Arch's subsidiaries Coal-Mac and Mingo Logan Coal Company were the previous recipients of the prestigious award.

The Ruffner Mine received the 2003 award for its creation of stable habitat for wildlife and hay and pasture land for livestock grazing. A variety of native wildlife species, including wood ducks, whitetail deer, wild turkey, black bear and mourning doves, are thriving on this former mine site that features hardwood trees and wildflowers.

In addition, Ruffner Mine's reclamation efforts repaired environmental scars of the past at no cost to the state. Ruffner eliminated more than eight miles of highwalls, and re-mined numerous coal refuse areas left at the site by a previous operator prior to 1977.

"This award-winning work exemplifies the environmental stewardship of the employees of the Ruffner Mine," said Steven F. Leer, Arch Coal's president and chief executive officer. "We're proud our subsidiaries are demonstrating year after year that coal mining can be done in an environmentally responsible manner."

Ruffner Mine's award-winning reclamation site is located approximately two miles southeast of Yolyn, W.Va. Arch of West Virginia employs roughly 275 people, and its operations produce 3.3 million tons of coal per year.