to the loadout facilities. Trucks and overland conveyors haul coal over shorter distances, while barges, Great Lake carriers and ocean vessels move coal to export markets and domestic markets requiring shipment over the Great Lakes and several river systems.

Most coal mines are served by a single rail company, but much of the Powder River Basin is served by two rail carriers: the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe railroad and the Union Pacific railroad. We generally transport coal produced at our Appalachian mining complexes via the CSX railroad. Besides rail deliveries, some customers in the eastern United States rely on a river barge system.

Competition

The coal industry is intensely competitive with alternative energy sources outside of the industry and between producing companies. The most important factors on which we compete are coal quality, delivered costs to the customer and reliability of supply. Our principal domestic coal-producing competitors include Alpha Metallurgical Resources Inc.; Coronado Coal LLC; Corsa Coal Corp.; Eagle Specialty Materials LLC; Navajo Transitional Energy Company LLC; Peabody Energy Corp.; Ramaco Resources; and Warrior Met Coal, Inc. Some of these coal producers are larger than we are and have greater financial resources and larger reserve bases than we do. We also compete directly with a number of smaller producers in each of the geographic regions in which we operate, as well as companies that produce coal from one or more foreign countries, such as Australia, Canada, Colombia, Indonesia and South Africa.

Our principal competitor in thermal coal is natural gas, other alternative fuels, and subsidized renewables. Specifically, coal competes directly with other fuels, such as natural gas, nuclear energy, hydropower, subsidized renewable, and petroleum, for steam and electrical power generation. Costs and other factors relating to these alternative fuels, such as safety and environmental considerations, as well as tax incentives and various mandates, affect the overall demand for coal as a fuel and the price we can charge for the coal.

Suppliers

Principal supplies used in our business include petroleum-based fuels, explosives, tires, steel and other raw materials as well as spare parts and other consumables used in the mining process. We use third-party suppliers for a significant portion of our equipment rebuilds and repairs, drilling services and construction. We use sole source suppliers for certain parts of our business such as explosives and fuel, and preferred suppliers for other parts of our business such as original equipment suppliers, dragline and shovel parts and related services. We believe adequate substitute suppliers are available. For more information about our suppliers, you should see Item 1A, “Risk Factors-Increases in the costs of mining and other industrial supplies, including steel-based supplies, diesel fuel and rubber tires, or the inability to obtain a sufficient quantity of those supplies, could negatively affect our operating costs or disrupt or delay our production.”

Environmental and Other Regulatory Matters

Federal, state and local authorities regulate the U.S. coal mining industry with respect to matters such as employee health and safety and the environment, including the protection of air quality, water quality, wetlands, special status species of plants and animals, land uses, cultural and historic properties and other environmental resources identified during the permitting process. Reclamation is required during production and after mining has been completed. Materials used and generated by mining operations must also be managed according to applicable regulations and law. These laws have, and will continue to have, a significant effect on our production costs and our competitive position.

We endeavor to conduct our mining operations in compliance with applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations. However, due in part to the extensive, comprehensive and changing regulatory requirements, violations during mining operations occur from time to time. We cannot assure you that we have been or will be at all times in complete compliance with such laws and regulations. Expenditures we incur to maintain compliance with all applicable federal and state laws have been and are expected to continue to be significant. Federal and state mining laws and

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regulations require us to obtain surety bonds to guarantee performance or payment of certain long-term obligations, including mine closure and reclamation costs, federal and state workers’ compensation benefits, coal leases and other miscellaneous obligations. Compliance with these laws has substantially increased the cost of coal mining for domestic coal producers.

Future laws, regulations or orders, as well as future interpretations and more rigorous enforcement of existing laws, regulations or orders, may require substantial increases in equipment and operating costs and delays, interruptions or a termination of operations, the extent to which we cannot predict. Future laws, regulations or orders may also cause coal to become a less attractive fuel source, thereby reducing coal’s share of the market for fuels and other energy sources used to generate electricity. As a result, future laws, regulations or orders may adversely affect our mining operations, cost structure or our customers’ demand for coal.

The following is a summary of the various federal and state environmental and similar regulations that have a material impact on our business:

Mining Permits and Approvals. Numerous governmental permits or approvals are required for mining operations. When we apply for these permits and approvals, we may be required to prepare and present to federal, state or local authorities’ data pertaining to the effect or impact that any proposed production or processing of coal may have upon the environment. For example, in order to obtain a federal coal lease, an environmental impact statement must be prepared to assist the BLM in determining the potential environmental impact of lease issuance, including any collateral effects from the mining, transportation and burning of coal, which may in some cases include a review of impacts on climate change. The authorization, permitting and implementation requirements imposed by federal, state and local authorities may be costly and time consuming and may delay commencement or continuation of mining operations. In the states where we operate, the applicable laws and regulations also provide that a mining permit or modification can be delayed, refused or revoked if officers, directors, shareholders with specified interests or certain other affiliated entities with specified interests in the applicant or permittee have, or are affiliated with another entity that has, outstanding permit violations. Thus, past or ongoing violations of applicable laws and regulations could provide a basis to revoke existing permits and to deny the issuance of additional permits.

In order to obtain mining permits and approvals from federal and state regulatory authorities, mine operators must submit a reclamation plan for restoring, upon the completion of mining operations, the mined property to its prior condition or other authorized use. Typically, we submit the necessary permit applications several months or even years before we plan to begin mining a new area. Some of our required permits are becoming increasingly more difficult and expensive to obtain, and the application review processes are taking longer to complete and becoming increasingly subject to challenge, and political manipulation even after a permit has been issued.

Under some circumstances, substantial fines and penalties, including revocation or suspension of mining permits, may be imposed under the laws described above. Monetary sanctions and, in severe circumstances, criminal sanctions may be imposed for failure to comply with these laws.

Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act. The Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act, which we refer to as SMCRA, establishes mining, environmental protection, reclamation and closure standards for all aspects of surface mining as well as many aspects of underground mining. Mining operators must obtain SMCRA permits and permit renewals from the Office of Surface Mining, which we refer to as OSM, or from the applicable state agency if the state agency has obtained regulatory primacy. A state agency may achieve primacy if the state regulatory agency develops a mining regulatory program that is no less stringent than the federal mining regulatory program under SMCRA. All states in which we conduct mining operations have achieved primacy and issue permits in lieu of OSM.

SMCRA permit provisions include a complex set of requirements which include, among other things, coal prospecting; mine plan development; topsoil or growth medium removal and replacement; selective handling of overburden materials; mine pit backfilling and grading; disposal of excess spoil; protection of the hydrologic balance; subsidence control for underground mines; surface runoff and drainage control; establishment of suitable post mining land uses; and revegetation. We begin the process of preparing a mining permit application by collecting baseline data to adequately characterize the pre-mining environmental conditions of the permit area. This work is typically conducted by

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third-party consultants with specialized expertise and includes surveys and/or assessments of the following: cultural and historical resources; geology; soils; vegetation; aquatic organisms; wildlife; potential for threatened, endangered or other special status species; surface and ground water hydrology; climatology; riverine and riparian habitat; and wetlands. The geologic data and information derived from the other surveys and/or assessments are used to develop the mining and reclamation plans presented in the permit application. The mining and reclamation plans address the provisions and performance standards of the state’s equivalent SMCRA regulatory program, and are also used to support applications for other authorizations and/or permits required to conduct coal mining activities. Also included in the permit application is information used for documenting surface and mineral ownership, variance requests, access roads, bonding information, mining methods, mining phases, other agreements that may relate to coal, other minerals, oil and gas rights, water rights, permitted areas, and ownership and control information required to determine compliance with OSM’s Applicant Violator System, including the mining and compliance history of officers, directors and principal owners of the entity.

Once a permit application is prepared and submitted to the regulatory agency, it goes through an administrative completeness review and a thorough technical review. Also, before a SMCRA permit is issued, a mine operator must submit a bond or otherwise secure the performance of all reclamation obligations. After the application is submitted, a public notice or advertisement of the proposed permit is required to be given, which begins a notice period that is followed by a public comment period before a permit can be issued. It is not uncommon for a SMCRA mine permit application to take over a year to prepare, depending on the size and complexity of the mine, and anywhere from six months to two years or even longer for the permit to be issued. The variability in time frame required to prepare the application and issue the permit can be attributed primarily to the various regulatory authorities’ discretion in the handling of comments and objections relating to the project received from the general public and other agencies. Also, it is not uncommon for a permit to be delayed as a result of litigation related to the specific permit or another related company’s permit.

In addition to the bond requirement for an active or proposed permit, the Abandoned Mine Land Fund, which was created by SMCRA, requires that a fee be paid on all coal produced. The proceeds of the fee are used to restore mines closed or abandoned prior to SMCRA’s adoption in 1977, as well as fund other state and federal initiatives. For the first three quarters of 2021, the fee was $0.28 per ton of coal produced from surface mines and $0.12 per ton of coal produced from underground mines. As a result of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, which included the Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation Amendments of 2021, the fees decreased as of the calendar quarter beginning October 1, 2021. The current fee is $0.224 per ton of coal produced from surface mines and $0.096 per ton of coal produced from underground mines. In 2021, we recorded $17.5 million of expense related to these reclamation fees.

Surety Bonds. Mine operators are often required by federal and/or state laws, including SMCRA, to assure, usually through the use of surety bonds, payment of certain long-term obligations including mine closure or reclamation costs, federal and state workers’ compensation costs, coal leases and other miscellaneous obligations. Although surety bonds are usually non-cancelable during their term, many of these bonds are renewable on an annual basis and collateral requirements may change.

The costs of these bonds have widely fluctuated in recent years while the market terms of surety bonds have remained difficult for mine operators. These changes in the terms of the bonds have been accompanied at times by a decrease in the number of companies willing to issue surety bonds. As of December 31, 2021, we posted an aggregate of approximately $541.1 million in surety bonds, cash, and letters of credit outstanding for reclamation purposes.

At December 31, 2021, the Company established a fund for asset retirement obligations and thus far has contributed $20 million that will serve to defease the long-term asset retirement obligation for its thermal asset base. During 2022, the Company plans to make contributions to the thermal ARO fund on a quarterly basis and expect total contributions could be at least $100.0 million if market conditions remain favorable.

For additional information, please see “Failure to obtain or renew surety bonds on acceptable terms could affect our ability to secure reclamation and coal lease obligations and, therefore, our ability to mine or lease coal, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations,” contained in Item 1A, “Risk Factors—Risk Related to Our Operations,” for a discussion of certain risks associated with our surety bonds.

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Mine Safety and Health. Stringent safety and health standards have been imposed by federal legislation since Congress adopted the Mine Safety and Health Act of 1969. The Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 significantly expanded the enforcement of safety and health standards and imposed comprehensive safety and health standards on all aspects of mining operations. In addition to federal regulatory programs, all of the states in which we operate also have programs aimed at improving mine safety and health. Collectively, federal and state safety and health regulation in the coal mining industry is among the most comprehensive and pervasive systems for the protection of employee health and safety affecting any segment of U.S. industry.

Under the Black Lung Benefits Revenue Act of 1977 and the Black Lung Benefits Reform Act of 1977, each coal mine operator must secure payment of federal black lung benefits to claimants who are current and former employees and to a trust fund for the payment of benefits and medical expenses to claimants who last worked in the coal industry prior to July 1, 1973. The trust fund is funded by an excise tax on coal production. In 2021, the tax was $1.10 per ton for coal mined in underground operations and $0.55 per ton for coal mined in surface operations, in each case not to exceed 4.4% of the gross sales price. The current tax is $.50 per ton for coal mined in underground operations and $0.25 per ton for coal mined in surface operations in each case not to exceed 2.0% of the gross sales price. This excise tax does not apply to coal shipped outside the United States. In 2021, we recorded $34.8 million of expense related to this excise tax. There are currently several bills being considered in Congress which propose to raise this tax, including the Build Back Better Act.

Clean Air Act. The federal Clean Air Act and similar state and local laws that regulate air emissions affect coal mining directly and indirectly. Direct impacts on coal mining and processing operations include Clean Air Act permitting requirements and emissions control requirements. These include emissions of ozone precursors and particulate matter which may include controlling fugitive dust. The Clean Air Act also indirectly affects coal mining operations, for example, by extensively regulating the emissions of fine particulate matter measuring 2.5 micrometers in diameter or smaller, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, mercury and other compounds emitted by coal-fueled power plants and industrial boilers, which are the largest end-users of our coal. Already stringent regulation of emissions further tightened throughout the Obama Administration, such as the Mercury and Air Toxics Standard (MATS), finalized in 2011 and discussed in more detail below. In addition, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which we refer to as the EPA, has issued regulations with respect to other emissions, such as greenhouse gases (GHGs), from new, modified, reconstructed and existing electric generating units, including coal-fired plants. Other GHG regulations apply to industrial boilers (see discussion of Climate Change, below). On January 20, 2021, the current administration issued an executive order directing all federal agencies to review and take action to address any federal regulations, orders, guidance documents, policies and any similar agency actions promulgated during the prior administration that may be inconsistent with the administration’s policies. As a result, it is unclear the degree to which certain recent regulatory developments may be modified or rescinded. The executive order also established an Interagency Working Group on the Social Cost of Greenhouse Gases (“Working Group”), which is called on to, among other things, develop methodologies for calculating the “social cost of carbon,” “social cost of nitrous oxide” and “social cost of methane.” The Working Group published a Technical Support Document in February 2021 seeking public comments by May 2021. Recommendations from the Working Group were due beginning June 1, 2021 and final recommendations no later than January 2022. The Working Group made initial recommendations in February 2021; final recommendations have not been released. Further regulation of air emissions, as well as uncertainty regarding the future course of regulation, could eventually reduce the demand for coal.

On January 27, 2021, the current administration issued an executive order focused on addressing climate change. Among other things, the executive order directed the Secretary of the Interior to pause new oil and natural gas leasing on public lands or in offshore waters pending completion of a comprehensive review of the federal permitting and leasing practices, consider whether to adjust royalties associated with coal, oil, and gas resources extracted from public lands and offshore waters, or take other appropriate action, to account for corresponding climate costs. In response to the executive order, the U.S. Department of the Interior suspended new oil and gas leases on federal land and in federal waters. The suspension was challenged in federal court, and in June 2021 a federal district court judge in Louisiana issued a preliminary injunction blocking the suspension. The executive order also directed the federal government to identify “fossil fuel subsidies” to take steps to ensure that, to the extent consistent with applicable law, federal funding is not directly subsidizing fossil fuels. In November 2021, the U.S. Department of the Interior issued a “Report On The Federal Oil And Gas Leasing Program,” which assesses the current state of oil and gas leasing on

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federal lands and proposes several reforms, including raising royalty rates and implementing stricter standards for entities seeking to purchase oil and gas leases.

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Clean Air Act requirements that may directly or indirectly affect our operations include the following:

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The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear the EPA’s appeal of the decision vacating CSAPR and on April 29, 2014, issued an opinion reversing the August 21, 2012 D.C. Circuit decision, remanding the case back to the D.C. Circuit. The EPA then requested that the court lift the CSAPR stay and toll the CSAPR compliance deadlines by three years. On October 23, 2014, the D.C. Circuit granted the EPA’s request, and that court later dismissed all pending challenges to the rule on July 28, 2015 but it remanded some state budgets to the EPA for further consideration. CSAPR Phase 1 implementation began in 2015, with Phase 2 beginning in 2017. CSAPR generally requires greater reductions than under CAIR. As a result, some coal-fired power plants will be required to install costly pollution controls or shut down which may adversely affect the demand for coal. Finally, in October 2016, the EPA issued an update to the CSAPR to address interstate transport of air pollution under the more recent 2008 ozone NAAQS and the state budgets remanded by the D.C. Circuit. Consolidated judicial challenges to the rule are now pending, but on August 10, 2017, the D.C. Circuit suspended briefing in the litigation after industry petitioners challenging the rule requested to delay proceedings so the EPA can determine whether to reconsider the revised CSAPR. On June 29, 2018, the EPA issued a proposed determination that the 2016 CSAPR Update Rule fully addresses states’ interstate transport obligations under the 2008 ozone NAAQS. However, the EPA has also signaled in a variety of 2018 memoranda that states may have more flexibility to consider international emissions and higher thresholds in developing SIPs than under prior guidance. It is not clear how the combination of upholding the 2016 CSAPR Update Rule while allowing greater SIP flexibility will affect decisions to install controls or shut down units, and any resulting effects on the demand for coal. On September 13, 2019 the D.C. Circuit upheld most of the 2016 CSAPR Update Rule, but vacated a provision that allowed upwind states to continue to contribute significantly to downwind states’ noncompliance beyond downwind states’ statutory compliance deadlines. On October 15, 2020, EPA proposed the Revised CSAPR Update Rule in order to address 21 states’ outstanding interstate pollution transport obligations for the 2008 NAAQS. On April 30, 2021, the EPA published the final rule, 86 Fed. Reg. 23,054, entitled the “Revised Cross-State Air Pollution Rule Update for the 2008 Ozone NAAQS.” The Revised CSAPR Update Rule became effective on June 29, 2021, and was challenged by the “Midwest Ozone Group,” a collection of utilities and industry entities. That case remains pending in the D.C. Circuit. If the CSAPR Update Rule is upheld, this may affect demand for coal.

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MATS was challenged in the D.C. Circuit, which upheld the rule on April 15, 2013. Petitioners successfully obtained Supreme Court review, and on June 29, 2015, the Supreme Court issued a 5-4 decision striking down the final rule based on the EPA’s failure to consider economic costs in determining whether to regulate. The case was remanded to the D.C. Circuit. The EPA began reconsideration of costs, and petitioners unsuccessfully sought a stay of the rule in the Supreme Court in February 2016. In April 2016, the EPA issued a MATS 2016 Supplemental Finding, a final finding that it is appropriate and necessary to set standards for emissions of air toxics from coal- and oil-fired power plants. On December 27, 2018, the EPA released a proposed Supplemental Cost Finding, concluding that direct regulation of air toxics from coal- and oil-fired power plants is not cost-justified, but proposing to leave the emissions standards and other requirements of the 2012 rule in place. On May 22, 2020, the EPA released a final Supplemental Finding, again concluding that it is not "appropriate and necessary" to regulate EGUs under section 112 of the CAA. The EPA also took final action on the residual risk and technology review (RTR) required by CAA section 112. The results from the RTR showed that emissions of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) had been reduced such that residual risk is at acceptable levels, there are no developments in HAP emissions controls to achieve further cost-effective reductions beyond the current standards, and, therefore, that no changes to the MATS rule were warranted. However, in the January 20, 2021 Executive Order, the Biden Administration announced a review of the rule in conjunction with other climate-related regulations, and is considering revisiting the “appropriate and necessary” determination and reversing the Supplemental Finding.

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The EPA ultimately agreed in a consent decree with environmental groups to impose regional haze federal implementation plans (FIPs) or to take action on regional haze SIPs before the agency for 42 states and the District of Columbia. The EPA has completed those actions for all but several states in its first planning period (2008-2010). In many eastern states, the EPA has allowed states to meet “best available retrofit control technology” (BART) requirements for power plants through compliance with CAIR and CSAPR (a policy under pending litigation). Other states have had BART imposed on a case-by-case basis, and where the EPA found SIPs deficient, it disapproved them and issued FIPs. It is possible that the EPA may continue to increase the stringency of control requirements imposed under the Regional Haze Program as it moves toward the next planning period.

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This program may result in additional emissions restrictions from new coal-fueled power plants whose operations may impair visibility at and around federally protected areas. This program may also require certain existing coal-fueled power plants to install additional control measures designed to limit haze-causing emissions, such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, volatile organic chemicals and particulate matter. These limitations could affect the future market for coal. However, on January 18, 2018, the EPA announced that it was revisiting the 2017 Regional Haze Rule revisions, and announced an intent to commence a new rulemaking. On September 11, 2018, the EPA released a “Regional Haze Reform Roadmap” and reaffirmed its commitment to additional rulemaking.

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On August 20, 2019, EPA issued guidance to states in preparing SIPs to meet the 2021 deadline, highlighting state flexibility. In September 2021, EPA issued a clarification memorandum, narrowing some of the flexibility identified in prior guidance. Regional haze litigation over specific implementation continues, and both evolving guidance and the litigation could affect demand for coal.

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Climate Change. Carbon dioxide, which is defined to be a greenhouse gas, is a by-product of burning coal. Global climate issues, including with respect to greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and the relationship that greenhouse gases may have with perceived global warming, continue to attract significant public and scientific attention. For example, the Fourth and Fifth Assessment Reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have expressed concern about the impacts of human activity, especially from fossil fuel combustion, on global climate issues. As a result of the public and scientific attention, several governmental bodies increasingly are focusing on global climate issues and, more specifically, levels of emissions of carbon dioxide from coal combustion by power plants. Future regulation of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States could occur pursuant to future U.S. treaty obligations, statutory or regulatory changes at the federal, state or local level or otherwise.

Demand for coal also may be impacted by international efforts to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. For example, in December 2015, representatives of 195 nations reached a climate accord that will, for the first time, commit participating countries to lowering greenhouse gas emissions, as discussed further below. Further, the United States and a number of international development banks, such as the World Bank, the European Investment Bank and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, have announced that they will no longer provide financing for the development of new coal-fueled power plants, subject to very narrow exceptions.

Although the U.S. Congress has considered various legislative proposals that would address global climate issues and greenhouse gas emissions, no such federal proposals have been adopted into law to date. In the absence of U.S. federal legislation on these topics, the EPA has been the primary source of federal oversight, although future regulation of greenhouse gases and global climate matters in the United States could occur pursuant to future U.S. treaty obligations, statutory or regulatory changes under the Clean Air Act, federal adoption of a greenhouse gas regulatory scheme or otherwise.

In 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the EPA has authority under the Clean Air Act to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from automobiles and can decide against regulation only if the EPA determines that carbon dioxide does not significantly contribute to climate change and does not endanger public health or the environment. Although the Supreme Court’s holding did not expressly involve the EPA’s authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from stationary sources, such as coal-fueled power plants, the EPA since has determined on its own that it has the authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, and the EPA has published a formal determination that six greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, endanger both the public health and welfare of current and future generations.

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In 2014, the EPA proposed a sweeping rule, known as the “Clean Power Plan,” to cut carbon emissions from existing electric generating units, including coal-fired power plants. A final version of the Clean Power Plan was adopted in August 2015. The final version of the Clean Power Plan aims to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from electrical power generation by 32% by 2030 relative to 2005 levels through reduction of emissions from coal-burning power plants and increased use of renewable energy and energy conservation methods. Under the Clean Power Plan, states are free to reduce emissions by various means and must submit emissions reduction plans to the EPA by September 2016 or, with an approved extension, September 2018. If a state has not submitted a plan by then, the Clean Power Plan authorizes the EPA to impose its own plan on that state. In order to determine a state’s goal, the EPA has divided the country into three regions based on connected regional electricity grids. States are to implement their plans by focusing on (i) increasing the generation efficiency of existing fossil fuel plants, (ii) substituting lower carbon dioxide emitting natural gas generation for coal-powered generation and (iii) substituting generation from new zero carbon dioxide emitting renewable sources for fossil fuel powered generation. States are permitted to use regionally available low carbon generation sources when substituting for in-state coal generation and coordinate with other states to develop multi-state plans. Following the adoption, 27 states sued the EPA, claiming that the EPA overstepped its legal authority in adopting the Clean Power Plan. In February 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court ordered the EPA to halt enforcement of the Clean Power Plan until a lower court rules on the lawsuit and until the Supreme Court determines whether or not to hear the case. In October 2017, the EPA commenced rulemaking proceedings to rescind the Clean Power Plan, and in December 2017, the EPA published an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking announcing an intent to commence a new rulemaking to replace the Clean Power Plan with an alternative framework for regulating carbon dioxide.

In a parallel litigation, 25 states and other parties filed lawsuits challenging the EPA’s final New Source Performance Standards rules, which we refer to as NSPS, for carbon dioxide emissions from new, modified, and reconstructed power plants under the Clean Air Act. One of the primary issues in these lawsuits is the EPA’s establishment of standards of performance based on technologies including carbon capture and sequestration, which we refer to as CCS. New coal plants cannot meet the new standards unless they implement CCS, which reportedly is not yet commercially available or technically feasible. In conjunction with the EPA’s proposal to rescind the Clean Power Plan, the EPA also requested a stay of the NSPS litigation. The D.C. Circuit granted the request, and the litigation has been held in abeyance since then.

On June 19, 2019, the EPA finalized the Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) rule as a replacement for the Clean Power Plan. The ACE rule establishes emission guidelines for states to develop plans to address greenhouse gas emissions from existing coal-fired power plants. The ACE rule has several components: a determination of the best system of emission reduction for greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power plants, a list of “candidate technologies” states can use when developing their plans, a new preliminary applicability test for determining whether a physical or operational change made to a power plant may be a “major modification” triggering New Source Review, and new implementing regulations for emission guidelines under Clean Air Act section 111(d). On January 19, 2021, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals vacated the ACE rule and its implied repeal of the Clean Power Plan, remanding to the EPA for further proceedings. As the remand was proceeding, the Supreme Court agreed to revisit the EPA’s authority to regulate carbon emissions under Clean Air Act section 111(d). In West Virginia v. EPA, No. 20-1530 and three other consolidated cases, the Court is considering the agency’s authority to regulate emissions sector-wide rather than on individual sources, limits on the agency’s ability to direct States to take action, and the range of factors the agency can consider in rulemaking under section 111(d). These issues implicate not only the ACE, but potentially a variety of other rules related to coal combustion. A decision is expected by June 2022.

In December 2015, 195 nations (including United States) signed the Paris Agreement, a long-term, international framework convention designed to address climate change over the next several decades. This agreement entered into force in November 2016 after more than 70 countries, including the United States, ratified or otherwise agreed to be bound by the agreement. The United States was among the countries that submitted its declaration of intended greenhouse gas reductions in early 2015, stating its intention to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 26-28% by 2025 compared to 2005 levels. Whether and to what extent the United States meets its stated intention likely depends on several factors, including whether the ACE rule is implemented. In June 2017, The Trump Administration announced the United States intends to withdraw from the Paris Agreement. In November 2019, The Trump administration formally initiated the withdrawal process, and formally exited the Agreement on November 4, 2020. President Biden has recommitted the United States to the Paris Agreement and, in April 2021, announced a goal of reducing the United

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States’ emissions by 50-52% below 2005 levels by 2030. In November 2021, President Biden released “The Long-Term Strategy of the United States: Pathways to Net-Zero Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 2050,” which, among other things, explains that the U.S. and EU are co-leading the “Global Methane Pledge” that aims to cut global methane pollution at least 30% by 2030 relative to 2020 levels. President Biden also agreed that same month to cooperate with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on accelerating progress toward the adoption of clean energy. Regardless of the extent to which the United States ultimately participates in these reductions, over the long term, international participation in the Paris Agreement framework could reduce overall demand for coal which could have a material adverse impact on us. These effects could be more adverse to the extent the United States ultimately participates in these reductions (whether via the Paris Agreement or otherwise).

Several U.S. states have enacted legislation establishing greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals or requirements or joined regional greenhouse gas reduction initiatives. Some states also have enacted legislation or regulations requiring electricity suppliers to use renewable energy sources to generate a certain percentage of power or that provide financial incentives to electricity suppliers for using renewable energy sources. For example, eleven northeastern and mid-Atlantic states currently are members of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which is a mandatory cap-and-trade program established in 2005 to cap regional carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. Six Midwestern states and one Canadian province entered into the Midwestern Regional Greenhouse Gas Reduction Accord to establish voluntary regional greenhouse gas reduction targets and develop a voluntary multi-sector cap-and-trade system to help meet the targets, although it has been reported that the members no longer are actively pursuing the group’s activities. Lastly, California and Quebec remain members of the Western Climate Initiative, which was formed in 2008 to establish a voluntary regional greenhouse gas reduction goal and develop market-based strategies to achieve emissions reductions, and those two jurisdictions have adopted their own greenhouse gas cap-and-trade regulations. Several states and provinces that originally were members of these organizations, as well as some current members, have joined the new North America 2050 initiative, which seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create economic opportunities aside from cap-and-trade programs. Any particular state, or any of these or other regional group, may have or adopt in the future rules or policies that cause some users of coal to switch from coal to a lower carbon fuel. There can be no assurance at this time that a carbon dioxide cap-and-trade-program, a carbon tax or other regulatory or policy regime, if implemented by any one or more states or regions in which our customers operate or at the federal level, will not affect the future market for coal in those states or regions and lower the overall demand for coal.

Clean Water Act. The federal Clean Water Act (sometimes shortened to CWA) and corresponding state and local laws and regulations affect coal mining operations by restricting the discharge of pollutants, including dredged and fill materials, into waters of the United States. The Clean Water Act provisions and associated state and federal regulations are complex and subject to amendments, legal challenges and changes in implementation. Recent court decisions and regulatory actions have created uncertainty over Clean Water Act jurisdiction and permitting requirements that could variously increase or decrease the cost and time we expend on Clean Water Act compliance.

The scope of waters that fall within the Clean Water Act’s jurisdiction is expansive and may include features not commonly understood to be a stream or wetland.  In June 2015, the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers (the “Corps”) issued a new rule defining the scope of "waters of the United States" (WOTUS) that are subject to regulation.  The 2015 WOTUS rule was challenged by a number of states and private parties in various federal courts.  In December 2017, the EPA and the Corps proposed a rule to repeal the 2015 WOTUS rule. The repeal took effect on December 23, 2019. In December 2018, the EPA and Corps also formally proposed a new rule revising the definition of WOTUS. The new rule -- the Navigable Waters Protection Rule (“NWPR”) -- became effective on June 22, 2020 and substantially reduced the scope of waters that fall within the Clean Water Act’s jurisdiction, in part by excluding ephemeral streams, which potentially qualified as “Waters of the United States” under the 2015 WOTUS rule. Numerous challenges to the NWPR were filed, and in 2021 under the new Biden administration, the EPA and the Corps asked the courts in the pending litigation to remand the NWPR for agency reconsideration but to maintain the effect of the NWPR in the interim. In August 2021, a federal district court in Arizona declined the request and vacated the NWPR without specifying whether its decision applied nationwide. However, the EPA and the Corps announced on September 3, 2021 that they would revert to the pre-2015 rule until further notice. On December 7, 2021, the EPA and the Corps announced a new proposed rule, which would largely retain the pre-2015 regulatory framework with the addition of other waters that meet the “relatively permanent” or “significant nexus” standards. On January 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court decided to hear a challenge to EPA’s interpretation of WOTUS.

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Clean Water Act requirements that may directly or indirectly affect our operations include the following:

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The Clean Water Act also requires states to develop anti-degradation policies to ensure that non-impaired water bodies continue to meet water quality standards. The issuance and renewal of permits for the discharge of pollutants to waters that have been designated as “high quality” are subject to anti-degradation review that may increase the costs, time and difficulty associated with obtaining and complying with NPDES permits.

Under the Clean Water Act, citizens may sue to enforce NPDES permit requirements. Beginning in 2012, multiple citizens’ suits were filed in West Virginia against mine operators for alleged violations of NPDES permit conditions requiring compliance with West Virginia’s water quality standards. Some of the lawsuits alleged violations of water quality standards for selenium, whereas others alleged that discharges of conductivity and sulfate were causing violations of West Virginia water quality standards that prohibit adverse effects to aquatic life. The suits sought penalties as well as injunctive relief that would limit future discharges of selenium, conductivity or sulfate through the implementation of expensive treatment technologies. The federal district court for the Southern District of West Virginia has ruled in favor of the citizen suit groups in multiple suits alleging violations of the water quality standard for selenium and in two suits alleging violations of water quality standards due to discharge of conductivity (one of which was upheld on appeal by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in January 2017). In 2015, the West Virginia Legislature amended the West Virginia Water Pollution Control Act and associated rules to expressly prohibit the direct enforcement of water quality standards against permit holders. On March 27, 2019, the EPA approved these changes.

Citizens may also sue under the Clean Water Act when pollutants are being discharged without NPDES permits. Beginning in 2013, multiple citizens’ suits were filed in West Virginia against landowners alleging ongoing discharges of pollutants, including selenium and conductivity, from valley fills at reclaimed mining sites. In each case, the reclamation bond had been released and the mining and NPDES permits had been terminated following the completion of reclamation. While it is difficult to predict the outcome of such suits, any determination that discharges from valley fills require NPDES permits could result in increased compliance costs following the completion of mining at our operations.

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Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, which we refer to as RCRA, may affect coal mining operations through its requirements for the management, handling, transportation and disposal of hazardous wastes. Many mining wastes are excluded from the regulatory definition of hazardous wastes, and coal mining operations covered by SMCRA permits are by statute exempted from RCRA permitting. RCRA also allows the EPA to require corrective action at sites where there is a release of hazardous substances. In addition, each state has its own laws regarding the proper management and disposal of waste material. In June 2010, the EPA released a proposed rule to regulate the disposal of certain coal combustion residuals, which we refer to as CCR. The proposed rule set forth two very different options for regulating CCR under RCRA. The first option called for regulation of CCR as a hazardous waste under Subtitle C, which creates a comprehensive program of federally enforceable requirements for waste management and disposal. The second option utilized Subtitle D, which would give the EPA authority to set performance standards for waste management facilities and would be enforced primarily through citizen suits. The proposal left intact the so-called Bevill exemption for beneficial uses of CCR. The EPA finalized the CCR rule on December 19, 2014, setting nationwide solid nonhazardous waste standards for CCR disposal. On April 17, 2015, the EPA finalized regulations under the solid waste provisions (Subtitle D) of RCRA and not the hazardous waste provisions (Subtitle C) which became effective on October 19, 2015. The final rule establishes national minimum criteria for existing and new CCR landfills, surface impoundments and lateral expansions, and also establishes structural integrity criteria for new and existing surface impoundments (including establishing requirements for owners and operators to conduct periodic structural integrity-related assessments). The criteria include location restrictions, design and operating criteria, groundwater monitoring and corrective action, closure requirements and post-closure care and recordkeeping, notification and internet posting requirements. While classification of CCR as a hazardous waste would have led to more stringent restrictions and higher costs, this regulation may still increase our customers' operating costs and potentially reduce their ability to purchase coal. In addition, contamination caused by the past disposal of CCR, including coal ash, could lead to citizen suit enforcement against our customers under RCRA or other federal or state laws and potentially reduce the demand for coal. In another development regarding coal combustion wastes, the EPA conducted an assessment of impoundments and other units that manage residuals from coal combustion and that contain free liquids following a massive coal ash spill in Tennessee in 2008. The EPA contractors conducted site assessments at many impoundments and is requiring appropriate remedial action at any facility that is found to have a unit posing a risk for potential failure. The EPA is posting utility responses to the assessment on its web site as the responses are received. After industry groups filed a suit in the D.C. Circuit, challenging the 2015 rule, former EPA Administrator Pruitt issued

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a letter on September 13, 2017 indicating the agency’s decision to reconsider the rule in response to industry petitions. On August 22, 2018, the D.C. Circuit remanded the rule at the EPA’s request. On August 28, 2020, the EPA issued a final revised rule that modifies standards regarding beneficial use and assessing environmental harm, and extends deadlines for regulated entities to come into compliance. Environmental groups sought to challenge the rule, but the petition was untimely and was voluntarily dismissed. Future regulations resulting from the EPA coal combustion refuse assessments may impact the ability of the Company’s utility customers to continue to use coal in their power plants.

Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act. The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, which we refer to as CERCLA, and similar state laws affect coal mining operations by, among other things, imposing cleanup requirements for threatened or actual releases of hazardous substances that may endanger public health or welfare or the environment. Under CERCLA and similar state laws, joint and several liability may be imposed on waste generators, site owners and lessees and others regardless of fault or the legality of the original disposal activity. Although the EPA excludes most wastes generated by coal mining and processing operations from the hazardous waste laws, such wastes can, in certain circumstances, constitute hazardous substances for the purposes of CERCLA. In addition, the disposal, release or spilling of some products used by coal companies in operations, such as chemicals, could trigger the liability provisions of the statute. Thus, coal mines that we currently own or have previously owned or operated, and sites to which we sent waste materials, may be subject to liability under CERCLA and similar state laws. In particular, we may be liable under CERCLA or similar state laws for the cleanup of hazardous substance contamination at sites where we own surface rights.

Endangered Species. The Endangered Species Act and other related federal and state statutes protect species threatened or endangered with possible extinction. Protection of threatened, endangered and other special status species may have the effect of prohibiting or delaying us from obtaining mining permits and may include restrictions on timber harvesting, road building and other mining or agricultural activities in areas containing the affected species. A number of species indigenous to our properties are protected under the Endangered Species Act or other related laws or regulations. Based on the species that have been identified to date and the current application of applicable laws and regulations, however, we do not believe there are any species protected under the Endangered Species Act that would materially and adversely affect our ability to mine coal from our properties in accordance with current mining plans. We have been able to continue our operations within the existing spatial, temporal and other restrictions associated with special status species. In its final rule published on December 16, 2020, the FWS adopted a regulatory definition of “habitat” for the first time, which could have important consequences for future designations of “critical habitat” under the Endangered Species Act. In October 2021, the Biden administration published rules that changed the definition of “habitat” and altered a policy that made it easier to exclude territory from critical habitat. Designation of critical habitat by the FWS can affect projects that require federal agency permits or funding, because section 7 of the Endangered Species Act requires federal agencies to ensure, through consultation with the FWS, that their actions are not likely to adversely modify or destroy designated critical habitat. Should more stringent protective measures be developed and applied to threatened, endangered or other special status species or to their critical habitat, then we could experience increased operating costs or difficulty in obtaining future mining permits.

Use of Explosives. Our surface mining operations are subject to numerous regulations relating to blasting activities. Pursuant to these regulations, we incur costs to design and implement blast schedules and to conduct pre-blast surveys and blast monitoring. In addition, the storage of explosives is subject to strict regulatory requirements established by four different federal regulatory agencies. For example, pursuant to a rule issued by the Department of Homeland Security in 2007, facilities in possession of chemicals of interest, including ammonium nitrate at certain threshold levels, must complete a screening review in order to help determine whether there is a high level of security risk such that a security vulnerability assessment and site security plan will be required.

Other Environmental Laws. We are required to comply with numerous other federal, state and local environmental laws in addition to those previously discussed. These additional laws include, for example, the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Toxic Substance Control Act and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act.

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Human Capital Resources

At December 31, 2021, Arch and its subsidiaries currently employ more than 3,300 people that are non-unionized in the United States and three employees overseas. Management believes that it has good relations with its employees.

Arch’s responsible and respectful corporate culture has allowed it to attract and retain an experienced, talented and high-performing workforce. The Company and its subsidiaries had an average voluntary retention rate of 89% in 2021. Approximately 40% of the Company’s workforce had at least 10 years of Company service in 2021.

Health and Safety. Safety is a deeply engrained value at Arch. We have consistently led our large, integrated peers in safety performance, as measured by lost-time incident rate.

The Company averaged 1.01 lost-time incidents per 200,000 employee-hours worked at December 31, 2021 in comparison to a national average lost-time incident rate of 2.36 (which represents the national average through the third quarter of 2021).

Across the organization, employees engage in a proactive, behavior-based approach to safety. Every field employee participates in safety training on an ongoing basis, and nearly 100 percent of our field employees have been trained as safety observers. If an at-risk behavior or a barrier to safe behavior is identified, employees are empowered to engage and to apply their training to resolve the potentially unsafe condition or practice immediately.

Since launching the behavior-based program in 2007, Arch’s operating subsidiaries have recorded a total of 1.47 million safety observations and in so doing have created a deep, employee-driven safety culture. Most importantly, the process has resulted in the successful modification of at-risk behaviors and has served as a platform for reinforcing positive behaviors. In addition, Arch operations conduct safety meetings in advance of every shift, to ensure that every employee begins every workday sharply focused on working safely.

During the year, Arch’s subsidiary operations also claimed two Sentinels of Safety awards, the nation’s highest distinction for mine safety; the Department of Interior’s Good Neighbor Award, the nation’s highest honor for community outreach and engagement; the Milestones of Safety Award, the state of West Virginia’s top safety honor; and the Greenlands Award, the state of West Virginia’s top reclamation honor. Leer and Leer South – the Company’s flagship operations set the Company standard by claiming three of these major awards.

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Our safety focus is also evident in our response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We have instituted many policies and procedures, in alignment with CDC guidelines state and local mandates, to protect our employees during the COVID-19 outbreak. These policies and procedures include, but are not limited to, staggering shift times to limit the number of people in common areas at one time, limiting meetings and meeting sizes, wearing masks, vaccine incentives, continual cleaning and disinfecting of high touch and high traffic areas, including door handles, bath rooms, bath houses, access elevators, mining equipment, and other areas, limiting contractor access to our properties, limiting business travel, and instituting work from home for administrative employees. We continually evaluate our policies and procedures, in accordance with CDC, state, and local guidelines, and make any necessary adjustments to respond to the particular circumstances in the areas in which we operate. Vaccination rates among our workforce have leveled off during the second half of 2021, in alignment with national and local trends. Furthermore, the advent of the Delta and Omicron variants has led to increased infection rates among our workforce at certain operations, in alignment with national and local trends. We have reinstated stricter protocols at affected operations. During the second half of 2021, over fifty unit production shifts in our metallurgical segment were adversely impacted by staffing shortfalls related to increased COVID-19 case rates, and our requisite quarantine protocols. We continue to encourage vaccination among our workforce and adjust our COVID-19 responses.

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Training and Development. We recognize the importance of furthering education and development of its employees through the various stages of their careers. To that end, we offer free access to thousands of courses that are designed for personal and career development through an online education platform. A number of these courses are tailored so employees can earn Continuing Education Units (CEU), Professional Development Hours (PDH), and

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Professional Engineering (PE) Units to fulfill accreditation requirements. Additionally, employees are eligible for a tuition reimbursement benefit through a program designed to encourage and support development of employee skills by providing financial assistance for an approved course of study. In the past five years, Arch’s tuition reimbursement program totaled more than $1 million. These programs reflect our view that ongoing employee development is good business as well as a valuable benefit that can help attract and retain talented and skilled people.

We also invest significantly in the development of its next generation of leaders. Over the past five years, Arch has designed and conducted ongoing multi-day leadership workshops designed to educate high-potential corporate and subsidiary employees about our strategic direction, financial position, asset base and corporate culture, as well as to enhance leadership skillsets. More than 450 high-potential employees have participated in those workshops, with the Company’s senior management team and other senior leaders participating in the training sessions.

In addition, we hold a safety and environmental stewardship summit at our headquarters location in Saint Louis each year. More than 240 employees from all subsidiary mine sites in addition to the senior leadership team and corporate employees participate in this summit each year, which creates opportunities for sharing best practices across the operations while reinforcing the Company’s deep commitment to excellence in these critical areas of performance.

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Information about our Executive Officers

The following is a list of our executive officers, their ages as of February 16, 2022 and their positions and offices during the last five years:

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Available Information

We file annual, quarterly and current reports, and amendments to those reports, proxy statements and other information with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You may access and read our filings without charge through the SEC’s website, at sec.gov.

We also make the documents listed above available without charge through our website, archrsc.com, as soon as practicable after we file or furnish them with the SEC. You may also request copies of the documents, at no cost, by telephone at (314) 994-2700 or by mail at Arch Resources, Inc., 1 CityPlace Drive, Suite 300, St. Louis, Missouri, 63141 Attention: Senior Vice President-Strategy and Public Policy. The information on our website is not part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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GLOSSARY OF SELECTED MINING TERMS

Certain terms that we use in this document are specific to the coal mining industry and may be technical in nature. The following is a list of selected mining terms and the definitions we attribute to them.

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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS.

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Our business involves certain risks and uncertainties. In addition to the risks and uncertainties described below, we may face other risks and uncertainties, some of which may be unknown to us and some of which we may deem immaterial. The following review of important risk factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with other cautionary statements that are included herein or elsewhere. If one or more of these risks or uncertainties occur, our business, financial condition or results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

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Summary Risk Factors

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Our business is subject to a number of risks, including risks that may prevent us from achieving our business objectives or may adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows. These risks are discussed more fully below and include, but are not limited to, risks related to:

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Risks Related to Our Operations and Industry

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Risks Related to Environmental, Other Regulations and Legislation

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Risks Related to Income Taxes

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The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected, and will continue to adversely affect, our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a widespread health crisis that has adversely affected businesses, economies and financial markets worldwide. The full impact of COVID-19 is unknown and continues to rapidly evolve. While the outbreak appeared to be trending downward, particularly as vaccination rates increased, new variants of COVID-19 continue emerging, including the highly transmissible Delta variant and the newly discovered Omicron variant (currently a “variant of concern”), spreading throughout the United States and globally and causing significant uncertainty. 

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The COVID-19 outbreak materially and adversely affected our business operations and financial condition due to the pandemic causing a deteriorating market outlook, global economic recession and weakened company liquidity. Although demand for coal and coal prices has recovered from the lows of 2020 through the second quarter of 2021, these conditions caused or exacerbated by the pandemic may lead to continued volatility of coal prices, severely limited liquidity and credit availability and declining valuations of assets, which have adversely affected, and will continue to affect, our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations.

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In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic, and measures taken by governments, organizations, the Company and our customers to reduce its effects could potentially impact our employees, customers and suppliers. The global or national outbreak of an illness or other communicable disease, or any other public health crisis, such as COVID-19, may cause disruptions to our business and operational plans, which may include: (i) shortages of employees, (ii) unavailability of contractors or subcontractors, (iii) interruption of supplies from third parties upon which we rely, (iv) reliability and cost of transportation, (v) changes in purchasing patterns of our customers and their effects on our coal supply agreements; and (vi) recommendations of, or restrictions imposed by, government and health authorities,

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including quarantines, to address an outbreak.  For example, at the beginning 2022, we experienced issues in the logistics chain that delayed our ability to load coal onto vessels.

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Additionally, in the event that customers, contractors, employees or others were to allege that they contracted COVID-19, or otherwise suffered compensable losses arising out of a COVID-19 exposure or infection, because of actions we took or failed to take, we could face claims, lawsuits and potential legal liability. In addition to the reasonableness of our actions and efforts to comply with applicable COVID-19 guidance, our exposure and ultimate liability would depend upon the relationship between us and the person asserting claims, the nature of the claims asserted, the applicability of workers’ compensation, the availability of other insurance coverage and limitations on liability currently being considered, if enacted, at the state and federal level. Such disruptions and risks may continue or increase in the future, and could adversely affect, our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations.

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The full extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic will impact our results is not fully known and is evolving, and will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted. These include the severity, duration and spread of COVID-19, the success of actions taken by governments and health organizations to combat the disease and treat its effects, including additional remedial legislation, the emergence of any new COVID-19 variants that may arise, the timing, availability, effectiveness and adoption rates of vaccines and treatments and the extent to which, and when, general economic and operating conditions recover. Accordingly, any resulting financial impact cannot be reasonably estimated at this time but such amounts may be material.

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Risks Related to Our Operations and Industry

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Coal prices are subject to change based on a number of factors and can be volatile. If there is a decline in prices, it could materially and adversely affect our profitability and the value of our coal reserves.

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Our profitability and the value of our coal reserves depend upon the prices we receive for our coal. The contract prices we may receive in the future for coal depend upon factors beyond our control, including the following:

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Declines in the prices we receive for our future coal sales contracts, could materially and adversely affect us by decreasing our profitability, cash flows, liquidity and the value of our coal reserves.

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Volatile economic and market conditions have affected and in the future may continue to affect our revenues and profitability.

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Global economic downturns have negatively impacted, and in the future could negatively impact, our revenues and profitability.  Our profitability depends, in large part, on conditions in the markets that we serve, which fluctuate in response to various factors beyond our control. The prices at which we sell our coal are largely dependent on prevailing market prices. We have experienced significant price volatility at times during the past several years.

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The conditions surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic have led to extreme volatility of prices. If there are further downturns in economic conditions, our and our customers’ businesses, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected. There can be no assurance that our cost control actions and capital discipline, or any other actions that we may take, will be sufficient to offset any adverse effect these conditions may have on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

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Our coal mining operations are subject to operating risks that are beyond our control, which could result in materially increased operating expenses and decreased production levels and could materially and adversely affect our profitability.

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We conduct underground and surface mining operations. Certain factors beyond our control, including those listed below, could disrupt our coal mining operations, adversely affect production and shipments and increase our operating costs:

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If any of these conditions or events occurs, our coal mining operations may be disrupted and we could experience a delay or halt of production or shipments or our operating costs could increase significantly. In addition, if our insurance coverage is limited or excludes certain of these conditions or events, then we may not be able to recover, or recover fully, for losses incurred as a result of such conditions or events, some of which may be substantial.

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The loss of availability, reliability and cost-effectiveness of transportation facilities and fluctuations in transportation costs could affect the demand for our coal or impair our ability to supply coal to our customers.

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We depend upon barge, ship, rail, truck and belt transportation systems, as well as seaborne vessels and port facilities, to deliver coal to our customers. Disruptions in transportation services due to weather-related problems, mechanical difficulties, labor shortages, strikes, lockouts, bottlenecks, route closures, natural disasters and health crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and other events beyond our control could impair our ability to supply coal to our customers. Since we do not have long-term contracts with all transportation providers we utilize, decreased performance levels over longer periods of time could cause our customers to look to other sources for their coal needs. In addition, increases in transportation costs, including the price of gasoline and diesel fuel, could make coal a less competitive source

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of energy when compared to alternative fuels or could make coal produced in one region of the United States less competitive than coal produced in other regions of the United States or abroad.

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If we experience disruptions in our transportation services or if transportation costs increase significantly and we are unable to find alternative transportation providers, our coal mining operations may be disrupted, we could experience a delay or halt of production or our profitability could decrease significantly. In addition, a growing portion of our coal sales in recent years has been into export markets, and we are actively seeking additional international customers. Our ability to maintain and grow our export sales revenue and margins depends on a number of factors, including the existence of sufficient and cost-effective export terminal capacity for the shipment of coal to foreign markets. At present, there is limited terminal capacity for the export of coal into foreign markets. Our access to existing and future terminal capacity may be adversely affected by, among other factors, regulatory and permit requirements, environmental and other legal challenges, public perceptions and resulting political pressures, foreign and domestic trade policies, operational issues at terminals and competition among domestic coal producers for access to limited terminal capacity. If we are unable to maintain terminal capacity, or are unable to access additional future terminal capacity for the export of our coal on commercially reasonable terms, or at all, our results could be materially and adversely affected.

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From time to time we enter into “take or pay” contracts for rail and port capacity related to our export sales. These contracts require us to pay for a minimum quantity of coal to be transported on the railway or through the port, regardless of whether we sell and ship any coal. If we fail to acquire sufficient export sales to meet our minimum obligations under these contracts, we are still obligated to make payments to the railway or port facility, which could have a negative impact on our cash flows, profitability and results of operations.

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Inflationary pressures for mining and other industrial supplies, including steel-based supplies, diesel fuel and rubber tires, or the inability to obtain a sufficient quantity of those supplies, could negatively affect our operating costs or disrupt or delay our production.

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Our coal mining operations use significant amounts of steel, diesel fuel, explosives, rubber tires and other mining and industrial supplies. The cost of roof bolts we use in our underground mining operations depends on the price of scrap steel. We also use significant amounts of diesel fuel and tires for trucks and other heavy machinery, particularly at our Black Thunder mining complex. There has been some consolidation in the supplier base providing mining materials to the coal industry, such as suppliers of explosives in the U.S. and suppliers of both surface and underground equipment globally, which has limited the number of sources for these materials. If the prices of mining and other industrial supplies, particularly steel based supplies, diesel fuel and rubber tires, increase, due to inflationary pressures or for other reasons, our operating costs could increase. In addition, if we are unable to procure these supplies, our coal mining operations may be disrupted or we could experience a delay or halt in our production. Any of the foregoing events could materially and adversely impact our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

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The effects of foreign and domestic trade policies, actions or disputes on the level of trade among the countries and regions in which we operate could negatively impact our business, financial condition or results of operations.

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Trade barriers such as tariffs imposed by the United States could potentially lead to trade disputes with other foreign governments and adversely impact global economic conditions.  For instance, as a result of a near term ban on Australian coal exports to China, traders and buyers have diverted cargoes into other markets around the world, including India and Europe which has disrupted the traditional trading routes for metallurgical coal.  Further, in March 2018, the United States imposed a 25% tariff on all imported steel into the United States citing national security interests, which resulted in certain foreign countries imposing offsetting tariffs in retaliation.  In December 2021, the Biden Administration revised the 25% tariff with the European Union to a tariff-rate quota on imports greater than a certain tonnage amount, and continued the original Section 232 tariffs, under the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, as amended,  with respect to all other importers of steel into the United States.  Continued or worsening United States-China trade tensions may result in additional tariffs or other protectionist measures that could materially, adversely affect foreign demand for our coal.

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In addition, potential changes to international trade agreements, trade policies, trade concessions or other political and economic arrangements may benefit coal producers operating in countries other than the United States. We may not be able to compete on the basis of price or other factors with companies that, in the future, benefit from favorable foreign trade policies or other arrangements.

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Competition, including with respect to transportation, could put downward pressure on coal prices and, as a result, materially and adversely affect our revenues and profitability.

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We compete with numerous other domestic and foreign coal producers for domestic and international sales. Overcapacity and increased production within the coal industry, both domestically and internationally, and decelerating steel demand have at times, and could in the future, materially reduce coal prices and therefore materially reduce our revenues and profitability. In addition, our ability to ship our coal to international customers depends on port capacity, which is limited, and has come under heightened pressure recently, as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Increased competition within the coal industry for international sales could result in us not being able to obtain throughput capacity at port facilities, or the rates for such throughput capacity could increase to a point where it is not economically feasible to export our coal.

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In addition to competing with other coal producers, we compete with producers of other fuels, such as natural gas and subsidized renewables. Despite the recent uptick, natural gas pricing has declined significantly in recent years and has historically been the main basis for setting the price of our domestic thermal product. Declines in the price of natural gas have caused demand for coal to decrease and have adversely affected the price of our coal. Historical sustained periods of low natural gas prices have also contributed to utilities phasing out or closing existing coal-fired power plants, and a return to low prices could eliminate construction of any new coal-fired power plants. This trend has, and could continue to have, a material adverse effect on demand and prices for our coal. Moreover, the construction of new pipelines and other natural gas distribution channels may increase competition within regional markets and thereby decrease the demand for and price of our coal.

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Our customers are continually evaluating alternative steel production technologies, which may reduce demand for our product.

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Our metallurgical coal is a premium High-Vol metallurgical coal for blast furnace steel producers. Premium High-Vol metallurgical coal commands a significant price premium over other forms of coal because of its value in use in blast furnaces for steel production. Premium High-Vol metallurgical coal is a scarce commodity and has specific physical and chemical properties which are necessary for efficient blast furnace operation. Alternative technologies are continually being investigated and developed with a view to reducing production costs or for other reasons, such as minimizing environmental or social impact. If competitive technologies emerge or are increasingly utilized that use other materials in place of our product or that diminish the required amount of our product, such as electric arc furnaces or pulverized coal injection processes, demand and price for our metallurgical coal might fall. Many of these alternative technologies are designed to use lower quality coals or other sources of carbon instead of higher cost High-Vol metallurgical coal. While conventional blast furnace technology has been the most economic large-scale steel production technology for several years, and while emergent technologies typically take many years to commercialize, there can be no assurance that, over the longer -term, competitive technologies not reliant on High-Vol metallurgical coal could emerge which could reduce demand and price premiums for High-Vol metallurgical coal.

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Our ability to operate our business effectively could be impaired if we lose key personnel or fail to attract qualified personnel.

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We manage our business with a number of key personnel, the loss of whom could have a material adverse effect on us, absent the completion of an orderly transition. Efficient mining using modern techniques and equipment requires skilled laborers with mining experience and proficiency as well as qualified managers and supervisors. The demand for skilled employees sometimes causes a significant constriction of the labor supply resulting in higher labor costs. When coal producers compete for skilled miners, recruiting challenges can occur and employee turnover rates can increase, which negatively affect operating efficiency and costs. If a shortage of skilled workers exists and we are unable to train

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or retain the necessary number of miners, it could adversely affect our productivity, costs and ability to expand production.

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Our profitability depends upon the coal supply agreements we have with our customers. Changes in purchasing patterns in the coal industry could make it difficult for us to extend our existing coal supply agreements or to enter into new agreements in the future.

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The success of our businesses depends on our ability to retain our current customers, renew our existing customer contracts and solicit new customers. Our ability to do so generally depends on a variety of factors, including the quality and price of our products, our ability to market these products effectively, our ability to deliver on a timely basis and the level of competition that we face. If current customers do not honor current contract commitments, or if they terminate agreements or exercise force majeure provisions allowing for the temporary suspension of their performance, our revenues will be adversely affected. Changes in the coal industry may cause some of our customers not to renew, extend or enter into new coal supply agreements or to enter into agreements to purchase fewer tons of coal or on different terms or prices than in the past. In addition, uncertainty caused by federal and state regulations, including under the U.S. Clean Air Act, could deter our customers from entering into coal supply agreements. Also, the availability and price of competing fuels, such as natural gas, could influence the volume of coal a customer is willing to purchase under contract.

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Our coal supply agreements typically contain force majeure provisions allowing the parties to temporarily suspend performance during specified events beyond their control. Most of our coal supply agreements also contain provisions requiring us to deliver coal that satisfies certain quality specifications, such as heat value, sulfur content, ash content, volatile matter, hardness and ash fusion temperature, among others. These provisions in our coal supply agreements could result in negative economic consequences to us, including price adjustments, having to purchase replacement coal in a higher-priced open market, the rejection of deliveries or, in the extreme, contract termination. Our profitability may be negatively affected if we are unable to seek protection during adverse economic conditions or if we incur financial or other economic penalties as a result of these provisions of our coal supply agreements. For more information about our long-term coal supply agreements, you should see the section entitled “Long-Term Coal Supply Arrangements” under Item 1.

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The loss of, or a significant reduction in, purchases by our largest customers could adversely affect our profitability.

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For the year ended December 31, 2021, we derived approximately 20% of our total coal revenues from sales to our three largest customers and approximately 49% of our total coal revenues from sales to our ten largest customers. If any of those customers, particularly any of our three largest customers, were to significantly reduce the quantities of coal it purchases from us, or if we are unable to sell coal to those customers on terms as favorable to us, it may have an adverse impact on the results of our business.

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Disruptions in the quantities of coal purchased from other third parties could temporarily impair our ability to fill customer orders or increase our operating costs.

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We purchase coal from third parties that we sell to our customers. Operational difficulties at mines operated by third parties from whom we purchase coal, changes in demand from other coal producers and other factors beyond our control could affect the availability, pricing, and quality of coal purchased by us. Disruptions in the quantities of coal purchased by us could impair our ability to fill our customer orders or require us to purchase coal from other sources in order to satisfy those orders. If we are unable to fill a customer order or if we are required to purchase coal from other sources at higher prices and / or lower quality, in order to satisfy a customer order, we could lose existing customers and our operating costs could increase.

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International growth in our sales adds new and unique risks to our business.

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We have sales offices in Singapore and the United Kingdom. In addition, our international offices sell our coal to new customers and customers in new countries, which may present uncertainties and new risks. A majority of our

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metallurgical coal sales consist of sales to international customers, and we expect that international sales will continue to account for a larger portion of our revenue. A number of foreign countries in which we sell our metallurgical coal implicate additional risks and uncertainties due to the different economic, cultural and political environments. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to:

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Negative developments in any of these factors in the foreign markets into which we sell our metallurgical coal could result in a reduction in demand for metallurgical coal, the cancellation or delay of orders already placed, difficulty in collecting receivables, higher costs of doing business and/or non-compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, each or any of which could materially adversely impact our cash flows, results of operations and profitability.

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Our ability to collect payments from our customers could be impaired if their creditworthiness deteriorates, and our financial position could be materially and adversely affected by the bankruptcy of any of our significant customers.

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Our ability to receive payment for coal sold and delivered depends on the continued creditworthiness of our customers. If we determine that a customer is not creditworthy, we may be able to withhold delivery under the customer’s coal sales contract. If this occurs, we may decide to sell the customer’s coal on the spot market, which may be at prices lower than the contracted price, or we may be unable to sell the coal at all. Furthermore, the bankruptcy of any of our significant customers could materially and adversely affect our financial position.

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In addition, our customer base may change with deregulation as utilities sell their power plants to their non-regulated affiliates or third parties that may be less creditworthy, thereby increasing the risk we bear for customer payment default. Some power plant owners may have credit ratings that are below investment grade, or may become below investment grade after we enter into contracts with them. Furthermore, our metallurgical customers operate in a highly competitive and cyclical industry where their creditworthiness could deteriorate rapidly. In addition, competition with other coal suppliers could force us to extend credit to customers and on terms that could increase the risk of payment default. Customers in other countries may also be subject to other pressures and uncertainties that may affect their ability to pay, including trade barriers, exchange controls and local economic and political conditions.

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Failure to obtain or renew surety bonds on acceptable terms could affect our ability to secure reclamation and coal lease obligations and, therefore, our ability to mine or lease coal.

Federal and state laws require us to obtain surety bonds or post other financial security to secure performance or payment of certain long-term obligations, such as mine closure or reclamation costs, federal and state workers’ compensation and black lung benefits costs, coal leases and other obligations. The amount of security required to be obtained can change as the result of new federal or state laws, as well as changes to the factors used to calculate the bonding or security amounts. We may have difficulty procuring or maintaining our surety bonds. Our bond issuers may demand higher fees or additional collateral, including letters of credit or other terms less favorable to us upon those renewals.

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Because we are required by state and federal law to have these surety bonds or other acceptable security in place before mining can commence or continue, our failure to maintain surety bonds, letters of credit or other guarantees or security arrangements would materially and adversely affect our ability to mine or lease metallurgical coal. That failure could result from a variety of factors, including lack of availability, higher expense or unfavorable market terms, the exercise by third-party surety bond issuers of their right to refuse to renew the sureties and restrictions on availability of collateral for current and future third-party surety bond issuers under the terms of our financing arrangements.

As of December 31, 2021, we had approximately $584.1 million in surety bonds backed by $87.0 million of letters of credit outstanding. Any further issuances of letters of credit to satisfy the increased collateral demands or any replacement surety bonds would immediately reduce the borrowing capacity under our credit facilities.  At December 31, 2021, the Company established a fund for asset retirement obligations and thus far has contributed $20 million that will serve to defease the long-term asset retirement obligation for its thermal asset base.  

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Inaccuracies in our estimates of our coal reserves could result in decreased profitability from lower than expected revenues or higher than expected costs.

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Our future performance depends on, among other things, the accuracy of our estimates of our proven and probable coal reserves. We base our estimates of reserves on engineering, economic and geological data assembled, analyzed and reviewed by internal and third-party engineers and consultants. We update our estimates of the quantity and quality of proven and probable coal reserves annually to reflect the production of coal from the reserves, updated geological models and mining recovery data, the tonnage contained in new lease areas acquired and estimated costs of production and sales prices. There are numerous factors and assumptions inherent in estimating the quantities and qualities of, and costs to mine, coal reserves, including many factors beyond our control, including the following:

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As a result, estimates of the quantities and qualities of economically recoverable coal attributable to any particular group of properties, classifications of reserves based on risk of recovery, estimated cost of production and estimates of future net cash flows expected from these properties, as prepared by different engineers, or by the same engineers at different times, may vary materially due to changes in the above factors and assumptions. Actual production recovered from identified reserve areas and properties, and revenues and expenditures associated with our mining operations, may vary materially from estimates. Any inaccuracy in our estimates related to our reserves could result in decreased profitability from lower than expected revenues and/or higher than expected costs.

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A defect in title or the loss of a leasehold interest in certain properties or surface rights could limit our ability to mine our coal reserves or result in significant unanticipated costs.

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We conduct a significant part of our coal mining operations on properties that we lease. A title defect or the loss of a lease or surface rights could adversely affect our ability to mine the associated coal reserves. We may not verify title to our leased properties or associated coal reserves until we have committed to developing those properties or coal reserves. We may not commit to develop properties or coal reserves until we have obtained necessary permits and completed exploration. As such, the title to properties that we intend to lease or coal reserves that we intend to

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mine may contain defects prohibiting our ability to conduct mining operations. Similarly, our leasehold interests may be subject to superior property rights of other third parties. In order to conduct our mining operations on properties where these defects exist, we may incur unanticipated costs. In addition, some leases require us to produce a minimum quantity of coal and require us to pay minimum production royalties. Our inability to satisfy those requirements may cause the leasehold interest to terminate, which could negatively impact our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

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We may incur losses as a result of certain marketing and asset optimization strategies.

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We seek to optimize our coal production and leverage our knowledge of the coal industry through a variety of marketing and asset optimization strategies. We maintain a system of complementary processes and controls designed to monitor and control our exposure to market and other risks as a consequence of these strategies. These processes and controls seek to balance our ability to profit from certain marketing and asset optimization strategies against our exposure to potential losses. Our risk monitoring and mitigation techniques, and accompanying judgments cannot anticipate every potential outcome or the timing of such outcomes. In addition, the processes and controls that we use to manage our exposure to market and other risks resulting from these strategies involve assumptions about the degrees of correlation or lack thereof among prices of various assets or other market indicators. These correlations may change significantly in times of market turbulence or other unforeseen circumstances. As a result, we may experience volatility in our earnings as a result of our marketing and asset optimization strategies.

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Any decrease in the coal consumption of electric power generators could result in less demand and lower prices for thermal coal, which could materially and adversely affect our revenues and results of operations.

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Thermal coal accounted for 91% of our coal sales by volume and 56% of the coal sales revenue during 2021. The majority of these sales were to electric power generators. The amount of coal consumed for electric power generation is affected primarily by the overall demand for electricity, the availability, quality and price of competing fuels (particularly natural gas) for power generation and governmental regulations which may dictate an alternate source of fuel regardless of economics. Overall economic activity and the associated demand for power by industrial users can have significant effects on overall electricity demand and can be impacted by a number of factors. An economic slowdown can significantly slow the growth of electricity demand and could result in reduced demand for coal. Weather patterns also greatly affect electricity demand. Extreme temperatures, both hot and cold, cause increased power usage and, therefore, increase generating requirements from all sources. Mild temperatures, on the other hand, result in lower electrical demand, which allows generators to choose the source of power generation that is most cost efficient.

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Gas-fueled generation has the potential to displace coal-fueled generation, particularly from older, less efficient coal-powered generators and this has occurred to date. We expect that all of the new power plants constructed in the United States, to meet increasing demand for electricity generation, will be fueled by natural gas because gas-fired plants are cheaper to construct and permits to construct these plants are easier to obtain as natural gas combustion is seen as having a lower environmental impact than coal combustion. In addition, state and federal mandates for increased use of electricity from renewable energy sources also have an impact on the market for our coal. Several states have enacted legislative mandates requiring electricity suppliers to use renewable energy sources to generate a certain percentage of power. There have been numerous proposals to establish a similar uniform national standard, although none of these proposals have been enacted to date. The costs of certain renewable energy sources have become increasingly competitive to coal, and possible advances in technologies and incentives, such as tax credits, to enhance the economics of renewable energy sources, could make these sources even more competitive. Any reduction in the amount of coal consumed by electric power generators could reduce the price of coal that we mine and sell, thereby reducing our revenues and materially and adversely affecting our business and results of operations.

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If we or our service providers sustain cyber-attacks or other security incidents that involve unauthorized access to proprietary, confidential or personally identifiable information, or disruptions, we could be exposed to significant liability, reputational harm, loss of revenue, increased costs and material risks to our business and results.

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We have become increasingly dependent on information technology systems to operate our business and to comply with regulatory, legal and tax requirements. Some of these systems are owned and operated by us and others by our third-party services providers.  In addition, in the ordinary course of our business, we and our service providers collect, process, transmit and store data, such as proprietary business information and personally identifiable information.

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As our dependence on digital technologies has increased, the risk of cyber incidents, including both deliberate attacks and unintentional events, also has increased. A cyber-attack may involve persons gaining unauthorized access to our digital systems or systems maintained on our behalf for purposes of gathering, monitoring, releasing, misappropriating or corrupting proprietary or confidential or personal information, or causing operational disruption. In addition, certain cyber incidents, such as surveillance, may remain undetected for an extended period of time. Strategic targets, such as energy-related assets, may be at greater risk of future cyber-attacks than other targets in the United States.

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We and certain of our service providers have, from time to time, been subject to cyberattacks and security incidents. To date, we have not experienced any material losses relating to cyber incidents. However, our systems may be susceptible to cyber incidents or security breaches and both the frequency and magnitude of cyberattacks is expected to increase and attackers are becoming more sophisticated. As a result, we may be unable to anticipate, detect or prevent future attacks, particularly as the methodologies utilized by attackers change frequently or are not recognized until launched, and we may be unable to investigate or remediate incidents because attackers are increasingly using techniques and tools designed to circumvent controls, to avoid detection, and to remove or obfuscate forensic evidence.

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While we and our service providers have implemented various controls and measures, cyberattacks and other security incidents could result in unauthorized access to our facilities or to information we are trying to protect, or to significant operational or supply chain disruptions (for example, due to DDOS or ransomware attacks). Failure of our or our service providers’ systems, whether caused maliciously or inadvertently, may lead to unauthorized physical access to one or more of our facilities or locations, or electronic access to, or corruption or destruction or loss of, proprietary, confidential, or personally identifiable information and could result in, among other things, unfavorable publicity and reputational damage, litigation, disruptions to our operations, loss of customers and financial obligations that may not be covered by our insurance for damages, regulatory investigations and enforcement, fines or penalties related to the theft, release or misuse of information, any or all of which could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations, financial condition or cash flow. In addition, as cyber threats continue to evolve, we may be required to expend significant additional resources to modify or enhance our protective measures or to investigate and remediate any system vulnerabilities. This is particularly the case given fast evolving legislative and regulatory changes to data privacy and data security laws globally.  Any losses, costs or liabilities directly or indirectly related to cyberattacks or similar incidents may not be covered by, or may exceed the coverage limits of, any or all of our applicable insurance policies.

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Our inability to acquire additional coal reserves or our inability to develop coal reserves in an economically feasible manner may adversely affect our business.

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Our profitability depends substantially on our ability to mine and process, in a cost-effective manner, coal reserves that possess the quality characteristics desired by our customers. As we mine, our coal reserves deplete. As a result, our future success depends upon our ability to obtain, through acquisition or development of owned reserves, coal that is economically recoverable. If we fail to acquire or develop additional coal reserves, our existing reserves will eventually be depleted. We may not be able to obtain replacement reserves when we require them. Even if available, replacement reserves may not be available at favorable prices, or we may not be capable of mining those reserves at costs that are comparable with our existing coal reserves. In certain locations, leases for oil, natural gas and coalbed methane reserves are located on, or adjacent to, some of our reserves, potentially creating conflicting interests between us and lessees of those interests. Other lessees’ rights relating to these mineral interests could prevent, delay or increase the cost of

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developing our coal reserves. These lessees may also seek damages from us based on claims that our coal mining operations impair their interests.

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Our ability to obtain coal reserves in the future could also be limited by the availability of cash we generate from our operations or available financing, restrictions under our existing or future financing arrangements, competition from other coal producers, limited opportunities or the inability to acquire coal properties on commercially reasonable terms. Increased opposition from non-governmental organizations and other third parties may also lengthen, delay or adversely impact the acquisition process. If we are unable to acquire replacement reserves, our future production may decrease significantly and our operating results may be negatively affected. In addition, we may not be able to mine future reserves as profitably as we do at our current operations.

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We may be unable to comply with the restrictions imposed by our Term Loan Debt Facility and other financing arrangements.

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The agreements governing our outstanding financing arrangements impose a number of restrictions on us. For example, the terms of our credit facilities, leases and other financing arrangements contain financial and other covenants that may create limitations on our ability to borrow the full amount under our credit facilities, effect acquisitions or dispositions and incur additional debt and require us to comply with various affirmative covenants. The Term Loan Debt Facility contains customary affirmative and negative covenants, which include restrictions on (i) indebtedness, (ii) liens, (iii) liquidations, mergers, consolidations and acquisitions, (iv) disposition of assets or subsidiaries, (v) affiliate transactions, (vi) creation or ownership of certain subsidiaries, partnerships and joint ventures, (vii) continuation of or change in business, (viii) restricted payments, (ix) prepayment of subordinated and junior lien indebtedness, (x) restrictions in agreements on dividends, intercompany loans and granting liens on collateral, (xi) loans and investments, (xii) sale and leaseback transactions, (xiii) changes in organizational documents and fiscal year and (xiv) transactions with respect to bonding subsidiaries. Our ability to comply with these provisions may be affected by events beyond our control and our failure to comply could result in an event of default under the Term Loan Debt Facility.

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We may be unable to raise the funds necessary to repurchase our Convertible Notes for cash following a fundamental change, or to pay any cash amounts due upon conversion, and our other indebtedness limits our ability to repurchase the notes or pay cash upon their conversion.

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Convertible noteholders may, subject to a limited exception, require us to repurchase their notes following a fundamental change (including certain delisting events that we elect to treat as the occurrence of a fundamental change), at a cash repurchase price generally equal to the principal amount of the notes to be repurchased, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any. In addition, upon conversion we will satisfy part or all of our conversion obligation in cash unless we elect to settle conversions solely in shares of our common stock. We may not have enough available cash or be able to obtain financing at the time we are required to repurchase the notes or pay the cash amounts due upon conversion. In addition, applicable law, regulatory authorities and the agreements governing our other indebtedness may restrict our ability to repurchase the notes or pay the cash amounts due upon conversion. Our failure to repurchase notes or to pay the cash amounts due upon conversion when required would constitute a default under the indenture governing the Convertible Notes. A default under the indenture or the fundamental change itself could also lead to a default under agreements governing our other indebtedness, and may result in that other indebtedness becoming immediately payable in full. We may not have sufficient funds to satisfy all amounts due under the other indebtedness and the notes.

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Risks Related to Environmental, Other Regulations and Legislation

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Extensive environmental regulations, including existing and potential future regulatory requirements relating to air emissions, affect our customers and could reduce the demand for coal as a fuel source and cause coal prices and sales of our coal to materially decline.

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Coal contains impurities, including but not limited to sulfur, mercury, chlorine and other elements or compounds, many of which are released into the air when coal is burned. The operations of our customers are subject to extensive environmental regulation particularly with respect to air emissions. For example, the federal Clean Air Act and similar state and local laws extensively regulate the amount of sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, nitrogen oxide, and other compounds emitted into the air from electric power plants, which are the largest end-users of our coal. A series of more stringent requirements relating to particulate matter, ozone, haze, mercury, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and other air pollutants may be developed and implemented. For instance, the Clean Power Plan, if implemented in the form promulgated under the Obama administration, would severely limit emissions of carbon dioxide which would adversely affect our ability to sell coal. However, in April 2017, the EPA announced that it was initiating a review of the Clean Power Plan consistent with President Trump’s Executive Order 13783, and, in October 2017, the EPA published a proposed rule to formally repeal the Clean Power Plan. In June 2019, the EPA issued the final Affordable Clean Energy rule, which revised the agency’s interpretation of Clean Air Act section 111(d). In January 2021, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals vacated the Affordable Clean Energy rule and its implied repeal of the Clean Power Plan, remanding to the EPA for further proceedings. The Supreme Court agreed to hear the case in October 2021. Oral argument is scheduled for February 2022 and a decision is expected by late June or early July 2022. It is not clear whether the EPA will reinstate the Clean Power Plan or undertake new rulemaking.

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In addition, the change in presidential administration has resulted in a further shift in policy by the EPA. As explained above, in December 2015, the United States and 195 other countries reached an agreement (the “Paris Agreement”) during the 21st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, a long-term, international framework convention designed to address climate change over the next several decades. The Trump administration formally withdrew the United States from the Paris Agreement, effective November 2020. However, President Biden has recommitted the United States to the Paris Agreement and, in April 2021, announced a goal of reducing the United States’ emissions by 50-52% below 2005 levels by 2030. In November 2021, the international community gathered again in Glasgow at the 26th Conference to the Parties on the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (“COP26”), during which multiple announcements were made, including a call for parties to eliminate certain fossil fuel subsidies and pursue further action on non-CO2 greenhouse gasses. Relatedly, the United States and European Union jointly announced the launch of the “Global Methane Pledge,” which aims to cut global methane pollution at least 30% by 2030 relative to 2020 levels, including “all feasible reductions” in the energy sector. President Biden also agreed that same month to cooperate with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on accelerating progress toward the adoption of clean energy. The impacts of these orders, pledges, agreements and any legislation or regulation promulgated to fulfill the United States’ commitments under the Paris Agreement, COP26, or other international conventions cannot be predicted at this time. However, any efforts to control and/or reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the United States or other countries that have also pledged “Nationally Determined Contributions,” or concerted conservation efforts that result in reduced electricity consumption, could adversely impact coal prices, our ability to sell coal and, in turn, our financial position and results of operations.

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In addition, a January 21, 2021 executive order from the Biden administration directed all federal agencies to review and take action to address any federal regulations, orders, guidance documents, policies and any similar agency actions promulgated during the prior administration that may be inconsistent with the administration’s policies. The executive order also established an Interagency Working Group on the Social Cost of Greenhouse Gases (“Working Group”), which is called on to, among other things, develop methodologies for calculating the “social cost of carbon,” “social cost of nitrous oxide” and “social cost of methane.” Final recommendations from the Working Group are due no later than January 2022. The Biden administration issued another executive order on January 27, 2021, that was specifically focused on addressing climate change. Further regulation of air emissions at the federal level, as well as

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uncertainty regarding the future course of federal regulation, could reduce demand for coal and negatively impact our financial position and results of operations.

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In March 2021, the Biden Administration announced a framework for the "Build Back Better" agenda. The proposed framework included policies to address climate change across the federal government through the tax code, an energy efficiency and clean energy standard, and research and development, among other areas of focus. Relatedly, the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee released, and has been holding hearings on, the Climate Leadership and Environmental Action for our Nation's ("CLEAN") Future Act, which is expected to influence legislation furthering the "Build Back Better" agenda. The CLEAN Future Act proposes, among other things, a clean electricity standard that would require electricity suppliers to procure and retire clean energy credits offsetting, in the aggregate, 80% of the energy sold by 2030 and 100% by 2035. It would establish an auction-based mechanism for these credits and award partial credits to certain types of carbon-emitting generation that have lower-than-average emissions rates.

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"Build Back Better" has been on two tracks in Congress, with a bipartisan "infrastructure” bill that has passed in the Senate and House of Representatives and was signed into law on November 15, 2021, which includes climate provisions focused on transportation and resiliency and an expected multi-trillion-dollar budget social spending bill that is being advanced under the reconciliation process to address additional priorities, including the climate impacts of energy production. A Clean Electricity Standard, or similar program, remains a goal of the Biden Administration, despite an unclear political path forward. The reconciliation bill may also include energy tax credits, which are expected to incentivize producers and purchasers of certain forms of energy, such as solar, wind, and nuclear, but not other forms of energy production. Although the social spending bill and Clean Electricity Standard proposals have not yet resulted in any new legislation being enacted or regulations promulgated, we are closely monitoring both legislative and executive agency action.

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We are also subject to state and local regulations, which may be more stringent than federal rules. For example, certain United States cities and states have announced their intention to satisfy their proportionate obligations under the Paris Agreement. In addition, almost one-half of states have taken measures to track and reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, and some states have elected to participate in voluntary regional cap-and-trade programs like the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative in the northeastern United States. State and local governments may pass laws mandating the use of alternative energy sources, such as wind power and solar energy, which may decrease demand for our coal products. State and local commitments and regulations could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

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Considerable uncertainty is associated with these air emissions initiatives, and the content of regulatory requirements in the United States and other countries continues to evolve and develop, which could require significant emissions control expenditures for many coal-fueled power plants. As a result, these power plants may switch to other fuels that generate fewer of these emissions, may install more effective pollution control equipment that reduces the need for low sulfur coal, or may cease operations, possibly reducing future demand for coal and a reduced need to construct new coal-fueled power plants. Any switching of fuel sources away from coal, closure of existing coal-fired plants or reduced construction of new plants could have a material adverse effect on demand for, and prices received for, our coal. Alternatively, less stringent air emissions limitations, particularly related to sulfur, to the extent enacted, could make low sulfur coal less attractive, which could also have a material adverse effect on the demand for and prices received for our coal.

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You should see Item 1, “Environmental and Other Regulatory Matters” for more information about the various governmental regulations affecting the market for our products.

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Increased pressure from political and regulatory authorities, along with environmental and climate change activist groups, and lending and investment policies adopted by financial institutions and insurance companies to address concerns about the environmental impacts of coal combustion, including climate change, may potentially materially and adversely impact our future financial results, liquidity and growth prospects.

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Global climate issues continue to attract significant public and scientific attention. For example, the Fourth and Fifth Assessment Reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have expressed concern about the impacts

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of human activity, especially from fossil fuel combustion, on the global climate. As a result of the public and scientific attention, several governmental bodies increasingly are focusing on climate issues and, more specifically, levels of emissions of carbon dioxide from coal combustion by power plants. The Clean Power Plan would severely limit emissions of carbon dioxide, possibly reducing future demand for coal. However, as discussed above, the EPA has sought to replace the Clean Power Plan with the Affordable Clean Energy rule. In January 2021, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals vacated the Affordable Clean Energy rule and its implied repeal of the Clean Power Plan, remanding to the EPA for further proceedings , and that proceeding is currently before the Supreme Court; as such, and given that the change in presidential administration could result in a further shift in policy by the EPA, the future of that rule and the Clean Power Plan is uncertain. Additionally, a number of governments pledged to control and reduce greenhouse gas emissions under the Paris Agreement, which may impact demand for coal resources. The Biden administration reentered the Paris Agreement in February 2021.

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Future regulation of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States could occur pursuant to future treaty obligations, statutory or regulatory changes at the federal, state or local level or otherwise. The enactment of laws or the passage of regulations regarding greenhouse gas emissions from the combustion of coal by the U.S., some of its states or other countries, or other actions to limit emissions have resulted in, and may continue to result in, electricity generators switching from coal to other fuel sources or coal-fueled power plant closures. Further, policies limiting available financing for the development of new coal-fueled power plants could adversely impact the global demand for coal in the future. You should see Item 1, “Environmental and Other Regulatory Matters-Climate Change” for more information about governmental regulations relating to greenhouse gas emissions.

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There have been recent efforts by members of the general financial and investment communities, such as investment advisors, sovereign wealth funds, public pension funds, universities and other groups, to divest themselves and to promote the divestment of securities issued by companies involved in the fossil fuel extraction market, such as coal producers. In California, for example, legislation was signed into law in October 2015 requiring California’s state pension funds to divest investments in companies that generate 50% or more of their revenue from coal mining. Also, in December 2017, the Governor of New York announced that the New York Common Fund would immediately cease all new investments in entities with “significant fossil fuel activities,” and the World Bank announced that it would no longer finance upstream oil and gas after 2019, except in “exceptional circumstances.” Other activist campaigns have urged banks to cease financing coal-driven businesses. As a result, numerous banks, other financing sources and insurance companies have taken actions to limit available financing and insurance coverage for the development of new coal-fueled power plants and coal mines and utilities that derive a majority of their revenue from thermal coal. However, in January 2021, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, a top federal banking regulator, issued a final rule that would require banks to provide “fair access” to financial services to companies regardless of industry. The final rule, originally set to take effect April 1, 2021, is targeted at major financial institutions that have made pledges not to lend to the fossil fuel industry. The final rule has not yet been published in the Federal Register. The impact of efforts to divest or promote the divestment from the fossil fuel extraction market may adversely affect the demand for and price of our securities and impact our access to the capital and financial markets.

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Any future laws, regulations or other policies of the nature described above may adversely impact our business in material ways. The degree to which any particular law, regulation or policy impacts us will depend on several factors, including the substantive terms involved, the relevant time periods for enactment and any related transition periods. We routinely attempt to evaluate the potential impact on us of any proposed laws, regulations or policies, which requires that we make several material assumptions. From time to time, we determine that the impact of one or more such laws, regulations or policies, if adopted and ultimately implemented as proposed, may result in materially adverse impacts on our operations, financial condition or cash flow. In general, it is likely that any future laws, regulations or other policies aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions will negatively impact demand for our coal.

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Increased attention to environmental, social or governance (“ESG”) matters could adversely impact our business and the value of the company.

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Increasing attention to climate change, societal expectations on companies to address climate change, investor and societal expectations regarding voluntary ESG disclosures, and consumer demand for alternative forms of energy may result in negative views with respect to ESG that could result in a low ESG score or similar sustainability score, could harm the perception of our Company by certain investors, or could result in the exclusion of our securities from consideration by those investors.

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Certain financial institutions, including banks and insurance companies, have taken actions to limit available financing, insurance and other services to entities that produce or use fossil fuels. Increasingly, the actions of such financial institutions and insurance companies are based upon ESG or sustainability scores, ratings and benchmarking studies provided by various organizations that assess corporate performance and governance related to environmental and social matters, including climate change. Companies in the energy industry, and in particular those focused on coal, natural gas or petroleum extraction and refining, often have lower ESG or sustainability scores compared to companies in other industries. These lower scores may have adverse consequences including, but not limited to:

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• restricting our ability to access capital and financial markets in the future or increasing our cost of capital;

• reducing the demand and price for our securities;

• increasing the cost of borrowing;

• causing a decline in our credit ratings;

• reducing the availability, and/or increasing the cost of, third-party insurance;

• increasing our retention of risk through self-insurance; and

• making it more difficult to obtain surety bonds, letters of credit, bank guarantees or other financing.

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Moreover, while we may publish voluntary disclosures regarding ESG matters from time to time, many of the statements in those voluntary disclosures are based on hypothetical expectations and assumptions that may or may not be representative of current or actual risks or events, or forecasts of expected risks or events, including the costs associated therewith. Such expectations and assumptions are necessarily uncertain and may be prone to error or subject to misinterpretation given the long timelines involved in measuring and reporting on many ESG matters.

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Our failure to obtain and renew permits necessary for our mining operations could negatively affect our business.

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Mining companies must obtain numerous permits that impose strict regulations on various environmental and operational matters in connection with coal mining. These include permits issued by various federal, state and local agencies and regulatory bodies. The permitting rules, and the interpretations of these rules, are complex, change frequently and are often subject to discretionary interpretations by the regulators, all of which may make compliance more difficult or impractical, and may possibly preclude the continuance of ongoing operations or the development of future mining operations. The public, including non-governmental organizations, anti-mining groups and individuals, have certain statutory rights to comment upon and submit objections to requested permits and environmental impact statements prepared in connection with applicable regulatory processes, and otherwise engage in the permitting process, including bringing citizens’ lawsuits to challenge the issuance of permits, the validity of environmental impact statements or the performance of mining activities. Accordingly, required permits may not be issued or renewed in a timely fashion or at all, or permits issued or renewed may be conditioned in a manner that may restrict our ability to efficiently and economically conduct our mining activities, any of which could materially reduce our production, cash flow and profitability.

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Federal or state regulatory agencies have the authority to order certain of our mines to be temporarily or permanently closed under certain circumstances, which could materially and adversely affect our ability to meet our customers’ demands.

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Federal or state regulatory agencies have the authority, under certain circumstances following significant health and safety incidents, such as fatalities, to order a mine to be temporarily or permanently closed. If this

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occurred, we may be required to incur capital expenditures to re-open the mine. In the event that these agencies order the closing of our mines, our coal sales contracts generally permit us to issue force majeure notices which suspend our obligations to deliver coal under these contracts. However, our customers may challenge our issuances of force majeure notices. If these challenges are successful, we may have to purchase coal from third-party sources, if it is available, to fulfill these obligations, incur capital expenditures to re-open the mines and/or negotiate settlements with the customers, which may include price or commitment reductions, extensions of time for delivery or terminations of customers’ contracts. Any of these actions could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

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Extensive environmental regulations impose significant costs on our mining operations, and future regulations could materially increase those costs or limit our ability to produce and sell coal.

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The coal mining industry is subject to increasingly strict regulation by federal, state and local authorities with respect to environmental matters such as:

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The costs, liabilities and requirements associated with the laws and regulations related to these and other environmental matters may be costly and time-consuming and may delay commencement or continuation of exploration or production operations. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations may result in the assessment of administrative, civil and criminal penalties, the imposition of cleanup and site restoration costs and liens, the issuance of injunctions to limit or cease operations, the suspension or revocation of permits and other enforcement measures that could have the effect of limiting production from our operations. We may incur material costs and liabilities resulting from claims for damages to property or injury to persons arising from our operations. If we are pursued for sanctions, costs and liabilities in respect of these matters, our mining operations and, as a result, our profitability could be materially and adversely affected.

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New legislation or administrative regulations or new judicial interpretations or administrative enforcement of existing laws and regulations, including proposals related to the protection of the environment that would further regulate and tax the coal industry, may also require us to change operations significantly or incur increased costs, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. Please refer to the section entitled “Environmental and Other Regulatory Matters” in Item 1 for more information about the various governmental regulations affecting us.

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If the assumptions underlying our estimates of reclamation and mine closure obligations are inaccurate, our costs could be greater than anticipated.

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SMCRA and counterpart state laws and regulations establish operational, reclamation and closure standards for all aspects of surface mining, as well as most aspects of underground mining. We base our estimates of reclamation and mine closure liabilities on permit requirements, engineering studies and our engineering expertise related to these requirements. Our management and engineers periodically review these estimates. Actual costs can vary from our original

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estimates if our assumptions are incorrect, major operational changes are implemented, or if governmental regulations change significantly. We are required to record new obligations as liabilities at fair value under U.S. GAAP. In estimating fair value, we consider the estimated current costs of reclamation and mine closure and applied inflation rates, together with third-party profit, as required. The third-party profit is an estimate of the approximate markup that would be charged by contractors for work performed on our behalf. The resulting estimated reclamation and mine closure obligations could change significantly if actual amounts change significantly from our assumptions, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

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Our operations may impact the environment or cause exposure to hazardous substances, and our properties may have environmental contamination, which could result in material liabilities to us.

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Our operations currently use hazardous materials and generate hazardous wastes from time to time. We could become subject to claims for toxic torts, natural resource damages and other damages as well as for the investigation and cleanup of soil, surface water, groundwater, and other media. Such claims may arise, for example, out of conditions at sites that we currently own or operate, as well as at sites that we previously owned or operated, or at sites that we may acquire. Under certain federal and state environmental laws, our liability for such conditions may be joint and several with other owners/operators, so that we may be held responsible for more than our share of the contamination or other damages, or even for the entire share. Liability under these laws is generally strict. Accordingly, we may incur liability without regard to fault or to the legality of the conduct giving rise to the conditions.

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We maintain extensive coal refuse areas and slurry impoundments at a number of our mining complexes. Such areas and impoundments are subject to extensive regulation. Slurry impoundments can fail, which could release large volumes of coal slurry into the surrounding environment. Structural failure of an impoundment can result in extensive damage to the environment and natural resources, such as bodies of water that the coal slurry reaches, as well as liability for related personal injuries and property damages, and injuries to wildlife. Some of our impoundments overlie mined-out areas, which can pose a heightened risk of failure and of damages arising out of failure. If one of our impoundments were to fail, we could be subject to substantial claims for the resulting environmental contamination and associated liability, as well as for fines and penalties.

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Drainage flowing from or caused by mining activities can be acidic with elevated levels of dissolved metals, a condition referred to as “acid mine drainage,” which we refer to as AMD. The treating of AMD can be costly. Although we do not currently face material costs associated with AMD, it is possible that we could incur significant costs in the future.

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These and other similar unforeseen impacts that our operations may have on the environment, as well as exposures to hazardous substances or wastes associated with our operations, could result in costs and liabilities that could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

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Changes in the legal and regulatory environment could complicate or limit our business activities, increase our operating costs or result in litigation.

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The conduct of our businesses is subject to various laws and regulations administered by federal, state and local governmental agencies in the United States. These laws and regulations may change, sometimes dramatically, as a result of political, economic or social events or in response to significant events. Environmental and other non-governmental organizations and activists, many of which are well funded, continue to exert pressure on regulators and other government bodies to enact more stringent laws and regulations. For instance, increasing attention to global climate change has resulted in an increased possibility of governmental investigations and, potentially, private litigation against us and our customers. For example, claims have been made against certain energy companies alleging that greenhouse gas emissions constitute a public nuisance. While our business is not a party to any such litigation, we could be named in actions making similar allegations. Moreover, the proliferation of successful climate change litigation could adversely impact demand for coal and ultimately have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Changes in the legal and regulatory environment in which we operate may impact our results, increase our costs or liabilities, complicate or limit our business activities or result in litigation. Such legal and regulatory environment changes may include changes in such items as: the processes for obtaining or renewing permits; federal Lease By Application

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(“LBA”) programs; costs associated with providing healthcare benefits to employees; health and safety standards; accounting standards; taxation requirements; competition laws; and trade policies, including policies concerning tariffs, quotas, trade barriers and other trade protection measures.

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Risks Related to Income Taxes

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Our ability to use net operating losses and alternative minimum tax credits is subject to a current limitation, and our ability to use net operating losses may be subject to additional limitations.

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The ability to use our net operating losses (“NOLs”) in existence immediately prior to our emergence from bankruptcy in 2016 has been limited by the “ownership change” under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”) that occurred as a result of such emergence (the “Emergence Ownership Change”). NOLs generated after the Emergence Ownership Change are generally not subject to the limitations resulting from the Emergence Ownership Change.

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In addition, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, NOLs generated in taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017 are not subject to expiration; however, such NOLs can only be used to offset 80% of our U.S. federal taxable income in any taxable year beginning after December 31, 2021. However, if we undergo an additional “ownership change” under Section 382 of the Code (very generally defined as a greater than 50% change, by value, in equity ownership by certain shareholders or groups of shareholders over a rolling three-year period), such ownership change may impose limitations on our ability to use any NOLs in existence immediately prior to such ownership change. We may experience ownership changes as a result of subsequent shifts in our stock ownership. Future legal or regulatory changes could also limit our ability to utilize our NOLs. To the extent we are not able to offset future taxable income with our NOLs, our net income and cash flows may be adversely affected.

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U.S. tax legislation may materially adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

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The upcoming congressional elections in the United States could result in further significant changes in, and uncertainty with respect to, tax legislation and regulation directly or indirectly affecting our business. We urge our investors to consult with their legal and tax advisors with respect to the any such future legislation and regulations.

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ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS.

None.

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ITEM 2. PROPERTIES.

Disclosure of Mineral Reserves and Resources

In October 2018, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) adopted amendments to its current disclosure rules to modernize the mineral property disclosure requirements for mining registrants. The amendments include the adoption of S-K 1300, which will govern disclosure for mining registrants (the “SEC Mining Modernization Rules”). The SEC Mining Modernization Rules replace the historical property disclosure requirements for mining registrants that were included in the SEC’s Industry Guide 7 and better align disclosure with international industry and regulatory practices.  

Descriptions in this report of our mineral deposits are prepared in accordance with S-K 1300, as well as similar information provided by other issuers in accordance with S-K 1300, may not be comparable to similar information that is presented elsewhere outside of this report. Leer, Leer South, and Black Thunder were considered material properties.  Please refer to the Technical Report Summaries filed as exhibits hereto for additional information with respect to our material properties and Material Mining Properties section below.  

The qualified persons that have reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information contained in this annual report are identified in the footnotes to the tables summarizing the mineral reserves and resources estimates below.  Our coal reserve estimates at December 31, 2021 were prepared by our engineers and geologists and reviewed by

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Weir International, Inc. and Marshall Miller and Associates, Inc., which are third party mining and geological consultants. Internally qualified personnel were used for all non-material properties and selected resources.

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Refer to Item 1. Business “Our Mining Operations” for further discussion regarding our active mining complexes as of December 31, 2021, including the total tons sold associated with these complexes, mining type, mining equipment, location, existing infrastructure, total cost of property, plant and equipment of each mining complex.

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Presentation of information concerning Mineral Reserves

The estimates of proven and probable reserves at our mines and the estimates of mine life included in this annual report have been prepared by the qualified persons referred to herein, and in accordance with the technical definitions established by the SEC. Under S-K 1300:

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We periodically revise our reserves and resources estimates when we have new geological data, economic assumptions or mining plans. During 2021, we performed an analysis of our reserves and resources estimates for certain operations, which is reflected in new estimates as of December 31, 2021. Reserves and resource estimates for each operation assume that we either have or expect to obtain all the necessary rights and permits to mine, extract and process mineral reserves or resources at each mine. Certain figures in the tables, discussions and notes have been rounded. For a description of risks relating to our estimates of mineral reserves and resources, see our “Risk Factors” within Item 1A.

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