Lexington, Ky., Oct. 30, 2012, Three Arch Coal, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) mining operations received awards Friday for achieving the best safety and compliance performance in their respective districts of the commonwealth, as recognized by the Kentucky Office of Mine Safety and Licensing (OMSL) and the Kentucky Coal Association (KCA).

The awards, which were presented at the association's annual meeting on Oct. 26, recognized mining operations in Kentucky with the lowest rate of injury.

Those safety award recipients included:

ACI Hazard, Thunder Ridge surface mine, Barbourville District

ACI Hazard, East Mac & Nellie surface mine, Hazard District

Lone Mountain Processing, Darby Fork underground mine, Harlan District

"We're extremely proud of the employees of these Kentucky operations and their strong commitment to safety," said Charles Snavely, president of eastern operations. "It is an outstanding record of accomplishment to achieve three top safety awards in one year."

U.S.-based Arch Coal is a top five global coal producer and marketer. Arch is the most diversified American coal company, with mining complexes across every major U.S. coal supply basin. Its core business is supplying cleaner-burning, low-sulfur thermal and metallurgical coal to power generators and steel manufacturers on five continents. In 2011, Arch continued to lead the U.S. coal industry in safety performance and environmental compliance among large, diversified producers.