e8vk

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, DC 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of report (Date of earliest event reported): August 21, 2009 (August 20, 2009)

Arch Coal, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)


Delaware (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)		1-13105 (Commission File Number)		43-0921172 (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

CityPlace One
One CityPlace Drive, Suite 300
St. Louis, Missouri 63141
(Address, including zip code, of principal executive offices)

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

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:


o		Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)


o		Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)


o		Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))


o		Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))


Item 7.01		Regulation FD Disclosure.

On August 20, 2009, Arch Coal, Inc. issued a press release announcing that it had received antitrust clearance from the Federal Trade Commission in connection with its pending acquisition of the Jacobs Ranch mine in Wyoming. A copy of the press release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1.


Item 9.01		Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d)

Exhibits

The following exhibit is attached hereto and filed herewith.


Exhibit
No.		Description
	99.1	Press release dated August 20, 2009.

Signatures

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.


Dated: August 21, 2009	Arch Coal, Inc.
	By:	/s/ Robert G. Jones
		Robert G. Jones
		Senior Vice President — Law, General Counsel and Secretary

Exhibit Index


Exhibit
No.		Description
	99.1	Press release dated August 20, 2009.

Exhibit 99.1

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
Deck Slone (314) 994-2717

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Arch Coal Receives Antitrust Clearance from the FTC
Regarding the Jacobs Ranch Transaction

ST. LOUIS (August 20, 2009) — Arch Coal, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) today announced that it has received antitrust clearance from the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) in connection with the company’s pending acquisition of Rio Tinto’s Jacobs Ranch mine in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming.

“We are very pleased to be moving one step closer to completing the acquisition of Jacobs Ranch,” said Steven F. Leer, Arch’s chairman and chief executive officer. “We are now working swiftly to finalize our due diligence on the transaction and to meet all necessary conditions required for closing.”

Arch expects the transaction to close within the next six weeks.

“We are confident this acquisition will create significant benefits for our company, our customers and our shareholders,” added Leer. “We believe the integration of Jacobs Ranch into our existing Black Thunder mine will further enhance our world-class operations in the PRB, the nation’s largest and fastest growing coal supply region.”

St. Louis-based Arch Coal is one of the largest U.S. coal producers, with revenues of $3.0 billion in 2008. Through its national network of mines, Arch supplies cleaner-burning, low-sulfur coal to U.S. power producers to fuel roughly 6 percent of the nation’s electricity. The company also ships coal to domestic and international steel manufacturers as well as international power producers.

# # #

Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains “forward-looking statements” — that is, statements related to future, not past, events. In this context, forward-looking statements often address our expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” or “will.” Forward-looking statements by their nature address matters that are, to different degrees, uncertain. For us, particular uncertainties arise from changes in the demand for our coal by the domestic electric generation industry; from legislation and regulations relating to the Clean Air Act and other environmental initiatives; from operational, geological, permit, labor and weather-related factors; from fluctuations in the amount of cash we generate from operations; from future integration of acquired businesses; and from numerous other matters of national, regional and global scale, including those of a political, economic, business, competitive or regulatory nature. These uncertainties may cause our actual future results to be materially different than those expressed in our forward-looking statements. 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 law. For a description of some of the risks and uncertainties that may affect our future results, you should see the risk factors described from time to time in the reports we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission.