Asset Impairment and Mine Closure Costs	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2015
Restructuring and Related Activities [Abstract]
Asset Impairment and Mine Closure Costs	Asset Impairment and Mine Closure Costs The following describes the costs reflected on the line "Asset impairment and mine closure costs" in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations. As a result of the continued deterioration in thermal and metallurgical coal markets and projections for a muted pricing recovery, certain of the Company’s mine complexes have incurred and are expected to continue to incur operating losses. The company has determined that the further weakening of the pricing environment in the third quarter and the projected operating losses represent indicators of impairment with respect to certain of its long-lived assets or assets groups. Using current pricing expectations which reflect marketplace participant assumptions, life of mine cash flows were used to determine if the undiscounted cash flows exceed the current asset values for certain operating complexes in the Company’s Appalachia segment. For two operating complexes, the undiscounted cash flows did not exceed the carrying value of the long-lived assets. Discounted cash flows were utilized to reduce the carrying value of those assets to fair value. The discount rate used reflects the current financial difficulties present in the commodities sector in general and coal mining specifically; the perceived risk of financing coal mining in light of industry defaults; and the lack of an active market for buying or selling coal mining assets. Additionally, the Company determined that the current market conditions represent an indicator of impairment for certain undeveloped coal properties that were acquired in times of significantly higher coal prices. Current prices and the significant capital outlay that would be required to develop these reserves indicate that the carrying value is not recoverable. As a result the Company recorded a $2.1 billion asset impairment charge in the current quarter of which $1.7 billion was recorded to our Appalachian segment, and the remaining $0.4 billion to other operating segments. The remaining fair value of the impaired assets is $470.6 million. During the second quarter of 2015, the Company recorded $19.1 million to "Asset impairment and mine closure costs" in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations. An impairment charge of $12.2 million relates to the portion of an advance royalty balance on a reserve base mined at the Company's Mountain Laurel, Spruce and Briar Branch operations that will not be recouped based on latest estimates of sales volume and pricing through the March 2017 recoupment period. Additionally, the company recorded a $5.6 million impairment charge related to the closure of a higher-cost mining complex serving the metallurgical coal markets. In response to weak metallurgical coal markets, the Company idled a higher-cost mining complex in the third quarter of 2014 in order to concentrate on metallurgical coal production from its lowest-cost and highest-margin operations. Closure charges of $5.1 million were recognized during the third quarter of 2014 relating to the idling.

Asset Impairment and Mine Closure Costs

The following describes the costs reflected on the line "Asset impairment and mine closure costs" in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations.

As a result of the continued deterioration in thermal and metallurgical coal markets and projections for a muted pricing recovery, certain of the Company’s mine complexes have incurred and are expected to continue to incur operating losses. The company has determined that the further weakening of the pricing environment in the third quarter and the projected operating losses represent indicators of impairment with respect to certain of its long-lived assets or assets groups. Using current pricing expectations which reflect marketplace participant assumptions, life of mine cash flows were used to determine if the undiscounted cash flows exceed the current asset values for certain operating complexes in the Company’s Appalachia segment. For two operating complexes, the undiscounted cash flows did not exceed the carrying value of the long-lived assets. Discounted cash flows were utilized to reduce the carrying value of those assets to fair value. The discount rate used reflects the current financial difficulties present in the commodities sector in general and coal mining specifically; the perceived risk of financing coal mining in light of industry defaults; and the lack of an active market for buying or selling coal mining assets. Additionally, the Company determined that the current market conditions represent an indicator of impairment for certain undeveloped coal properties that were acquired in times of significantly higher coal prices. Current prices and the significant capital outlay that would be required to develop these reserves indicate that the carrying value is not recoverable. As a result the Company recorded a $2.1 billion asset impairment charge in the current quarter of which $1.7 billion was recorded to our Appalachian segment, and the remaining $0.4 billion to other operating segments. The remaining fair value of the impaired assets is $470.6 million.

During the second quarter of 2015, the Company recorded $19.1 million to "Asset impairment and mine closure costs" in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations. An impairment charge of $12.2 million relates to the portion of an advance royalty balance on a reserve base mined at the Company's Mountain Laurel, Spruce and Briar Branch operations that will not be recouped based on latest estimates of sales volume and pricing through the March 2017 recoupment period. Additionally, the company recorded a $5.6 million impairment charge related to the closure of a higher-cost mining complex serving the metallurgical coal markets.

In response to weak metallurgical coal markets, the Company idled a higher-cost mining complex in the third quarter of 2014 in order to concentrate on metallurgical coal production from its lowest-cost and highest-margin operations. Closure charges of $5.1 million were recognized during the third quarter of 2014 relating to the idling.