Arch Resources , previously known as Arch Coal , is an American coal mining and processing company. The company mines, processes, and markets bituminous and sub-bituminous coal with low sulfur content in the United States . Arch Resources is the second-largest supplier of coal in the United States, behind Peabody Energy . As of 2011 the company supplied 15% of the domestic market . Demand comes mainly from generators of electricity.
35-586: High Country News is a monthly independent magazine based in Paonia, Colorado , that covers environmental, social, and political issues in the Western United States . Syndicated stories from High Country News have appeared in The New York Times , The Atlantic , Rolling Stone , and other national publications. The non-profit High Country News media organization also produces
70-638: A biennial film festival. The Paonia Film Festival celebrates the beauty of the Western Colorado landscape and the rich stories of the people who live there. The 2021 Paonia Film Festival shifted to showcase filmmakers local to the Western Slope of Colorado and filmmakers through the Western United States on a two-tier system. The event was on November 6–7, 2021. The town has live music in the park every Thursday evening during
105-641: A campaign in 2015 against Arch Coal's mine project in the Sunset Roadless Area of Gunnison National Forest . Arch Coal used more than $ 1 billion in "self-bonding" to guarantee it could pay for its mine reclamation obligations under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 . After Arch Coal declared bankruptcy, the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality agreed to accept $ 75 million in place of
140-485: A court approval allowing them to erase almost $ 5 billion in debt and left bankruptcy with $ 300 million in cash. Arch Coal resumed trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker ARCH. Unsecured creditors and bondholders will receive $ 30 million in cash along with 6% of the new shares according to court agreements. Bondholders will also have the option to receive either warrants to buy up to 12% of
175-540: A critical documentary in 2002 on Now with Bill Moyers on PBS . Arch's Dal-Tex mining operations above the town of Blair, West Virginia were the subject of a 1998 U.S. News & World Report story "Shear Madness" by Penny Loeb. The story documented the impacts of mountaintop removal on communities close to the mines and their subsequent depopulation. A 1999 lawsuit brought by the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, Bragg v. Robertson
210-559: A joint high school, North Fork High School, located in Hotchkiss. Both schools have been losing students as coal mines in the area have closed. Kindergarten to 8th grade education will continue in both communities. The noted Western newspaper, High Country News , is based in Paonia. High Country News reports on the western United States and is focused on the environment, land use, and public lands issues. Community radio station KVNF
245-635: A leading producer of high-Btu, low-sulfur western bituminous coal with the acquisition of the remaining 35% interest in Canyon Fuel Company and its 161-million-ton reserves. In August 2004, Arch again expanded its position in the Powder River Basin with the acquisition of Triton's North Rochelle mine adjacent to Arch's existing Black Thunder operation. By integrating the North Rochelle mine with Black Thunder, Arch created
280-546: A one-third interest in Knight Hawk Coal, a growing coal producer in the Illinois Basin . In October 2009, Arch acquired Rio Tinto 's Jacobs Ranch mine and blended it with Black Thunder Coal Mine in the southern Powder River Basin of Wyoming, creating the single largest coal mining complex in the world. In November 2009, Arch acquired the rights to mine 731 million tons of Otter Creek coal reserves in
315-469: A substantial amount of its coal to producers of electric power, steel producers and industrial facilities. Arch Coal was formed in July 1997 through the merger of publicly traded Ashland Coal, Inc. and privately held Arch Mineral Corporation. Arch Mineral had its origins in 1969, when it was formed as a partnership between Ashland Oil (now Ashland Inc. ) and the H.L.Hunt family of Dallas, Texas; Ashland Coal
350-466: A supplier of underground coal mining equipment, operates a small warehouse in Paonia for support of the underground longwall systems that are operating in the North Fork valley. Union Pacific provides service to the mine, loading 100 car trains in two hours. The most recent mine closure shuttered Bowie #2 Mine. The community has mounted legal challenges to proposed oil and gas drilling fracking in
385-805: A website, special reports, and books. Tom Bell, a Wyoming conservationist , rancher, and decorated World War II bombardier, started a newspaper in 1970 that would become the High Country News . He died at the age of 92 in 2016 in Lander, Wyoming, where he had founded High Country News . In 2017, High Country News became the first non-Native American publication to establish an Indigenous Affairs desk as part of an effort to attract new readers and improve their coverage of Native American issues. High Country News has more than 35,000 subscribers. In 2017, it received approximately 43% of its income from donations, 29% from subscriptions, 5% from advertising, and
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#1732783106052420-637: Is 89 °F and the average January low is 14 °F. Paonia celebrates its "Cherry Days" festival annually on the week of July 4. It features parades, family and class reunions, games, arts and crafts, and musical performances. Paonia Cherry Days is one of the longest running outdoor festivals in Colorado. Started by the Paonia Lions Club in 1946, the festival continues to be run by community volunteers. The Mountain Harvest Festival
455-435: Is a three-day event in downtown Paonia held during the last weekend of September. There are over 20 musical acts, poetry, an art show, a chili cook off, a street dance, crafts, wine tasting, as well as classes on canning, raising livestock, and sustainable living . In 1992 the annual Rainbow Gathering was held at nearby Overland Reservoir. An estimated 18,275 people converged on the site and lived in temporary dwellings for
490-589: Is more adverse than obliteration...Under a valley fill the water quality of the stream becomes zero. Because there is no stream, there is no water quality." As of 2012, the company reported that surface mining in Appalachian mountains accounted for roughly 4 percent of its annual coal production. Earthjustice , the Sierra Club , the Center for Biological Diversity and other environmental groups announced
525-615: Is one of the few regions of Colorado that has successfully cultivated and bottled a pinot noir . The Paonia wineries are part of the West Elk Wineries Trail and annual Tour held the second week of June. Some of Colorado's best livestock also comes from this region. The livestock includes cattle, sheep, poultry, and pigs. The Delta County School District Board of Education decided in February 2021 to close separate high schools in Paonia and Hotchkiss, Colorado , and build
560-639: Is situated on the North Fork Gunnison River ("North Fork River"), about 10 miles (16 km) northeast of (upstream from) neighboring Hotchkiss . It lies near the head of the North Fork Valley, an area about 150 miles (240 km) by air southwest of Denver . The valley lies at the foot of 11,396-foot (3,474 m) Mount Lamborn to the southeast and the Grand Mesa to the northwest. Colorado State Highway 133 touches
595-665: The Powder River Basin of Wyoming; the West Elk longwall mine in Gunnison County, Colorado ; and a 65% interest in Canyon Fuel Company, which operates three longwall mines in Utah . In October 1998, Arch added to its Powder River Basin reserves when it was the winning bidder on Thundercloud, a 412-million-ton federal reserve tract adjacent to the Black Thunder mine. In July 2004, Arch Coal solidified its position as
630-787: The United States Army. Gunnison was on an expedition for the Corps of Topographical Engineers to locate a suitable pass through the Rocky Mountains . The North Fork Valley was inhabited by the Ute people until 1880, when the Ute Indian Reservation was closed by the federal government following the infamous Meeker Massacre . Following the closure of the reservation, the site was settled in 1880 by Samuel Wade and William Clark, who had accompanied Enos Hotchkiss to
665-482: The area. The town was officially incorporated in 1902 and had its first election in July of that year. The peony roots that Samuel Wade brought with him to Colorado in 1881 inspired him to submit the Latin name for peony, Paeonia , as a town name. The post office would not allow the extra vowel, so "Paeonia" became "Paonia". The full name of the flower is Paeonia mascula . Paonia is located in eastern Delta County. It
700-559: The balance from syndication and other sources. According to a review in The Christian Science Monitor , the paper "is closely read in congressional offices and state houses, as well as in the government agencies that control most of the rural West. It has broken important stories subsequently picked up by the New York Times and other national media." Former Arizona Governor Bruce Babbitt described
735-496: The company's new stock or an additional $ 25 million cash. On May 15, 2020, Arch Coal changed its name to Arch Resources. In 2022, the stock reached a five-year high in value and by entering the top 18% of stocks in terms of price performance Arch Resources securities moved into the elite group. Arch Coal PAC is named, along with other major coal producers, as a donor to the 2004 election campaign in West Virginia . 2004
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#1732783106052770-589: The company’s $ 486 million in self-bonding liability to the state. Arch Coal’s subsidiary operations reported a water compliance rate of 99.9 percent over a 10-year period between 2002 and 2012. In 2012, Arch Coal became the first energy company to earn the Conservation Legacy Award from the National Museum of Forest Service History . The Museum of Forest Service History awarded this honor “in recognition of [Arch Coal’s] commitment to
805-696: The month of August. Arch Coal Arch Resources operates 32 active mines and controls approximately 5.5 billion tons of proven and probable coal reserves, located in Central Appalachia , the Powder River Basin , Illinois basin and the Western Bituminous regions. The company operates mines in Colorado , Illinois , Kentucky , Utah , Virginia , West Virginia and Wyoming , and is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri . The company sells
840-697: The monthly North Fork Merchant Herald , published in nearby Hotchkiss. The weekly Mountain Valley News was published in Cedaredge and distributed widely throughout Delta County, but closed in September 2013. Their sister publication, The High Country Shopper , is published in Paonia. Paonia has a humid continental climate ( Dfb ) with hot summers and moderately cold winters. On average, Paonia has 246 sunny days per year. Paonia averages 14 inches of rain and 53 inches of snow per year. The average July high
875-496: The northern Powder River Basin of Montana. On June 15, 2011, Arch acquired International Coal Group (ICG) and cemented its place as a top five global coal supplier and a top 10 metallurgical coal producer and marketer. In December 2011, Arch Coal became the successful bidder for a 222 million ton federal coal lease known as the South Hilight tract in the southern Powder River Basin. In June 2013, Arch Coal announced
910-545: The northwest boundary of Paonia as the highway runs up the North Fork Valley; it leads southwest 9 miles (14 km) to Hotchkiss and northeast 58 miles (93 km) over McClure Pass to Carbondale . According to the United States Census Bureau , the town of Paonia has a total area of 0.85 square miles (2.2 km ), all of it land. The valley's principal coal mines are all now closed except for Arch Coal 's West Elk Mine, Bucyrus International ,
945-629: The paper as "the only place where you can really know what's happening in the rest of the West." High Country News has received numerous journalism and environmental awards, including (but not limited to): Paonia, Colorado Paonia is a statutory town in Delta County , Colorado , United States. The population was 1,447 at the 2020 census . The area was first explored by a white man of European descent in 1853, Captain John W. Gunnison of
980-521: The planned sale of its Canyon Fuel Company LLC subsidiary to Bowie Resources, LLC. Canyon Fuel includes the Sufco, Skyline and Dugout Canyon mines in Utah. In January 2016, Arch Coal filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. This was stated to be a part of a restructuring aiming at reducing debt by $ 4.5 billion. On October 5, 2016, Arch Coal emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The company won
1015-636: The premier mine in the nation's fastest growing coal supply region. In September 2004, Arch again added to its Powder River Basin reserves when it was the winning bidder on Little Thunder, a 719-million-ton federal reserve tract adjacent to the Black Thunder Coal Mine . In December 2005, Arch Coal sold select eastern assets to Magnum Coal Company to unlock the value of some of its Central Appalachian holdings, sharpened its focus in that region, and strengthened its balance sheet in preparation for future growth. In August 2006, Arch acquired
1050-422: The summer. Although the reservoir is 27 miles (43 km) from Paonia, it had a significant impact on all the towns in the North Fork Valley, including Paonia. Many "New Agers" and members of the psychedelic community continue to reside in and around Paonia, which was the boyhood home of one of the voices and key figures of "ecstatic state" knowledge, Terence McKenna . The Paradise Theater in downtown Paonia hosts
1085-501: The surrounding North Fork Valley. The area around Paonia is known for its orchards which produce peaches, apples, cherries, pears, and plums. In addition, several vineyards and wineries have been established in the area, and are some of the highest wineries in North America. Five of the more well-known wineries are Alfred Eames Winery, Black Bridge Winery, Stone Cottage Cellars, Azura Cellars, and Endless Endeavor Winery. This
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1120-535: Was a record-setting year for donations made by the coal industry. Arch is number 564 in the 2013 Fortune 1000 list. They are the second largest coal producer in the United States. Arch Coal practices mountaintop removal mining , which is controversial because it reduces the height of mountaintops. Their West Virginia mining operations in the Appalachian Mountains were the subject of
1155-400: Was formed in 1975 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Ashland Oil. With the completion of the merger, Arch became the leading producer of low-sulfur coal in the eastern United States. In June 1998, Arch Coal expanded into the western United States with the acquisition of the coal assets of Atlantic Richfield . Included in this transaction were the Black Thunder Coal Mine and Coal Creek mines in
1190-488: Was founded in Paonia and continues to have studios in downtown Paonia. KVNF also now serves a number of towns in the North Fork and Uncompaghre valleys in western Colorado through a network of stations and translators. Paonia does not have a local newspaper. It is served by The North Fork Times , formerly an independent paper and now a section in the Delta County Independent . The area is also served by
1225-412: Was the first successful citizen lawsuit to stop Arch's proposed mountaintop removal valley fill. The fill would have buried several miles of stream at Pigeon Roost Hollow near Blair, West Virginia. In his ruling for the plaintiffs, Judge Charles H. Haden stated that "If there is any life form that cannot acclimate to life deep in a rubble pile, it is eliminated. No effect on related environmental values
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