Segment Information

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2013

Segment Reporting [Abstract]

Segment Reporting Disclosure [Text Block]

Segment Information

The Company has three reportable business segments, which are based on the major coal producing basins in which the Company operates. Each of these reportable business segments includes a number of mine complexes. The Company manages its coal sales by coal basin, not by individual mine complex. Geology, coal transportation routes to customers, regulatory environments and coal quality are characteristic to a basin. Accordingly, market and contract pricing have developed by coal basin. Mine operations are evaluated based on their per-ton operating costs (defined as including all mining costs but excluding pass-through transportation expenses), as well as on other non-financial measures, such as safety and environmental performance. The Company’s reportable segments are the Powder River Basin (PRB) segment, with operations in Wyoming; the Western Bituminous (WBIT) segment, with operations in Utah and Colorado; the Appalachia (APP) segment, with operations in West Virginia, Kentucky, Maryland and Virginia.  The “Other” operating segment represents primarily the Company’s Illinois operations and ADDCAR subsidiary, which manufactures and sells its patented highwall mining system.

Operating segment results for the three months ended March 31,2013 and 2012 are presented below. Results for the reportable segments include all direct costs of mining, including all depreciation, depletion and amortization related to the mining operations, even if the assets are not recorded at the operating segment level. Corporate, Other and Eliminations includes these charges, as well as the change in fair value of coal derivatives and coal trading activities, net; corporate overhead; land management; other support functions; and the elimination of intercompany transactions.

The asset amounts below represent an allocation of assets consistent with the basis used for the Company’s incentive compensation plans. The amounts in Corporate, Other and Eliminations represent primarily corporate assets (cash, receivables, investments, plant, property and equipment) as well as unassigned coal reserves, above-market acquired sales contracts and other unassigned assets. Goodwill is allocated to the respective reporting units, even though it may not be reflected in the subsidiaries’ financial statements. Prior year asset amounts have been restated to reflect a change in how certain unassigned coal reserves and goodwill amounts are presented.

	PRB			APP			WBIT		Other Operating Segments			Corporate, Other and Eliminations			Consolidated
	(in thousands)
Three months ended March 31, 2013
Revenues	$	361,946		$	282,618		$	155,644	$	25,294		$	—		$	825,502
Income (loss) from operations	15,515			(27,117		)	24,951		1,435			(47,213		)	(32,429		)
Depreciation, depletion and amortization	42,227			55,331			17,371		2,609			1,330			118,868
Amortization of acquired sales contracts, net	(1,199		)	(2,472		)	—		861			—			(2,810		)
Total assets	1,939,892			4,334,324			623,243		159,090			2,863,595			9,920,144
Capital expenditures	2,157			49,296			1,502		482			1,085			54,522
Three months ended March 31, 2012
Revenues	$	401,177		$	469,058		$	144,559	$	24,857		$	—		$	1,039,651
Income (loss) from operations	32,543			15,835			31,241		(3,750		)	(21,788		)	54,081
Depreciation, depletion and amortization	41,223			76,017			18,600		3,687			439			139,966
Amortization of acquired sales contracts, net	(816		)	(13,088		)	—		(113		)	—			(14,017		)
Total assets	2,263,517			4,640,344			752,197		72,382			2,436,678			10,165,118
Capital expenditures	3,986			66,303			15,137		5,644			2,201			93,271

A reconciliation of segment income (loss) from operations to consolidated loss before income taxes follows:

	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2013			2012
	(In thousands)
Income (loss) from operations	$	(32,429	)	$	54,081
Interest expense	(95,087		)	(74,772		)
Interest and investment income	2,836			1,021
Loss before income taxes	$	(124,680	)	$	(19,670	)