Coal From Powder River Basin Headed Overseas

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — A recently signed deal and another in negotiation will allow some Powder River Basin coal to be shipped to overseas customers through the Gulf Coast and possibly East Coast ports.

The Casper Star-Tribune (http://bit.ly/zP4eHe ) reports St. Louis-based Arch Coal, which owns a number of Powder River Basin coal mines, has signed a deal with Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP to ship coal from the company's mines to customers in Europe and elsewhere from the Gulf Coast. The announcement came in Arch's annual report released Friday.

Arch also is negotiating a deal to ship coal from Kinder Morgan's East Coast facilities.

Kinder Morgan is expected to spend $140 million to upgrade its Gulf Coast facilities to allow its deep-water terminal in Houston to ship 10 million tons of coal per year.