Responsible Reclamation

As a natural resource company, we take our responsibility to the land seriously. We integrate land reclamation into every phase of mining. Great care is taken to ensure that the land is restored to a natural and productive state once mining is complete.

Arch’s Mingo Logan mining complex received one of the nation’s top environmental awards for development of a lush, 18-hole golf course in southern West Virginia.	Named one of the nation’s best reclamation sites by the U.S. Department of Interior, this former Arch of Illinois mine is now part of Illinois’ largest state park.
In the eastern U. S., native species including rabbits, turkey, deer, fox, owls, hawks and Black bears benefit from the open fields and diverse terrain that exists after mining. In addition, waterfowl and aquatic species populate and make use of the lakes, ponds and wetlands that are created. Arch Coal plants hundreds of thousands of trees on its reclaimed lands. Out west, herds of elk, mule deer and pronghorn antelope thrive on previously mined lands. These herds benefit from more plentiful water sources and vegetative cover. Within a few seasons, these lands become virtually indistinguishable from the surrounding terrain.
	Arch has created more than 200 acres of new wetlands on its reclaimed lands in Central Appalachia – where wetlands are scarce. These new water sources attract and sustain an abundance of wildlife.
	Wildlife thrives on former mine lands at Black Thunder mine in Wyoming. While it supplies nearly 7% of America’s coal supply, Black Thunder’s mine footprint only comprises 1/5000th of Wyoming’s land area.
	In the West, the natural rhythms of the ecosystem are scarcely disrupted by mining. Rock piles, like this one, provide cover for rabbits and other small mammals, which in turn attract predators.
	In the past five years, Arch has planted more than one million trees on reclaimed mine sites in West Virginia. Arch supports ongoing research on its lands, such as sponsoring a university reforestation grant.