The ACC this week tapped the producer’s Mountain Laurel complex in the southern county of Logan, citing several regional projects such as its role in obtaining public water access for adjacent communities, providing funding for new roadway construction and the erection of a bridge and railroad overpass.

ACC spokesman Jason Hayes said Wednesday the group’s Excellence in the Advancement of Public Service and Community Development award bestowment to Mountain Laurel reflects on the forward thinking of the operator as a whole.

“In the first year of the program in 2005, two Arch Coal subsidiaries – Coal-Mac and Thunder Basin Coal Company – won the Excellence Award and Honorable Mention in the Public Service or Community Development category.

“This year, Arch Coal's Mountain Laurel complex won the Excellence Award for this category.”

Earlier this year, the 250-worker complex also was given the Greenlands Award from the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection for its outstanding environmental stewardship efforts.