TULSA, Okla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. (NASDAQ: ARLP) today announced that
production operations have resumed at the Warrior mine operated by its
wholly-owned subsidiary Warrior Coal, LLC (“Warrior”) near the city of
Madisonville in Hopkins County, Kentucky. Operations were temporarily
suspended on January 12, 2011 due to adverse geological conditions which
disrupted ventilation in an area of the mine.
Working in conjunction with the Mine Safety and Health Administration
and Kentucky Office of Mine Safety and Licensing, Warrior developed and
implemented a plan to construct seals to isolate the affected area of
the mine. After completing construction of the seals and conducting
thorough examinations of the mine, the Warrior mine returned to
production yesterday evening.
The Warrior mine employs approximately 381 workers producing high-sulfur
coal from the West Kentucky No. 11 coal seam utilizing continuous mining
units and room-and-pillar techniques. The Warrior mine produced
approximately 5.8 million tons in 2010.
About Alliance Resource Partners, L.P.
ARLP is a diversified producer and marketer of coal to major United
States utilities and industrial users. ARLP, the nation's first publicly
traded master limited partnership involved in the production and
marketing of coal, is currently the fifth largest coal producer in the
eastern United States with mining operations in the Illinois Basin,
Northern Appalachian and Central Appalachian coal producing regions.
ARLP operates nine mining complexes in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky,
Maryland and West Virginia and is also constructing a new mining complex
in West Virginia. In addition, ARLP operates a coal loading terminal on
the Ohio River at Mount Vernon, Indiana.
News, unit prices and additional information about ARLP, including
filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, are available at http://www.arlp.com.
For more information, contact the investor relations department of ARLP
at (918) 295-7674 or via e-mail at investorrelations@arlp.com.
The statements and projections used throughout this release are based on
current expectations. These statements and projections are
forward-looking, and actual results may differ materially. These
projections do not include the potential impact of any mergers,
acquisitions or other business combinations that may occur after the
date of this release. At the end of this release, we have included more
information regarding business risks that could affect our results.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS:With the exception of historical
matters, any matters discussed in this press release are forward-looking
statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual
results to differ materially from projected results.These risks,
uncertainties and contingencies include, but are not limited to, the
following: increased competition in coal markets and our ability to
respond to the competition; decreases in coal prices, which could
adversely affect our operating results and cash flows; risks associated
with the expansion of our operations and properties; deregulation of the
electric utility industry or the effects of any adverse change in the
coal industry, electric utility industry, or general economic
conditions; dependence on significant customer contracts, including
renewing customer contracts upon expiration of existing contracts;
weakness in global economic conditions or in industries in which our
customers operate; liquidity constraints, including those resulting from
the cost or unavailability of financing due to current capital market
conditions; customer bankruptcies, cancellations or breaches to existing
contracts, or other failures to perform; customer delays, failure to
take coal under contracts or defaults in making payments; adjustments
made in price, volume or terms to existing coal supply agreements;
fluctuations in coal demand, prices and availability due to labor and
transportation costs and disruptions, equipment availability,
governmental regulations, including those related to carbon dioxide
emissions, and other factors; legislation, regulatory and court
decisions and interpretations thereof, including issues related to
climate change and miner health and safety; our productivity levels and
margins that we earn on our coal sales; greater than expected increases
in raw material costs; greater than expected shortage of skilled labor;
our ability to maintain satisfactory relations with our employees; any
unanticipated increases in labor costs, adverse changes in work rules,
or unexpected cash payments associated with post-mine reclamation and
workers′ compensation claims; any unanticipated increases in
transportation costs and risk of transportation delays or interruptions;
greater than expected environmental regulation, costs and liabilities; a
variety of operational, geologic, permitting, labor and weather-related
factors; risks associated with major mine-related accidents, such as
mine fires, or interruptions; results of litigation, including claims
not yet asserted; difficulty maintaining our surety bonds for mine
reclamation as well as workers′ compensation and black lung benefits;
difficulty in making accurate assumptions and projections regarding
pension and other post-retirement benefit liabilities; coal market's
share of electricity generation, including as a result of environmental
concerns related to coal mining and combustion and the cost and
perceived benefits of alternative sources of energy, such as natural
gas, nuclear energy and renewable fuels; replacement of coal reserves; a
loss or reduction of benefits from certain tax credits; difficulty
obtaining commercial property insurance, and risks associated with our
participation (excluding any applicable deductible) in the commercial
insurance property program.
Additional information concerning these and other factors can be
found in ARLP’s public periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission ("SEC"), including ARLP’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
year ended December 31, 2009, filed on February 26, 2010 with the SEC.Except as required by applicable securities laws, ARLP does not
intend to update its forward-looking statements.
Source: Alliance Resource Partners, L.P.
Contact:
Alliance Resource Partners, L.P.
Brian L. Cantrell, 918-295-7673