ST. LOUIS, March 9, 2011 -- The board of directors of Arch Coal, Inc. (NYSE: ACI) is announcing that David N. Warnecke has been elected senior vice president, marketing and trading, for the corporation. Warnecke previously held the position of vice president, marketing and trading.

"Dave has played a central role in Arch's growth and success in recent years," said John W. Eaves, Arch's president and chief operating officer. "We expect to rely increasingly on Dave's leadership in the years ahead, as we strive to serve the evolving needs of our U.S. customer base while aggressively expanding our international marketing efforts. I look forward to working closely with Dave as we continue to transform Arch Coal into a world-class marketing organization with a truly global scope."

Warnecke has served as a member of the corporation's senior officer team, which has responsibility for strategy development, policy formation and capital allocation, since 2005. In addition, he serves as president of Arch Coal Sales, the corporation's sales and marketing subsidiary, as well as president of Arch Energy Resources, the corporation's trading subsidiary.

Prior to assuming his new post, Warnecke had served as vice president, marketing and trading, with responsibility for all of Arch's domestic and international marketing efforts, since 2005. During his more than 25 years with the company, he also has held the positions of executive vice president of sales and trading for Arch Coal Sales; president of Arch Transportation; and mine manager at Arch's former Pikeville, Kentucky, operation. In addition, he acted as manager of crude oil trading for Clark Oil early in his career.

A native of southern Illinois, Warnecke holds a bachelor's degree in Accounting from McKendree College in Lebanon, Ill.

U.S.-based Arch Coal is one of the world's largest and most efficient coal producers, with more than 160 million tons of coal sold in 2010. Arch's national network of mines supplies cleaner-burning, low-sulfur coal to customers on four continents, including U.S. and international power producers and steel manufacturers.