Arch Resources Annual Report 2021

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Arch Resources Annual Report 2021 Arch Resources Annual Report 2021 Form 10-K (NYSE:ARCH) Published: February 12th, 2021 PDF generated by stocklight.com UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION WASHINGTON, DC 20549 Form 10-K ☒ ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020 or ☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 Commission file number: 1-13105 Graphic Arch Resources, Inc. (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter) Delaware 43-0921172 (State or other jurisdiction (I.R.S. Employer of incorporation or organization) Identification Number) One CityPlace Drive Suite 300 St. Louis Missouri 63141 (Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code) Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (314) 994-2700 Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: Name of Each Exchange on Which Title of Each Class Trading Symbol Registered Common Stock, $.01 par value ARCH New York Stock Exchange Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.Y es ☒ No ☐ Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes☐ No ☒ Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐ Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐ Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (229.405 of this chapter) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. ☒ Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. Large accelerated filer ☐ Accelerated filer ☒ Non-accelerated filer ☐ Smaller reporting company ☐ Emerging growth company ☐ If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐ Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management's assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☒ Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Ye☐s No ☒ The aggregate market value of the voting stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant (excluding outstanding shares beneficially owned by directors, officers, other affiliates and treasury shares) as of June 30, 2020 was approximately $430.3 million. Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed all documents and reports required to be filed by Section 12, 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 subsequent to the distribution of securities under a plan confirmed by a court. Yes ☒ No ☐ At January 31, 2021 there were 15,234,899 shares of the registrant’s common stock outstanding. DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE Portions of the registrant’s definitive proxy statement to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with the 2021 annual stockholders’ meeting are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Form 10-K. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page PART I ITEM 1. Business 6 ITEM 1A. Risk Factors 37 ITEM 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments 54 ITEM 2. Properties 54 ITEM 3. Legal Proceedings 56 ITEM 4. Mine Safety Disclosures 56 PART II ITEM 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities 57 ITEM 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations 60 ITEM 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk 79 ITEM 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data 80 ITEM 9. Changes In and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure 80 ITEM 9A. Controls and Procedures 80 ITEM 9B. Other Information 80 PART III ITEM 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance 81 ITEM 11. Executive Compensation 81 ITEM 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related 81 Stockholder Matter ITEM 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence 81 ITEM 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services 81 PART IV ITEM 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules 82 ITEM 16. Form 10-K Summary 82 2 If you are not familiar with any of the mining terms used in this report, we have provided explanations of many of them under the caption “Glossary of Selected Mining Terms” on page 35 of this report. Unless the context otherwise requires, all references in this report to “Arch,” “we,” “us,” or “our” are to Arch Resources, Inc. and its subsidiaries. CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION This report contains forward-looking statements, within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, such as our expected future business and financial performance, and are intended to come within the safe harbor protections provided by those sections. The words “anticipates,” “believes,” “could,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “may,” “plans,” “predicts,” “projects,” “seeks,” “should,” “will” or other comparable words and phrases identify forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this report. Forward-looking statements by their nature address matters that are, to different degrees, uncertain. Actual results may vary significantly from those anticipated due to many factors, including: ● changes in the demand for our coal, by the steel industries and electric generation; ● geologic conditions, weather and other inherent risks of coal mining that are beyond our control; ● competition, both within our industry and with producers of competing energy sources, including the effects from any current or future legislation or regulations designed to support, promote or mandate renewable energy sources; ● excess production and production capacity; ● our ability to acquire or develop coal reserves in an economically feasible manner; ● our ability to fund substantial capital expenditures; ● inaccuracies in our estimates of our coal reserves; ● availability and price of mining and other industrial supplies; ● disruptions in the supply of coal from third parties; ● availability of skilled employees and other workforce factors; ● our ability to collect payments from our customers; ● defects in title or the loss of a leasehold interest; ● railroad, barge, truck, ocean vessel and other transportation performance and costs; ● our ability to successfully integrate the operations that we acquire; ● our ability to successfully dispose of the operations that we sell; ● our ability to secure new coal supply arrangements or to renew existing coal supply arrangements; ● our relationships with, and other conditions affecting our customers; ● the loss of, or significant reduction in, purchases by our largest customers; ● our ability to service our outstanding indebtedness and raise funds necessary to repurchase Convertible Notes for cash following a fundamental change or to pay any cash amounts due upon conversion; 3 ● our ability to comply with the restrictions imposed by our Term Loan Debt Facility, Extended Securitization Facility, Inventory Facility, Equipment Financing, Tax Exempt Bonds, Convertible Debt (each as defined below), other financing arrangements or any subsequent financing or credit facilities; ● additional demands for credit support by third parties and decisions by banks, surety bond providers, or other counterparties to reduce or eliminate their exposure to the coal industry; ● access to capital and its associated costs; ● development of future technology to replace coal with hydrogen in the steel making process; ● risks related to operating as an essential service producer during the COVID-19 pandemic; ● impact of COVID-19 on efficiency, costs, and production; ● the availability and cost of surety bonds; including potential collateral requirements; ● our ability to manage the market risks and other risks associated with certain trading and other asset optimization strategies; ● cyber-attacks or other security breaches that disrupt our operations, or that result in the unauthorized release of proprietary or confidential
Recommended publications
  • Ensuring a Robust COAL EXPORT MARKET
    Coal Exports / Rich Nolan Ensuring A Robust COAL EXPORT MARKET By Rich Nolan, President and Chief Executive Officer, National Mining Association lthough it is seldom acknowl- contain the largest recoverable coal edged in the mainstream reserves on earth—optimally exploiting press, coal remains both the that opportunity will require expan- leading fuel for electricity sion and improvements in the nation’s generation worldwide and shipping and port infrastructure. The Aa key input in the steelmaking pro- potential payoff of such investment is cess. The International Energy Agency significant, as coal exports’ economic reports that coal accounts for almost 40 contributions extend well beyond the percent of electricity generation globally activities at the mine mouth and include and projects that its consumption will employment related to downstream increase for at least the next five years. transportation providers, service com- Global consumption patterns con- panies that prepare and load coal for tinue to shift, however, with Asia now export shipment, and other businesses far and away the region with the greatest that are supported by coal export activ- coal demand and growth prospects. ity. (Please visit NMA’s uscoalexports. While that opens up significant export org for detailed news and information opportunities for U.S. mines—which on U.S. coal exports.) 4 | COAL TRANSPORTER COAL TRANSPORTER | 5 Where is U.S. Coal Exported? Metallurgical Coal Market resulting from industrial slowdowns due to COVID-19. Metallurgical or “met” coal is used to produce coke, which is “Metallurgical coal mines in Appalachia have slowed produc- integral to steelmaking. The steel industry uses coal coke to tion based on reduced demand from global steel produc- smelt iron ore into iron to make steel.
    [Show full text]
  • MSHA's Response to Corona Virus
    Issue 2 ▪ 2020 2019 COAL Miner’s MeMORIAL THE MINING INDUSTRy’s RESPONSE TO COVID-19 MSHA’S RESPONSE TO CORONA VIRUS WORLD NEWS: UNLEASHING COAL IN INDIA Find Us on Facebook f coalenergyonline fhttps://www.facebook.com/coalenergyonline table of contents Features: 06 2019 Coal Miner’s Memorial 18 Safety First 2019 Novel Coronavirus 20 The American Mining Industry Responds to COVID-19 Health Crisis Departments: 2019 36 World News: Unleashing Coal in India Coal Miner’s Memorial 6 47 Member Spotlights In every issue: 03 Letter from your Publisher 04 Association Comparisons 25 In the Press 38 Association Members 48 Industry Events 50 Index to Advertisers 50 Upcoming Issue World News: INDIA 36 Published & Produced By: Martonick Publications, Inc. President: Contributing Writers: Maria Martonick Maria Martonick, Jenna Martonick PO Box 244322 Elenor Siebring, Kevin Harrigan Boynton Beach, FL 33424 Vice President: Julie Gates, Michelle Bloodworth Steve Martonick Rich Nolan, Jason Bohrer Toll Free Phone: (866) 387-0967 Jeremy J. Harrison, Shri Pralhad Joshi Toll Free Fax: (866) 458-6557 Managing Editor: A.J. Raleigh Graphic Designer: [email protected] Natalia Filatkina www.martonickpublications.com Research Coordinator: www.coalenergyonline.com Vivian Mofeed The opinions expressed by the authors of the articles contained in Coal Energy are those of the respective authors, and do not necessarily represent the opinion of the publisher. © Copyright 2020 ▌ Feature: COAL ENERGY ▌ 2013 ▪ 2 letter from THE PUBLISHER Dear readers, tions.com with any news that may be considered for publish in following issues. Welcome to Issue 2, 2020 of Coal Energy. Please visit our website, www.coalenergyonline.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 United States District Court Eastern District Of
    UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF MISSOURI EASTERN DIVISION FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION, ) ) Plaintiff, ) ) v. ) Case No. 4:20-cv-00317-SEP ) PEABODY ENERGY CORPORATION ) ) and ) ) ARCH RESOURCES, INC., ) ) Defendants. ) INTRODUCTION Flipping a light switch is the culmination of a long and convoluted process. The electricity needed to turn on that light—indeed, the electricity needed for any purpose, be it residential, commercial, or industrial—is generated at power plants owned by investor- or publicly-owned utilities and cooperatives, independent power producers, or the government. Joint Stipulation of Uncontested Facts (“JSUF”) (Doc. [301-1]) ¶ 4. Each power plant consists of one or more electricity generating units (“EGUs”). Id. ¶ 5. Each EGU uses one of a wide range of generating technologies to transform the energy in a specific fuel—e.g., uranium, coal, oil, natural gas, sunshine, wind, water—into electricity. Id. ¶ 6. The typical user of electrical power is indifferent to the method used to generate that power; to most of us, a megawatt is a megawatt is a megawatt. Id. ¶ 8. But to energy companies, utilities, policymakers, regulators, and investors (to name just a few), the process by which certain fuels are selected—or not—for 1 use in electricity generation is a matter of momentous consequence. This case is about that process. One of the most important fuels for electricity generation is thermal coal. Though it has steadily ceded ground to natural gas and renewables over the past twenty years, coal still provides 20 percent of our nation’s electricity, and it is projected to remain an important fuel source for decades to come.
    [Show full text]
  • As Filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 5
    As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 5, 2020 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA BEFORE THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION FIRST AMENDED AND RESTATED APPLICATION FOR AN ORDER PURSUANT TO SECTION 3(b)(2) OF THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940, AS AMENDED, DECLARING THAT ARCH COAL, INC. IS PRIMARILY ENGAGED IN A BUSINESS OTHER THAN THAT OF INVESTING, REINVESTING, OWNING, HOLDING, OR TRADING IN SECURITIES In the Matter of ARCH COAL, INC. File No. 812-15085 Please send all communications to: Robert G. Jones, Esq. Arch Coal, Inc. One CityPlace Drive, Suite 300 St. Louis, Missouri 63141 (314) 994-2700 Nabil Sabki, Esq. Latham & Watkins LLP 330 North Wabash Avenue, Suite 2800 Chicago, Illinois 60611 (312) 876-7700 This Application (including Exhibits) consists of 22 pages. 1 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA BEFORE THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION In the Matter of FIRST AMENDED AND RESTATED APPLICATION FOR AN ORDER PURSUANT TO SECTION 3(b)(2) OF THE INVESTMENT ARCH COAL, INC. COMPANY ACT OF 1940, AS AMENDED, DECLARING THAT One CityPlace Drive, Suite 300 ARCH COAL, INC. IS PRIMARILY ENGAGED IN A BUSINESS St. Louis, Missouri 63141 OTHER THAN THAT OF INVESTING, REINVESTING, OWNING, HOLDING, OR TRADING IN SECURITIES. File No. 812-15085 I. SUMMARY OF RELIEF REQUESTED Arch Coal, Inc. (“Arch Coal” or the “Company”),1 a Delaware corporation listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: ARCH) with its principal executive office in St. Louis, Missouri, is one of the world’s largest coal producers. Arch Coal hereby files this amended and restated application (this “Application”) and applies for an order (the “Requested Order”) of the U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Arch Resources Issues $53.1 Million in Tax-Exempt Bonds
    Arch Resources Issues $53.1 Million in Tax-Exempt Bonds July 6, 2020 Proceeds will fund ongoing buildout of transformational growth project at Leer South Transaction is more than 10 times oversubscribed Results in a highly competitive interest rate of 5.00 percent ST. LOUIS, July 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Arch Resources, Inc. (NYSE: ARCH) announced today that it has issued $53.1 million of bonds in the U.S. tax-exempt market through the West Virginia Economic Development Authority. The bonds are subject to a mandatory tender for purchase by the company on July 1, 2025. The proceeds will be used to fund a portion of the ongoing construction of the world-class Leer South mine in Barbour County, West Virginia, which is expected to commence longwall production in the third quarter of 2021. "We are pleased with the success of this offering, and appreciate the market's strong expression of confidence in Arch Resources and its long-term outlook for value creation and growth," said Matthew C. Giljum, Arch's chief financial officer. "The proceeds from this bond offering will support the ongoing build-out of Leer South – which we view as the premier growth project in the global metallurgical space – while helping to ensure that we maintain ample liquidity during the current period of market uncertainty." The transaction was more than 10 times oversubscribed, with orders in excess of $560 million, resulting in a highly competitive fixed interest rate of 5.00 percent. Arch Resources is the primary obligor on the secured bonds, with substantially all of its significant subsidiaries acting as guarantors.
    [Show full text]
  • Midair Scare Brings Probe of 777S Turer Is Increasingly Hosting Crazereaches Beyond Shares Drive-Through Job Fairsand Rais- Favoredonsocial Media
    P2JW053000-6-A00100-27FFFF5178F ADVERTISEMENT Meetour new, easy-to-use trading platform: thinkorswim® Web. LearnmoreonpageR10. ****** MONDAY,FEBRUARY 22, 2021 ~VOL. CCLXXVII NO.42 WSJ.com HHHH $4.00 Last week: DJIA 31494.32 À 35.92 0.1% NASDAQ 13874.46 g 1.6% STOXX 600 414.88 À 0.2% 10-YR. TREASURY g 1 11/32 , yield 1.344% OIL $59.24 g $0.23 EURO $1.2120 YEN 105.43 Texas Thaws Out and Repairs Begin on Damage From the Cold Housing, What’s News Online Shopping Business&Finance Propel trength in housing and e- Scommerce during the pan- demic has helped propel hiring JobGains in blue-collar jobs,with em- ployment in some categories exceeding precrisis levels. A1 Blue-collar workers The jump this month in see boom, but some U.S. government-bond yields is sending tremors companies can’t find through stocks and forcing enough qualified help investorstomoreseriously confront the implications BY SARAH CHANEY CAMBON of rising interest rates. A1 Agroup of activist inves- GES TheU.S.’sblue-collar work- tors has abig stakeinKohl’s IMA forcehas begun to benefit from and is attempting to take astrengthening job market. control of the department- GETTY An Orlando,Fla.-area home store chain’s board. B1 AN/ builderisseeking to add four construction workerstoasix- M&T Bank is nearing a SULLIV person team in the midst of deal to acquire People’s TIN soaring housing demand during United Financial for more JUS SHELTER: Plumber Randy Calazans repaired a burst pipe in a home in HoustoN on Sunday, as temperatures climbed and the pandemic.InAtlanta, a than $7 billion, in the lat- Texas started to recover from severe weather that overwhelmed its power grid, leaving homes without heat for days.
    [Show full text]
  • Warming up for Thermal Coal
    RESEARCHNovemberREPORT 2, 2020 WarmingNovember Up For 2, Thermal 2020 Coal Insert Picture in Master View Coal Industry Deep Dive Warming Up For Thermal Coal Over the course of recent years, the QUIC E&U team has focused its attention upon numerous verticals within its coverage space; for example, upstream E&P companies, midstream operators and downstream refiners and marketers. However, all of such companies have one commonality: they pertain to oil & gas, as well as derivative products such as propane. Presently, the E&U team is content with its portfolio allocation strategy, and believes that such combines an ideal balance between upstream liquids torque and downstream/renewables hedging. Thus, the team thought that it would be interesting to take a deep dive into a commodity that has gained notoriety in recent years, yet has played an incredibly important role in getting society to where it is today: coal. More specifically, the team will be analyzing thermal coal, which is the variety that is utilized for energy generation. To begin, a general overview of the industry will be provided. Next, the team will outline the history behind coal, and the incredibly Energy & Utilities important role it has played in fueling the industrial revolution, as well as the economy & culture of numerous communities across the Garrett Johnston world. From there, some context will be provided in terms of coal’s recent decline, and the impact of various government policies upon [email protected] the commodity. Last, outlines of select publicly-traded coal Jamie Bennett companies will be provided, along with the team’s final conclusion as to whether or not there is still a case to be made in terms of [email protected] investing in the commodity given the current conditions.
    [Show full text]
  • Case: 4:20-Cv-00317-SEP Doc. #: 449 Filed: 10/05/20 Page: 1 of 88 Pageid #: 67266
    Case: 4:20-cv-00317-SEP Doc. #: 449 Filed: 10/05/20 Page: 1 of 88 PageID #: 67266 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF MISSOURI EASTERN DIVISION FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION, ) ) Plaintiff, ) ) v. ) Case No. 4:20-cv-00317-SEP ) PEABODY ENERGY CORPORATION ) ) and ) ) ARCH RESOURCES, INC., ) ) Defendants. ) 0(025$1'8023,1,21 Flipping a light switch is the culmination of a long and convoluted process. The electricity needed to turn on that light—indeed, the electricity needed for any purpose, be it residential, commercial, or industrial—is generated at power plants owned by investor- or publicly-owned utilities and cooperatives, independent power producers, or the government. Joint Stipulation of Uncontested Facts (“JSUF”) (Doc. [301-1]) ¶ 4. Each power plant consists of one or more electricity generating units (“EGUs”). Id. ¶ 5. Each EGU uses one of a wide range of generating technologies to transform the energy in a specific fuel—e.g., uranium, coal, oil, natural gas, sunshine, wind, water—into electricity. Id. ¶ 6. The typical user of electrical power is indifferent to the method used to generate that power; to most of us, a megawatt is a megawatt is a megawatt. Id. ¶ 8. But to energy companies, utilities, policymakers, regulators, and investors (to name just a few), the process by which certain fuels are selected—or not—for 1 Case: 4:20-cv-00317-SEP Doc. #: 449 Filed: 10/05/20 Page: 2 of 88 PageID #: 67267 use in electricity generation is a matter of momentous consequence. This case is about that process. One of the most important fuels for electricity generation is thermal coal.
    [Show full text]
  • Cromer-Testimony-W-ATT-2021-06-15-Hearing
    TESTIMONY OF MARY VARSON CROMER BEFORE THE ENERGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE HOUSE NATURAL RESOURCES COMMITTEE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE FOR COAL COUNTRY: SUPPORTING COMMUNITIES THROUGH THE ENERGY TRANSITION JUNE 15, 2021 Chairperson Lowenthal, Ranking Member Stauber, and members of the Subcommittee, thank you for allowing me to address you regarding the environmental justice impacts of coal’s decline on coalfield communities. My name is Mary Cromer. I am an attorney at Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center, a small non- profit law and policy office in Whitesburg, Kentucky. We represent miners, individuals, families, and community groups affected by coal mining in Central Appalachia. I lead ACLC’s Environmental Justice Program. Over the past 12 years, I have represented a number of families and community groups in Central Appalachia who have been impacted by the environmental effects of coal mining in the region. The issues I am here to talk about are environmental justice issues. Coal mining has taken a severe toll on coalfield communities across the country. And as coal exits, its impacts are more and more apparent. You see it in the miners whose years of backbreaking and dangerous work has left them with disabling impairments. Black lung disease is rampant and much more severe than ever before. In Central Appalachia, we now see young miners die from severe black lung disease that was nearly unheard of in past decades. Its impacts are likewise apparent in the scarred land and polluted streams and rivers left behind by past mining operations. These are prevalent across coal mining communities in Central Appalachia.
    [Show full text]
  • Planning for Coal Mine Closure in the Powder River Basin New Analytical Model Reveals Which Remaining Mines and Communities Are Most at Risk from Unplanned Shutdown
    Planning for coal mine closure in the Powder River Basin New analytical model reveals which remaining mines and communities are most at risk from unplanned shutdown May 2021 | By Dan Cohn It’s said that the Stone Age didn’t end because of a lack of stone. Just so, the massive coal seams underlying the rangelands of Wyoming and Montana will outlast profitable coal mining. Five decades after the onset of major strip mining in what became the country’s most productive coal region, the Powder River Basin, coal communities find themselves in the midst of a well-known shift dubbed the “Seneca Effect:” although growth is slow and incremental, collapse is comparatively sudden.1 Since hitting peak coal output in 2010, Powder River Basin coal production has fallen by half in a decade. Against this backdrop of rapid decline, Sightline has developed an analytical model to assess which coal mines in the region are most at risk of closure. The findings reveal a stark reality: each mine in the region saw its domestic customers burn less coal in 2020 than they had averaged for the three years prior. Some of the reductions proved to be catastrophic. Of the two mines that saw the steepest declines in customers’ coal burn in 2020, one has already been permanently closed and another has announced plans to close permanently. The basin’s remaining coal mines face an array of challenging circumstances. Largely for financial reasons, utility companies and electricity markets alike now largely prioritize natural gas, wind, and solar over coal, leading to the retirement of many coal plants, an end to new coal plant construction, and a dramatic decline in coal burn.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 March 25, 2021 Jamie Connell, Director Bureau of Land Management, Colorado State Office 2850 Youngfield Street Lakewood, CO 80
    March 25, 2021 Jamie Connell, Director Bureau of Land Management, Colorado State Office 2850 Youngfield Street Lakewood, CO 80215 [email protected] Re: Mountain Coal Company’s Request for Royalty Relief on Federal Coal Leases COC1362, COC67232, COC56447, and D44569 Dear Director Connell: It has come to our attention that on January 15, 2020, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) received a Royalty Rate Reduction application from Mountain Coal Company (MCC) for Federal Coal Leases COC1362, COC67232, COC56447, and D44569, and that this request is undergoing review. With the Biden Administration’s policy precluding subsidies to fossil fuels, High Country Conservation Advocates, Wilderness Workshop, Sierra Club, WildEarth Guardians, and Center for Biological Diversity implore BLM to ensure consistency with this policy direction by denying this royalty reduction request. Denying this request is also consistent with the Biden administrations’ acknowledgement of the climate crisis and the recognition that federal agency actions need to be responsive to this reality in their decisionmaking. In addition, MCC’s illegal and “negligent” behavior should also not be rewarded with continued subsidization of its West Elk coal mining operation. On January 27, 2021, President Biden committed to taking swift action to address the climate crisis, which included halting federal agencies from subsidizing fossil fuels. Per Executive Order 14,008, Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad, the Biden Administration recognized that “[t]he United States
    [Show full text]
  • Mountain Top Removal Coal Mining United States
    Mountain top removal coal mining United States Sectors: Coal Mining On record This profile is no longer actively maintained, with the information now possibly out of date Send feedback on this profile By: BankTrack Created before Nov 2016 Last update: Nov 30 2015 Project website Sectors Coal Mining Location About Mountain top removal coal mining Mountain top removal (MTR) mining is a form of strip mining in which coal companies use explosives to blast as much as 800 to 1,000 feet off the tops of mountains order to reach the coal seams that lie underneath. The resulting millions of tons of waste rock, dirt, and vegetation are then dumped into surrounding valleys, burying miles and miles of streams under piles of rubble hundreds of feet deep. Mountaintop removal mining harms not only aquatic ecosystem, and water quality, it also destroys hundreds of acres of healthy forests and fish and wildlife habitat, including habitat of threatened and endangered species, when the tops of mountains are blasted away. Throughout the Appalachian region of the Eastern United States, more than 500 mountains have been flattened, first by clear-cutting forests, then by blowing off the top layers of rock with powerful explosives. Giant cranes (draglines) expose buried coal by scraping billions of tons of dirt off the mountain. The debris is then dumped into neighboring valleys and streams. Rather than remove coal from the mountain, MTR removes the mountain from the coal. Latest developments Former Massey Energy executive found guilty of conspiracy Dec 3 2015 Patriot fasing out of coal, but Alpha and Arch not May 6 2014 What must happen We urge all private banks involved in commercial lending and investment banking services for the mining sector to end their relationships with companies who practice mountaintop removal coal mining in Appalachia.
    [Show full text]