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Joint Venture with Peabody Energy
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2020
Joint Venture with Peabody Energy  
Joint Venture with Peabody Energy

3. Joint Venture with Peabody Energy

On June 18, 2019, Arch Coal entered into a definitive implementation agreement (the “Implementation Agreement”) with Peabody Energy Corporation (“Peabody”), to establish a joint venture that will combine the respective Powder River Basin and Colorado mining operations of Arch Coal and Peabody. Pursuant to the terms of the Implementation Agreement, Arch Coal will hold a 33.5% economic interest, and Peabody will hold a 66.5% economic interest in the joint venture. At the closing of the joint venture transaction, certain of the respective subsidiaries of Arch Coal and Peabody will enter into an Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement (the “LLC Agreement”). Under the terms of the LLC Agreement, the governance of the joint venture will be overseen by the joint venture’s board of managers, which will initially be comprised of three representatives appointed by Peabody and two representatives appointed by Arch. Decisions of the board of managers will be determined by a majority vote subject to certain specified matters set forth in the LLC Agreement that will require a supermajority vote. Peabody, or one of its affiliates, will initially be appointed as the operator of the joint venture and will manage the day-to-day operations of the joint venture, subject to the supervision of the joint venture’s board of managers.

Formation of the joint venture is subject to customary closing conditions, including the termination or expiration of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended, the receipt of certain other required regulatory approvals and the absence of injunctions or other legal restraints preventing the formation of the joint venture. Formation of the joint venture does not require approval of the respective stockholders of either Arch or Peabody.

On February 26, 2020, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) filed an administrative complaint challenging the proposed joint venture alleging the transaction will eliminate competition between Arch Coal and Peabody, the two major competitors in the market for thermal coal in the Southern Powder River Basin and the two largest coal-mining companies in the United States. The FTC filed a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, to maintain the status quo pending an administrative trial on the merits. Arch and Peabody intend to litigate the FTC’s decision within the U.S. federal court system over the coming months.

The Company has incurred expenses of $3.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020 associated with the regulatory approval process related to the joint venture.