Mine Closure and Asset Impairment Costs

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2012

Restructuring and Related Activities [Abstract]

Restructuring and Related Activities Disclosure [Text Block]

Mine Closure and Asset Impairment Costs

In response to decreasing demand for thermal coal, the Company made the decision in the second quarter of 2012 to close four mining complexes and to temporarily idle a fifth complex, all acquired with ICG. The company also curtailed production at other Appalachia mines. These actions resulted in a total workforce reduction of approximately 750 positions. The operations had ceased production prior to June 30, 2012, but continued to ship from inventory in the third quarter of 2012. The Company will incur customary annual maintenance costs related to these properties in the future. The terms of customer contracts will be fulfilled by other operations.

The following costs are reflected in the line “Mine closure and asset impairment costs” on the condensed consolidated statements of operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2012:



Parts and supplies inventory writedown	$	2,598
Impairment of property, plant and equipment	95,641
Impairment of coal properties and deferred development costs	403,279
Royalty obligations	11,546
Employee termination benefits	12,274
Pension, postretirement and occupational disease curtailment gain, net (see notes 13 and 14)	(1,770		)
	$	523,568

The fair value of the closed or idled operations’ property, plant and equipment of approximately $51 million was based on the analysis of the marketability of thermal coal properties in the current market environment and our ability to redeploy equipment to other facilities.

The majority of the employee termination benefits were paid in the third quarter of 2012. The royalty obligations represent minimum payments on various leases and will be paid over the remaining term of the leases, through 2016.

The announcement of the closures triggered an actuarial curtailment under the Company’s sponsored pension, post-retirement medical and black lung benefit programs. Certain employees were informed that they would be terminated effective August 21, 2012, which triggered the recognition of the remaining pension plan curtailment impact in the third quarter of 2012, a curtailment gain of $2.2 million.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for restructuring and related activities. Description of restructuring activities such as exit and disposal activities, include facts and circumstances leading to the plan, the expected plan completion date, the major types of costs associated with the plan activities, total expected costs, the accrual balance at the end of the period, and the periods over which the remaining accrual will be settled.

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