SALINA, Utah, April 29, 2013 -- Arch Coal, Inc. today announced that Canyon Fuel Company's Sufco mine won first place at the Four Corners Mine Rescue Competition held April 23-25 in Farmington, N.M.

Sufco's white team took first place in mine rescue among 18 teams from five states. In addition to earning top honors overall, individual Sufco team members Justus Norcross finished first in novice benching and third in the overall bench competition, and Brady Huntsman finished fifth in the pre-shift competition.

A total of four Arch Coal subsidiary teams competed in last week's competition. In addition to Sufco's first-place finish, Skyline's white team placed fourth; Mountain Coal Company and its West Elk's red team placed eighth; and Dugout Canyon's team placed tenth.

The mine rescue competition requires teams to overcome obstacles that may be associated with a mine disaster and to rescue survivors. Teams are judged on their knowledge of mine rescue principles and mapping, as well as organization, attention to detail and teamwork.

"What an outstanding performance for Sufco's emergency responders," said Ken May, Sufco's general manager. "When we train and compete, we're continuously improving our skills and furthering safety as a core value."

Sufco's white team members are: Justus Norcross, Team Captain; Brett Nowers, Gas Man; Evan Johansen, Map Man; Sean Winn, First Aid; Jesse Bell, Co-Captain; Brady Huntsman, Briefing Officer; Brady Baker, Alternate; Yancy Snyder, Alternate; Brett Allred, Team Trainer; and Gary Leaming, Sufco's Safety Manager.

During 2012, Sufco's employees achieved A Perfect Zero -- working more than 750,000 employee-hours without a reportable safety incident or environmental violation.

U.S.-based Arch Coal, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) is one of the world's top coal producers for the global steel and power generation industries, serving customers in 25 countries on five continents. Arch Coal's Canyon Fuel Company is Utah's largest coal producer. Its network of mining complexes is the most diversified in the United States, spanning every major coal basin in the nation. The company controls a 5.5-billion-ton reserve base of high-quality metallurgical and thermal coals, with access to all major railroads, inland waterways and a growing number of seaborne trade channels. For more information, visit http://www.archcoal.com.