UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

☒ ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2022

☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

FOR THE TRANSITION PERIOD FROM _____________TO_____________

COMMISSION FILE NO.: 0-26823

ALLIANCE RESOURCE PARTNERS, L.P.

(EXACT NAME OF REGISTRANT AS SPECIFIED IN ITS CHARTER)


Delaware	73-1564280
(State or Other Jurisdiction of	(IRS Employer Identification No.)
Incorporation or Organization)

1717 South Boulder Avenue, Suite 400, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74119

(Address of Principal Executive Offices and Zip Code)

(918) 295-7600

(Registrant's Telephone Number, Including Area Code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:


Title of Each Class	Trading Symbol	Name of Each Exchange On Which Registered
Common Units representing limited partner interests	ARLP	The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. ☒ Yes ☐ No

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. ☐ Yes ☒ No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. ☒ Yes ☐ No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). ☒ Yes ☐ No

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant's knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of "large accelerated filer," "accelerated filer," "smaller reporting company" and "emerging growth company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management's assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 726(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☒

If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant's executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). ☐ Yes ☒ No

The aggregate value of the common units held by non-affiliates of the registrant (treating all executive officers and directors of the registrant, for this purpose, as if they may be affiliates of the registrant) was approximately $1,929,455,252 as of June 30, 2022, the last business day of the registrant's most recently completed second fiscal quarter, based on the reported closing price of the common units as reported on The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC on such date.

As of February 24, 2023, 127,198,650 common units were outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE: None

Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

		Page
	PART I
Item 1.	Business	1
Item 1A.	Risk Factors	29
Item 1B.	Unresolved Staff Comments	58
Item 2.	Properties	59
Item 3.	Legal Proceedings	76
Item 4.	Mine Safety Disclosures	77
	PART II
Item 5.	Market for Registrant's Common Equity, Related Unitholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities	78
Item 6.	[Reserved]	79
Item 7.	Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations	79
Item 7A.	Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk	93
Item 8.	Financial Statements and Supplementary Data	96
	Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm-Grant Thornton LLP (PCAOB ID Number 248)	97
	Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm-Ernst & Young LLP (PCAOB ID Number 42)	99
	Consolidated Balance Sheets	100
	Consolidated Statements of Operations	101
	Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss)	102
	Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows	103
	Consolidated Statement of Partners' Capital	104
	Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements	105
	1. Organization and Presentation	105
	2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	106
	3. Acquisitions	114
	4. Long-Lived Asset Impairments	116
	5. Goodwill Impairment	117
	6. Inventories	117
	7. Property, Plant and Equipment	118
	8. Long-Term Debt	119
	9. Income Taxes	121
	10. Leases	123
	11. Fair Value Measurements	124
	12. Partners' Capital	125
	13. Variable Interest Entities	125
	14. Investments	127
	15. Revenue From Contracts With Customers	128
	16. Earnings Per Limited Partner Unit	129
	17. Employee Benefit Plans	129
	18. Common Unit-Based Compensation Plans	133
	19. Supplemental Cash Flow Information	134
	20. Asset Retirement Obligations	135
	21. Accrued Workers' Compensation and Pneumoconiosis Benefits	136
	22. Related-Party Transactions	138
	23. Commitments and Contingencies	140
	24. Concentration of Credit Risk and Major Customers	140
	25. Segment Information	141
	26. Subsequent Events	143
	Supplemental Oil & Gas Reserve Information (Unaudited)	144
	Schedule I – Condensed Financial Information of Registrant	150
Item 9.	Changes in and Disagreements with Accountant on Accounting and Financial Disclosure	152
Item 9A.	Controls and Procedures	152
Item 9B.	Other Information	155
	PART III
Item 10.	Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance of the General Partner	156
Item 11.	Executive Compensation	161
Item 12.	Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Unitholder Matters	178
Item 13.	Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence	179
Item 14.	Principal Accountant Fees and Services	180
	PART IV
Item 15.	Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules	181

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GLOSSARY OF COAL TERMS

The following are abbreviations and definitions of certain terms used in this document, some of which are defined by authoritative sources and others reflect those we commonly use in the coal industry:


Assigned reserves	Reserves that have been designated for mining by a specific operation
Bituminous coal	Coal used primarily to generate electricity and to make coke for the steel industry with a heat value ranging between 10,500 and 15,500 Btus per pound
Btu	British thermal unit
Compliance coal	Coal which, when burned, emits 1.2 pounds or less of sulfur dioxide per MMBtus, requiring no blending or other sulfur dioxide reduction technologies in order to comply with the requirements of the Federal Clean Air Act
Continuous miner	A machine used in underground mining to cut coal from the seam and load it onto conveyors or into shuttle cars in a continuous operation
High-sulfur coal	Based on market expectations, we classify coal with a sulfur content of greater than 3%
Indicated mineral resource	That part of a mineral resource for which quantity and grade or quality are estimated on the basis of adequate geological evidence and sampling. The level of geological certainty associated with an indicated mineral resource is sufficient to allow a qualified person to apply modifying factors in sufficient detail to support mine planning and evaluation of the economic viability of the deposit. Because an indicated mineral resource has a lower level of confidence than the level of confidence of a measured mineral resource, an indicated mineral resource may only be converted to a probable mineral reserve.
Inferred mineral resource	That part of a mineral resource for which quantity and grade or quality are estimated on the basis of limited geological evidence and sampling. The level of geological uncertainty associated with an inferred mineral resource is too high to apply relevant technical and economic factors likely to influence the prospects of economic extraction in a manner useful for evaluation of economic viability. Because an inferred mineral resource has the lowest level of geological confidence of all mineral resources, which prevents the application of the modifying factors in a manner useful for evaluation of economic viability, an inferred mineral resource may not be considered when assessing the economic viability of a mining project, and may not be converted to a mineral reserve.
Long-term contracts	Contracts having a term of one year or greater
Longwall mining	One of two major underground coal mining methods, utilizing specialized equipment to remove nearly all of a coal seam over a very large area
Low-sulfur coal	Based on market expectations, we classify coal with a sulfur content of less than 1.5%
Measured mineral resource	That part of a mineral resource for which quantity and grade or quality are estimated on the basis of conclusive geological evidence and sampling. The level of geological certainty associated with a measured mineral resource is sufficient to allow a qualified person to apply modifying factors, as defined in this section, in sufficient detail to support detailed mine planning and final evaluation of the economic viability of the deposit. Because a measured mineral resource has a higher level of confidence than the level of confidence of either an indicated mineral resource or an inferred mineral resource, a measured mineral resource may be converted to a proven mineral reserve or to a probable mineral reserve.
Medium-sulfur coal	Based on market expectations, we classify coal with a sulfur content of 1.5% to 3%

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Metallurgical coal	Coal primarily used in the production of steel
Mineral reserve	An estimate of tonnage and grade or quality of indicated and measured mineral resources that, in the opinion of the qualified person, can be the basis of an economically viable project. More specifically, it is the economically mineable part of a measured or indicated mineral resource, which includes diluting materials and allowances for losses that may occur when the material is mined or extracted.
Mineral resource	A concentration or occurrence of material of economic interest in or on the Earth's crust in such form, grade or quality, and quantity that there are reasonable prospects for economic extraction. A mineral resource is a reasonable estimate of mineralization, taking into account relevant factors such as cut-off grade, likely mining dimensions, location or continuity that, with the assumed and justifiable technical and economic conditions, is likely to, in whole or in part, become economically extractable. It is not merely an inventory of all mineralization drilled or sampled.
MMBtus	Million British thermal units
Preparation plant	A facility used for crushing, sizing, and washing coal to remove impurities and to prepare it for use by a particular customer
Probable mineral reserve	The economically mineable part of an indicated and, in some cases, a measured mineral resource.
Proven mineral reserve	The economically mineable part of a measured mineral resource and can only result from conversion of a measured mineral resource.
Reclamation	The restoration of land and environmental standards to a mining site after the coal is extracted, including returning the land to its approximate original appearance, restoring topsoil, and planting native grass and ground covers
Room-and-pillar mining	One of two major underground coal mining methods, utilizing continuous miners creating a network of "rooms" within a coal seam, leaving behind "pillars" of coal used to support the roof of a mine
Thermal coal	Coal used primarily in the generation of electricity
Unassigned reserves	Reserves that have not yet been designated for mining by a specific operation

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GLOSSARY OF OIL & GAS TERMS


Basin	A depression in the crust of the Earth, caused by plate tectonic activity and subsidence, in which sediments accumulate. If rich hydrocarbon source rocks occur in combination with appropriate depth and duration of burial, then a petroleum system can develop within the basin. Most basins contain some amount of shale, thus providing opportunities for shale oil & gas exploration and production.
Basis differential	The difference between the spot price of a commodity and the sales price at the delivery point where the commodity is sold
Bbl	Stock tank barrel, or 42 United States gallons liquid volume, used in reference to crude oil or other liquid hydrocarbons
BOE	Barrels of oil equivalent, with six Mcf of natural gas being equivalent to one Bbl of crude oil, condensate, or natural gas liquids
Developed acreage	Acreage allocated or assignable to productive wells
Gross Acres	The total acres in a specified tract in which an owner has a real property interest. For example, an owner who has a 25 percent interest in 100 acres has an ownership interest in 100 gross acres.
MBbls	Thousand barrels of crude oil or other liquid hydrocarbons
MBOE	One thousand barrels of crude oil equivalent, determined using a ratio of six Mcf of natural gas to one Bbl of crude oil, condensate, or natural gas liquids
Mcf	Thousand cubic feet of natural gas
Mineral Interest	Mineral interests are real-property interests that are typically perpetual and grant ownership to the oil & gas under a tract of land or the rights to explore for, develop, and produce oil & gas on that land or to lease those exploration and development rights to a third party
MMcf	Million cubic feet of natural gas
Net acres	The percentage of total acres an owner owns out of a particular number of acres within a specified tract. For example, an owner who has a 50 percent interest in 100 acres owns 50 net acres.
Net royalty acres	Mineral ownership standardized to a 12.5%, or 1/8^th, royalty interest
NGLs	Natural gas liquids are components of natural gas that are liquid at the surface in field facilities or gas-processing plants. Natural gas liquids can be classified according to their vapor pressures as low (condensate), intermediate (natural gasoline), and high (liquefied petroleum gas) vapor pressure. Natural gas liquids include propane, butane, pentane, hexane, and heptane, but not methane and ethane since these hydrocarbons need refrigeration to be liquefied. The term is commonly abbreviated as NGL.
Oil & gas	Crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids

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Operator	The individual or company responsible for the exploration and/or production of an oil or natural gas well or lease
Productive well	A well that is found to be capable of producing hydrocarbons in sufficient quantities such that proceeds from the sale of the production exceed production expenses and taxes
Proved developed reserves	Proved reserves that can be expected to be recovered through existing wells with existing equipment and operating methods
Proved reserves or properties	Proved reserves are those quantities of oil & gas which, by analysis of geoscience and engineering data, can be estimated with reasonable certainty to be economically producible—from a given date forward, from known reservoirs, and under existing economic conditions, operating methods, and government regulations—prior to the time at which contracts providing the right to operate expire, unless evidence indicates that renewal is reasonably certain, regardless of whether deterministic or probabilistic methods are used for the estimation. The project to extract the hydrocarbons must have commenced or the operator must be reasonably certain that it will commence the project within a reasonable time.
Proved undeveloped reserves	Proved reserves that are expected to be recovered from new wells on undrilled acreage or from existing wells where a relatively major expenditure is required for recompletion
PUDs	Proved undeveloped reserves
Reserves	Reserves are estimated remaining quantities of oil and natural gas and related substances anticipated to be economically producible, as of a given date, by application of development projects to known accumulations. In addition, there must exist, or there must be a reasonable expectation that there will exist, the legal right to produce or a revenue interest in the production, installed means of delivering oil and natural gas or related substances to the market, and all permits and financing required to implement the project. Reserves should not be assigned to adjacent reservoirs isolated by major, potentially sealing, faults until those reservoirs are penetrated and evaluated as economically producible.
Royalty interest	An interest that gives an owner the right to receive a portion of the resources or revenues without having to carry any costs of development or operations
Undeveloped acreage	Acreage on which wells have not been drilled or completed to a point that would permit the production of commercial quantities of oil & gas regardless of whether such acreage contains proved reserves
Unproved reserves or properties	Properties with no proved reserves. We also consider unproved reserves or properties to be defined as the estimated quantities of oil & gas determined based on geological and engineering data similar to that used in estimates of proved reserves; but technical, contractual, economic, or regulatory uncertainties preclude such reserves from being classified as proved.

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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain statements and information in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and certain oral statements made from time to time by our representatives, constitute "forward-looking statements." These statements are based on our beliefs as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, us. When used in this document, the words "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "foresee," "may," "outlook," "plan," "project," "potential," "should," "will," "would," and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. Without limiting the foregoing, all statements relating to our future outlook, anticipated capital expenditures, future cash flows and borrowings, and sources of funding are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and reflect our current views with respect to future events and are subject to numerous assumptions that we believe are reasonable, but are open to a wide range of uncertainties and business risks, and actual results could differ materially from those discussed in these statements. Among the factors that could cause actual results to differ from those in the forward-looking statements are:

●

decline in the coal industry'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 other sources of electricity and fuels, such as oil & gas, nuclear energy, and renewable fuels;

●

changes in macroeconomic and market conditions and market volatility, and the impact of such changes and volatility on our financial position;

●

changes in global economic and geo-political conditions or changes in industries in which our customers operate;

●

changes in commodity prices, demand and availability which could affect our operating results and cash flows;

●

the outcome or escalation of current hostilities in Ukraine;

●

the severity, magnitude, and duration of any future pandemics and impacts of the pandemic and of businesses' and governments' responses to the pandemic on our operations and personnel, and on demand for coal, oil, and natural gas, the financial condition of our customers and suppliers, available liquidity and capital sources and broader economic disruptions;

●

actions of the major oil-producing countries with respect to oil production volumes and prices could have direct and indirect impacts over the near and long term on oil & gas exploration and production operations at the properties in which we hold mineral interests;

●

changes in competition in domestic and international coal markets and our ability to respond to such changes;

●

potential shut-ins of production by operators of the properties in which we hold oil & gas mineral interests due to low commodity prices or the lack of downstream demand or storage capacity;

●

risks associated with the expansion of our operations and properties;

●

our ability to identify and complete acquisitions and to successfully integrate such acquisitions into our business and achieve the anticipated benefits therefrom;

●

our ability to identify and invest in new energy and infrastructure transition ventures;

●

the success of our development plans for our wholly owned subsidiary, Matrix Design Group, LLC, and our investments in emerging infrastructure and technology companies;

●

dependence on significant customer contracts, including renewing existing contracts upon expiration;

●

adjustments made in price, volume, or terms to existing coal supply agreements;

●

the effects of and changes in trade, monetary and fiscal policies and laws, including the interest rate policies of the Federal Reserve Board;

●

the effects of and changes in taxes or tariffs and other trade measures adopted by the United States and foreign governments;

●

legislation, regulations, and court decisions and interpretations thereof, both domestic and foreign, including those relating to the environment and the release of greenhouse gases, mining, miner health and safety, hydraulic fracturing, and health care;

●

deregulation of the electric utility industry or the effects of any adverse change in the coal industry, electric utility industry, or general economic conditions;

●

investors' and other stakeholders' increasing attention to environmental, social, and governance ("ESG") matters;

●

liquidity constraints, including those resulting from any future unavailability of financing;

●

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;

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●

our productivity levels and margins earned on our coal sales;

●

disruptions to oil & gas exploration and production operations at the properties in which we hold mineral interests;

●

changes in equipment, raw material, service or labor costs or availability, including due to inflationary pressures;

●

changes in our ability to recruit, hire and maintain labor;

●

our ability to maintain satisfactory relations with our employees;

●

increases in labor costs including costs of health insurance and taxes resulting from the Affordable Care Act, adverse changes in work rules, or cash payments or projections associated with workers' compensation claims;

●

increases in transportation costs and risk of transportation delays or interruptions;

●

operational interruptions due to geologic, permitting, labor, weather, supply chain shortage of equipment or mine supplies, or other factors;

●

risks associated with major mine-related accidents, mine fires, mine floods, or other interruptions;

●

results of litigation, including claims not yet asserted;

●

foreign currency fluctuations that could adversely affect the competitiveness of our coal abroad;

●

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 post-mine reclamation as well as pension, black lung benefits, and other post-retirement benefit liabilities;

●

uncertainties in estimating and replacing our coal mineral reserves and resources;

●

uncertainties in estimating and replacing our oil & gas reserves;

●

uncertainties in the amount of oil & gas production due to the level of drilling and completion activity by the operators of our oil & gas properties;

●

uncertainties in the future of the electric vehicle industry and the market for EV charging stations;

●

the impact of current and potential changes to federal or state tax rules and regulations, including a loss or reduction of benefits from certain tax deductions and credits;

●

difficulty obtaining commercial property insurance, and risks associated with our participation in the commercial insurance property program;

●

evolving cybersecurity risks, such as those involving unauthorized access, denial-of-service attacks, malicious software, data privacy breaches by employees, insiders or others with authorized access, cyber or phishing-attacks, ransomware, malware, social engineering, physical breaches, or other actions;

●

difficulty in making accurate assumptions and projections regarding future revenues and costs associated with equity investments in companies we do not control; and

●

other factors, including those discussed in "Item 1A. Risk Factors" and "Item 3. Legal Proceedings."

If one or more of these or other risks or uncertainties materialize, or should our underlying assumptions prove incorrect, our actual results could differ materially from those described in any forward-looking statement. When considering forward-looking statements, you should also keep in mind our risk factors and legal proceedings. Known material factors that could cause our actual results to differ from those in the forward-looking statements are described in "Item 1A. Risk Factors" and "Item 3. Legal Proceedings." We disclaim any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements or to announce publicly the result of any revisions to any of the forward-looking statements to reflect future events or developments unless required by law.

You should consider the information above when reading any forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K; other reports filed by us with the United States ("United States" or "U.S.") Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"); our press releases; our website www.arlp.com; and written or oral statements made by us or any of our officers or other authorized persons acting on our behalf.

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Significant Relationships Referenced in this Annual Report

●

References to "we," "us," "our", "Partnership" or "ARLP Partnership" mean the business and operations of Alliance Resource Partners, L.P., the parent company, as well as its consolidated subsidiaries.

●

References to "ARLP" mean Alliance Resource Partners, L.P., individually as the parent company, and not on a consolidated basis.

●

References to "MGP" mean Alliance Resource Management GP, LLC, ARLP's general partner.

●

References to "Mr. Craft" mean Joseph W. Craft III, the Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of MGP.

●

References to "Intermediate Partnership" mean Alliance Resource Operating Partners, L.P., the intermediate partnership of Alliance Resource Partners, L.P.

●

References to "Alliance Coal" mean Alliance Coal, LLC, an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of ARLP.

●

References to "Alliance Minerals" mean Alliance Minerals, LLC, an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of ARLP.

●

References to "Alliance Resource Properties" mean Alliance Resource Properties, LLC, an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of ARLP.

PART I

ITEM 1.BUSINESS

General

Introduction

We are a diversified natural resource company that generates operating and royalty income from the production and marketing of coal to major domestic and international utilities and industrial users as well as royalty income from oil & gas mineral interests located in strategic producing regions across the United States. The primary focus of our business is to maximize the value of our existing mineral assets, both in the production of coal from our mining assets and the leasing and development of our coal and oil & gas mineral ownership. In addition, we are positioning ourselves as a reliable energy provider for the future as we pursue opportunities that support the advancement of energy and related infrastructure. We intend to pursue strategic investments that leverage our core competencies and relationships with electric utilities, industrial customers, and federal and state governments. We believe that our diverse and rich resource base and strategic investments will allow us to continue to create long-term value for unitholders.

We are currently the second-largest coal producer in the eastern United States with seven operating underground mining complexes in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia as well as a coal-loading terminal in Indiana on the Ohio River. We manage and report our coal operations under two regions, Illinois Basin and Appalachia. We market our coal production to major domestic and international utilities and industrial users.

We currently own mineral and royalty interests in approximately 61,400 net royalty acres in premier oil & gas producing regions in the United States, primarily the Permian, Anadarko, and Williston Basins. While we own both oil & gas mineral and royalty interests, we refer to them collectively as mineral interests throughout our discussions of our business as the majority of our holdings are mineral interests. We market our oil & gas mineral interests for lease to operators in those regions and generate royalty income from the leasing and development of those mineral interests. Reserve additions and the associated cash flows are expected to increase from the development of our existing mineral interests and through acquisitions of additional mineral interests.

We currently have approximately 580.7 million tons of proven and probable coal mineral reserves and 1.17 billion tons of measured, indicated and inferred coal mineral resources in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Substantially, all of our measured, indicated and inferred coal mineral resources and 464.8 million tons of our coal mineral reserves are owned or leased by Alliance Resource Properties, which are (a) leased or subleased to internal mining complexes or (b) near other internal and external coal mining operations but not yet leased. We market our coal mineral reserves and resources to the coal mining operations that are able to access them and generate royalty income from the leasing and development of those coal mineral reserves and resources.

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We have invested in energy and infrastructure opportunities including Francis Renewable Energy, LLC ("Francis"), Infinitum Electric, Inc. ("Infinitum"), and NGP ETP IV, L.P. ("NGP ETP IV") as described below.

In addition, we develop and market industrial, mining and technology products and services.

ARLP, a Delaware limited partnership, completed its initial public offering on August 19, 1999, and is listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the ticker symbol "ARLP." We are managed by our sole general partner, MGP, a Delaware limited liability company, which holds a non-economic general partner interest in ARLP.

Oil & Gas Acquisitions

Boulders

On October 13, 2021, AR Midland, LP ("AR Midland"), an indirect subsidiary of Alliance Minerals, acquired approximately 1,480 oil & gas net royalty acres in the Delaware Basin from Boulders Royalty Corp. ("Boulders") for a purchase price of $31.0 million (the "Boulders Acquisition").

Belvedere

On September 9, 2022, AR Midland acquired approximately 394 oil & gas net royalty acres in the Delaware Basin from Belvedere Operating, LLC ("Belvedere") for a purchase price of $11.4 million (the "Belvedere Acquisition").

Jase

On October 26, 2022, AR Midland acquired approximately 3,928 oil & gas net royalty acres in the Permian Basin from Jase Minerals, LP ("Jase") for a purchase price of $81.2 million (the "Jase Acquisition").

Acquisition Agreement

On January 27, 2023, we entered into a one-year collaborative agreement with a third party effective January 1, 2023, committing up to $35.0 million for the acquisition of oil & gas mineral interests in the Midland and Delaware basins. Under the agreement, the third party will assist us in the identification, evaluation, and acquisition of target oil & gas mineral interests. In exchange for these services, the third party will receive a participation share, partially funded by the third party, and will be paid a periodic management fee.

JC Resources

On February 22, 2023, we acquired approximately 2,682 oil & gas net royalty acres in the Delaware Basin from JC Resources LP ("JC Resources"), a related party entity owned by Mr. Craft, for $72.3 million, which was funded with cash on hand (the "JC Resources Acquisition").

These acquisitions enhance our ownership position in the Permian Basin and further our business strategy to grow our Oil & Gas Royalties segment.

New Ventures Investments

Francis

On April 5, 2022, we made a $20.0 million convertible note investment in Francis. Francis currently is active in the installation, management and operation of metered-for-fee, public-access electric vehicle ("EV") charging stations. Francis also develops and constructs EV charging stations for third-party customers.

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At December 31, 2022, our mining operations had access to approximately 580.7 million tons of proven and probable coal mineral reserves and 1.17 billion tons of measured, indicated and inferred coal mineral resources in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Substantially, all of our measured, indicated and inferred coal mineral resources and 464.8 million tons of our coal mineral reserves are owned or leased by Alliance Resource Properties and are currently leased or subleased or held for lease or sublease to our mining operations or others. We produce a diverse range of thermal and metallurgical coal with varying sulfur and heat contents, which enables us to satisfy the broad range of specifications required by our customers. In 2022, we sold 35.6 million tons of coal and produced 35.5 million tons. Of the 35.6 million tons sold, approximately two-thirds were leased from Alliance Resource Properties. The coal we sold in 2022 was approximately 4.4% low-sulfur coal, 60.4% medium-sulfur coal, and 35.2% high-sulfur coal. In 2022, approximately 82.4% of our tons sold were purchased by domestic electric utilities and 12.5% were sold into the international markets through brokered transactions. The balance of our tons sold was to third-party resellers and industrial consumers. For tons sold to domestic electric utilities, 100.0% were sold to utility plants with installed pollution control devices. The Btu content of our coal ranges from 11,450 to 13,200.

The following chart summarizes our coal production by region for the last three years.


	Year Ended December 31,
Coal Regions	2022	2021	2020

	(tons in millions)
Illinois Basin	24.2	22.2	17.9
Appalachia	11.3	10.0	9.1
Total	35.5	32.2	27.0

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The following map shows the location of our coal mining operations:


Illinois Basin Operations:	4. WARRIOR COMPLEX	7. METTIKI COMPLEX
1. GIBSON COMPLEX	Warrior Mine	Mountain View Mine
Gibson South Mine	Mining Type: Underground	Mining Type: Underground
Mining Type: Underground	Mining Access: Slope & Shaft	Mining Access: Slope & Shaft
Mining Access: Slope & Shaft	Mining Method: Continuous	Mining Method: Longwall
Mining Method: Continuous	Miner	& Continuous Miner
Miner	Coal Type: Medium/High-Sulfur	Coal Type: Low/Medium
Coal Type: Low/Medium-Sulfur	Transportation: Barge, Railroad,	Sulfur - Metallurgical
Transportation: Barge, Railroad	& Truck	Transportation: Railroad
& Truck		& Truck
	5. MOUNT VERNON
2. HAMILTON COMPLEX	TRANSFER TERMINAL	8. TUNNEL RIDGE COMPLEX
Hamilton Mine	Rail or Truck to Ohio River Barge	Tunnel Ridge Mine
Mining Type: Underground	Transloading Facility	Mining Type: Underground
Mining Access: Slope & Shaft		Mining Access: Slope & Shaft
Mining Method: Longwall	Appalachian Operations:	Mining Method: Longwall
& Continuous Miner	6. MC MINING COMPLEX	& Continuous Miner
Coal Type: Medium/High-Sulfur	Excel Mine No. 5	Coal Type: Medium/High-Sulfur
Transportation: Barge, Railroad	Mining Type: Underground	Transportation: Barge & Railroad
& Truck	Mining Access: Slope & Shaft
	Mining Method: Continuous
3. RIVER VIEW COMPLEX	Miner
River View Mine	Coal Type: Low-Sulfur
Mining Type: Underground	Transportation: Barge, Railroad,
Mining Access: Slope & Shaft	& Truck
Mining Method: Continuous
Miner
Coal Type: Medium/High-Sulfur
Transportation: Barge & Truck

We lease most of our coal mineral reserves and resources from Alliance Resource Properties or private parties and generally have the right to maintain leases in force until the exhaustion of mineable and merchantable coal located within the leased premises or a larger coal mineral reserve or resource area. These leases provide for royalties to be paid to the lessors at a fixed amount per ton or as a percentage of the sales price. Many leases require payment of minimum royalties, payable either at the time of the execution of the lease or in periodic installments, even if no mining activities have begun.

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These minimum royalties are normally credited against the production royalties owed to a lessor once coal production has commenced.

Illinois Basin Operations

Our Illinois Basin mining operations are located in western Kentucky, southern Illinois, and southern Indiana. As of December 31, 2022, we have 2,067 employees, and we operate four active mining complexes in the Illinois Basin.

Gibson Complex. Our subsidiary, Gibson County Coal, LLC ("Gibson County Coal"), operates the Gibson South mine, located near the city of Princeton in Gibson County, Indiana. The Gibson South mine is an underground mine and utilizes continuous mining units employing room-and-pillar mining techniques to produce low/medium-sulfur coal. The Gibson South mine's preparation plant has throughput capacity of 1,800 tons of raw coal per hour. Production from the Gibson South mine is shipped by truck or transported by rail on the CSX Transportation, Inc. ("CSX") or Norfolk Southern Railway Company ("NS") railroads from our rail loadout facility directly to customers or various transloading facilities, including our Mt. Vernon Transfer Terminal, LLC ("Mt. Vernon") transloading facility, for barge delivery. Production from the mine began in April 2014. Gibson County Coal production in 2022 was 5.3 million tons.

Hamilton Complex. Our subsidiary, Hamilton County Coal, LLC ("Hamilton"), operates the Hamilton mine, located near the city of McLeansboro in Hamilton County, Illinois. The Hamilton mine is an underground longwall mining operation producing medium/high-sulfur coal. Longwall mining began in October 2014 and we acquired complete ownership and control in 2015. Hamilton's preparation plant has throughput capacity of 2,000 tons of raw coal per hour. Hamilton has the ability to ship coal from the Hamilton mine via the CSX, Evansville Western Railway, or NS rail directly to customers or various transloading facilities, including our Mt. Vernon transloading facility, for barge deliveries. Hamilton coal production in 2022 was 4.7 million tons.

River View Complex. Our subsidiary, River View Coal, LLC ("River View"), operates the River View mine, which is located in Union County, Kentucky and is currently the largest room-and-pillar coal mine in the United States. The River View mine began (multi-seam) production in 2009 and utilizes continuous mining units to produce medium/high-sulfur coal. River View's preparation plant has throughput capacity of 2,700 tons of raw coal per hour. Coal produced from the River View mine is transported by overland belt to a barge loading facility on the Ohio River. River View coal production in 2022 was 10.2 million tons.

Warrior Complex. Our subsidiary, Warrior Coal, LLC ("Warrior"), operates an underground mining complex located near the city of Madisonville in Hopkins County, Kentucky. The Warrior complex was opened in 1985, and we acquired it in February 2003. Warrior utilizes continuous mining units employing room-and-pillar mining techniques to produce medium/high-sulfur coal. Warrior's preparation plant has throughput capacity of 1,200 tons of raw coal per hour. Warrior's production is shipped via the CSX or Paducah & Louisville Railway, Inc. ("PAL") railroads or by truck directly to customers or potentially to various transloading facilities, including our Mt. Vernon transloading facility, for barge deliveries. Warrior coal production in 2022 was 4.1 million tons.

Mt. Vernon Transfer Terminal, LLC. Our subsidiary, Mt. Vernon, leases land and operates a coal-loading terminal on the Ohio River at Mt. Vernon, Indiana. Coal is delivered to Mt. Vernon by both rail and truck. The terminal has a capacity of 8.0 million tons per year with existing ground storage of approximately 200,000 tons. In 2022, the terminal loaded approximately 1.9 million tons for customers of Gibson County Coal and Hamilton.

Appalachian Operations

Our Appalachian mining operations are located in eastern Kentucky, Maryland, and West Virginia. As of December 31, 2022, we had 973 employees, and we operate three mining complexes in Appalachia.

MC Mining Complex. The MC Mining Complex is located near the city of Pikeville in Pike County, Kentucky. We acquired the original mine in 1989. Our subsidiary, MC Mining, LLC ("MC Mining"), through our subsidiary, Excel Mining, LLC ("Excel") operates the Excel Mine No. 5. Excel completed the development of Mine No. 5 in May 2020 and transitioned its employees and equipment from Mine No. 4 in July 2020. The underground operation utilizes continuous mining units employing room-and-pillar mining techniques to produce low-sulfur coal. The existing preparation plant, which has throughput capacity of 1,000 tons of raw coal per hour, is utilized by Mine No. 5. Substantially all of the coal produced at MC Mining in 2022 met or exceeded the compliance requirements of Phase II of the Federal Clean Air Act

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("CAA") (see "—Environmental, Health and Safety Regulations—Air Emissions" below). Coal produced from the mine is shipped via the CSX railroad directly to customers or various transloading facilities on the Ohio River for barge deliveries, or by truck directly to customers or various docks on the Big Sandy River for barge deliveries. MC Mining coal production in 2022 was 1.5 million tons.

Mettiki Complex. The Mettiki Complex ("Mettiki") comprises the Mountain View mine located in Tucker County, West Virginia operated by our subsidiary Mettiki Coal (WV), LLC ("Mettiki (WV)") and a preparation plant located near the city of Oakland in Garrett County, Maryland operated by our subsidiary Mettiki Coal, LLC ("Mettiki (MD)"). Mettiki (WV) began longwall mining in November 2006. The Mountain View mine produces low/medium-sulfur coal, which is transported by truck either to the Mettiki (MD) preparation plant for processing for shipment into the metallurgical coal market or otherwise, or directly to the coal blending facility at the Virginia Electric and Power Company Mt. Storm Power Station. The Mettiki (MD) preparation plant has throughput capacity of 1,350 tons of raw coal per hour. Coal processed at the preparation plant can be trucked to the blending facility at Mt. Storm or shipped via the CSX railroad, which provides the opportunity to ship into the domestic and international thermal and metallurgical coal markets. Mettiki WV coal production in 2022 was 1.4 million tons.

Tunnel Ridge Complex. Our subsidiary, Tunnel Ridge, LLC ("Tunnel Ridge"), operates the Tunnel Ridge mine, an underground longwall mine in the Pittsburgh No. 8 coal seam, located near Wheeling, West Virginia. Longwall mining operations began at Tunnel Ridge in May 2012. The Tunnel Ridge preparation plant has throughput capacity of 2,000 tons of raw coal per hour. Coal produced from the Tunnel Ridge mine is medium/high-sulfur coal and is transported by conveyor belt to a barge loading facility on the Ohio River. Tunnel Ridge has the ability through a third-party facility to transload coal from barges for rail shipment on the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway with connections to the CSX and the NS railroads. Tunnel Ridge coal production in 2022 was 8.3 million tons.

Coal Marketing and Sales

We sell coal to an established customer base through opportunities as a result of existing business relationships or through formal bidding processes. As is customary in the coal industry, we have entered into long-term coal supply agreements with many of our customers. These arrangements are mutually beneficial to our customers and us in that they provide greater predictability of sales volumes and sales prices. Although some utility customers have appeared to favor a shorter-term contracting strategy, in 2022 approximately 85.0% and 65.6% of our sales tonnage and total coal sales, respectively, were sold under long-term contracts with committed term expirations ranging from 2022 to 2029. Our initial 2023 guidance includes 34.7 million priced and committed tons for delivery in 2023. The contractual time commitments for customers to nominate future purchase volumes under these contracts are typically sufficient to allow us to balance our sales commitments with prospective production capacity.

The provisions of long-term contracts are the results of both bidding procedures and extensive negotiations with each customer. As a result, the provisions of these contracts vary significantly in many respects, including, among other factors, price adjustment features, price and contract reopener terms, permitted sources of supply, force majeure provisions, and coal qualities and quantities. A portion of our long-term contracts is subject to price adjustment provisions, which periodically permit an increase or decrease in the contract price, typically to reflect changes in specified indices or changes in production costs resulting from regulatory changes, or both. These provisions, however, may not assure that the contract price will reflect every change in production or other costs. Failure of the parties to agree on a price pursuant to an adjustment or a reopener provision can, in some instances, lead to the early termination of a contract. Some of the long-term contracts also permit the contract to be reopened for renegotiation of terms and conditions other than pricing terms, and where a mutually acceptable agreement on terms and conditions cannot be concluded, either party may have the option to terminate the contract. Long-term contracts typically stipulate procedures for the transportation of coal, quality control, sampling, and weighing. Most contain provisions requiring us to deliver coal within stated ranges for specific coal characteristics such as heat, sulfur, ash, moisture, grindability, volatility, and other qualities. Failure to meet these specifications can result in economic penalties, rejection or suspension of shipments, or termination of the contracts. While most of the contracts specify the approved seams and/or approved locations from which the coal is to be mined, some contracts allow the coal to be sourced from more than one mine or location. Although the volume to be delivered pursuant to a long-term contract is stipulated, the buyers often have the option to vary the volume within specified limits. Coal contracts typically contain force majeure provisions allowing for the suspension of performance by either party for the duration of specified events. Force majeure events include but are not limited to unexpected significant geological conditions and weather events that may disrupt transportation. Depending on the language of the contract, some contracts may terminate upon an event of force majeure that extends for a certain period.

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The international coal market has been a part of our business with indirect sales to end-users in Europe, Africa, Asia, North America, and South America. Our sales into the international coal market are considered exports and are made through brokered transactions. During the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021, and 2020, export tons represented approximately 12.5%, 12.5% and 3.3% of tons sold, respectively. Because title to our export shipments typically transfers to our brokerage customers at a point that does not necessarily reflect the end-usage point, we attribute export tons to the country with the end-usage point, if known.

Reliance on Major Customers

In 2022, we derived more than 10% of our total revenue from each of Duke Energy, Louisville Gas and Electric Company, and Tennessee Valley Authority. We did not derive 10% or more of our revenues from any other single customer. For more information about these customers, please read "Item 8. Financial Statement and Supplemental Data—Note 24 – Concentration of Credit Risk and Major Customers."

Coal Competition

The coal industry is intensely competitive. The most important factors on which we compete are coal price, coal quality (including sulfur and heat content), reliability and diversity of supply, and transportation costs from the mine to the customer. We are currently the second-largest coal producer in the eastern United States. Our principal competitors include American Consolidated Natural Resources Inc., CONSOL Energy, Inc., Alpha Metallurgical Resources, Inc., Foresight Energy LP, and Peabody Energy Corporation. We also compete directly with smaller producers in the Illinois Basin and Appalachian regions. In addition, we seek to export a portion of our coal into the international coal markets and we compete with companies that produce coal from one or more foreign countries.

The prices we are able to obtain for our export coal have been influenced by many factors, such as global economic conditions, weather patterns, and global supply and demand, among others. The prices we are able to obtain for our domestic sales of coal are primarily linked to coal consumption patterns of domestic electricity-generating utilities, which in turn are influenced by economic activity, government regulations, weather, and technological developments, as well as the location, quality, price and availability of competing sources of fuel and alternative energy sources such as natural gas, nuclear energy, petroleum and renewable energy sources for electrical power generation.

For additional information, please see "Item 1A. Risk Factors."

Coal Transportation

Our coal is transported from our mining complexes to our customers by barge, rail, and truck reflecting important flexibility advantages in supplying our customers. Depending on the proximity of the customer to the mining complex and the transportation available for delivering coal to that customer, transportation costs can be a substantial part of the total delivered cost of a customer's coal. As a consequence, the availability and cost of transportation constitute important factors in the marketability of coal. We believe our mines are located in favorable geographic locations that minimize transportation costs for our customers, and in many cases, we can accommodate multiple transportation options. Our customers typically negotiate and pay the transportation costs from the mining complex to the destination, which is the standard practice in the industry. Approximately 51.8% of our 2022 sales volume was initially shipped from the mining complexes by barge, 30.0% was shipped from the mining complexes by rail, and 18.2% was shipped from the mining complexes by truck. The practices of, rates set by and capacity availability of, the transportation company serving a particular mine or customer may affect, either adversely or favorably, our marketing efforts concerning coal produced from the relevant mining complex. With respect to our export volumes from the United States to other countries, we generally sell coal to our customers at an export terminal in the United States and we are responsible for the cost of transporting coal to the export terminals. Our export customers generally negotiate and pay for ocean vessel transportation.

Mineral Interest Activities

Our mineral interest activities include both oil & gas and coal mineral interests. Our oil & gas mineral interest business includes all activities related to the oil & gas mineral interests held directly or indirectly by Alliance Minerals and includes Alliance Minerals' equity interest in AllDale Minerals III, L.P. ("AllDale III"). Our mineral interests are primarily located on private lands in three basins, which are also our areas of focus for future development by operators.

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These include the Permian (Delaware and Midland), Anadarko (SCOOP/STACK), and Williston (Bakken) Basins. Our developed and undeveloped net acres standardized to a 1/8th royalty equate to nearly 61,400 oil & gas net royalty acres, including 3,968 oil & gas net royalty acres owned through our equity interest in AllDale III.

Our coal mineral interests include substantially all of our measured, indicated and inferred coal mineral resources and 464.8 million tons of coal mineral reserves which are owned or leased by Alliance Resource Properties and are (a) leased or subleased to internal mining complexes or (b) near other internal and external coal mining operations but not yet leased. Our coal mineral interests are located in both the Illinois Basin and the Appalachia Basin.

Oil & Gas Royalties

In 2014, we began to invest in oil & gas mineral interests in some of the nation's premier oil-rich basins. Beginning in 2019, we transitioned from a passive investor in mineral interests to an active and material participant in oil & gas minerals.

When our oil & gas mineral interests are leased, we typically receive an upfront cash payment, known as a lease bonus, and we retain a mineral royalty, which entitles us to receive a fixed percentage of the revenue or production from the oil & gas produced from the acreage underlying our interests, free of lease operating expenses and capital costs. A lessee can extend the lease beyond the initial lease term with continuous drilling, production, or other operating activities, or by making an extension payment. When production or drilling ceases, the lease terminates, allowing us to lease the exploration and development rights to another party. As an owner of mineral interests, we incur the initial cost to acquire our interests but thereafter only incur our proportionate share of production and ad valorem taxes. Unlike owners of working interests in oil & gas properties, we are not obligated to fund drilling and completion costs, lease operating expenses, or plugging and abandonment costs associated with oil & gas production.

The following chart summarizes the production of our oil & gas mineral interests for the year ended December 31, 2022, 2021, and 2020, not including our equity interest in AllDale III:


	Year Ended December 31,
	2022		2021		2020
Production:
Oil (MBbls)		974		794		905
Natural gas (MMcf)		4,425		3,069		3,301
Natural gas liquids (MBbls)		496		357		337
BOE (MBbls)		2,208		1,663		1,792

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Williston Basin—Bakken

The Williston Basin stretches from western North Dakota into eastern Montana. Based on geologic data and ongoing development by operators, our mineral interests contain multiple producing zones of economic horizontal development including the Bakken and Three Forks formations.

Other

Our other interests are comprised primarily of mineral interests owned in the Appalachia Basin that stretches throughout most of Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania, and extends into other states. The Appalachia Basin's most active plays in which we have acreage are the Marcellus Shale and Utica plays, which cover most of Pennsylvania, northern West Virginia, and eastern Ohio. In addition to the interests held in the Appalachia Basin, we own a small number of mineral interests in the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale play in Mississippi. AllDale III also owns mineral interests in the Haynesville Shale formation located in northwest Louisiana.

Coal Royalties

Our Coal Royalties segment includes approximately 464.8 million tons of proven and probable reserves and substantially all of the 1.17 billion tons of our measured, indicated and inferred coal mineral resources. Our coal mineral reserves and resources are located in the Appalachia and Illinois Basins in the United States. We lease our reserves and resources to our mining complexes under long-term leases. Approximately two-thirds of our royalty-based leases have initial terms of five to 40 years, with substantially all lessees having the option to extend the lease for additional terms.

Under our standard royalty lease, we grant the lessees the right to mine and sell our reserves and resources in exchange for royalty payments based on a percentage of the sale price or a fixed royalty per ton of coal mined and sold. Lessees calculate royalty payments due to us and are required to report tons of coal mined and sold as well as the sales prices of the extracted coal.

The following chart summarizes the coal sales associated with our coal mineral interests for the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020.


	Year Ended December 31,
Coal Regions	2022	2021	2020

	(tons in millions)
Illinois Basin	21.2	18.9	16.6
Appalachia	0.6	1.3	2.3
Total	21.8	20.2	18.9

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The following map shows the location of our coal mineral interests:


Illinois Basin:	4. WARRIOR	Appalachian Basin:
1. GIBSON	Mining Type: Underground	8. TUNNEL RIDGE
Mining Type: Underground	Mining Access: Slope & Shaft	Mining Type: Underground
Mining Access: Slope & Shaft	Mining Method: Continuous	Mining Access: Slope & Shaft
Mining Method: Continuous	Miner	Mining Method: Longwall
Miner	Coal Type: Medium/High-Sulfur	& Continuous Miner
Coal Type: Low/Medium-Sulfur	Transportation: Barge, Railroad,	Coal Type: Medium/High-Sulfur
Transportation: Barge, Railroad	& Truck	Transportation: Barge & Railroad
& Truck
	5. HENDERSON/UNION	9. MOUNTAIN VIEW
2. HAMILTON	Mining Type: Underground	Mining Type: Underground
Mining Type: Underground	Mining Access: Slope & Shaft	Mining Access: Slope & Shaft
Mining Access: Slope & Shaft	Mining Method: Continuous Miner	Mining Method: Longwall
Mining Method: Longwall	Coal Type: Medium/High-Sulfur	& Continuous Miner
& Continuous Miner	Transportation: Barge & Truck	Coal Type: Low/Medium
Coal Type: Medium/High-Sulfur		Sulfur - Metallurgical
Transportation: Barge, Railroad	6. DOTIKI	Transportation: Railroad
& Truck	Mining Type: Underground	& Truck
	Mining Access: Slope & Shaft
3. RIVER VIEW	Mining Method: Continuous	10. PENN RIDGE
Mining Type: Underground	Miner	Mining Type: Underground
Mining Access: Slope & Shaft	Coal Type: Medium/High-Sulfur	Mining Access: Slope & Shaft
Mining Method: Continuous	Transportation: Barge, Railroad	Mining Method: Longwall
Miner	& Truck	& Continuous Miner
Coal Type: Medium/High-Sulfur		Coal Type: High-Sulfur
Transportation: Barge & Truck	7. SEBREE SOUTH	Transportation: Barge & Railroad
	Mining Type: Underground	& Continuous Miner
	Mining Access: Slope & Shaft
	Mining Method: Continuous
	Miner
	Coal Type: Medium/High-Sulfur
	Transportation: Barge & Truck

Illinois Basin

Alliance Resource Properties, either directly or through its subsidiaries, holds coal mineral reserves and resources in the following counties in the Illinois Basin:

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●

Hopkins County, Kentucky

●

Webster County, Kentucky

●

Union County, Kentucky

●

Henderson County, Kentucky

●

Hamilton County, Illinois

●

Jefferson County, Illinois

●

Gibson County, Indiana

Alliance Resource Properties leases some of the reserves and resources in Union and Henderson Counties from WKY CoalPlay, LLC ("WKY CoalPlay") or its subsidiaries, which are related parties. For more information about our WKY CoalPlay transactions, please read "Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 22 – Related-Party Transactions."

Approximately 388.0 million tons of proven and probable reserves and 1.08 billion tons of measured, indicated and inferred coal mineral resources are controlled by Alliance Resource Properties in the Illinois Basin and are leased/subleased or held for lease/sublease to our mining complexes or third parties as follows:

Gibson. Approximately 5.7 million tons of the reserves and resources are currently leased/subleased or held for lease/sublease to our subsidiary, Gibson County Coal.

Hamilton. Approximately 565.2 million tons of the reserves and resources are currently leased/subleased or held for lease/sublease to our subsidiary, Hamilton.

River View. Approximately 197.1 million tons of the reserves are currently leased/subleased or held for lease/sublease to our subsidiary, River View.

Warrior. Approximately 59.7 million tons of the reserves are currently leased/subleased or held for lease/sublease to our subsidiary, Warrior.

Henderson/Union. Approximately 520.8 million tons of the resources are not under lease or currently anticipated to be leased by our operating companies. Leasing of these properties is dependent upon further development by our operating subsidiaries or third-party mining complexes, which is regulatory and market dependent.

Dotiki. Approximately 76.0 million tons of the resources are currently leased/subleased or held for lease/sublease to our subsidiary, Webster County Coal, LLC ("Webster County Coal").

Sebree South. Approximately 43.5 million tons of the resources are currently leased/subleased to our subsidiary, Sebree Mining, LLC ("Sebree").

Appalachia Basin

Alliance Resource Properties, either directly or through its subsidiaries, holds coal mineral reserves and resources in the following counties in the Appalachian Basin:

●

Grant County, West Virginia

●

Tucker County, West Virginia

●

Washington County, Pennsylvania

Approximately 76.8 million tons of proven and probable reserves and 85.4 million tons of measured, indicated and inferred coal mineral resources are controlled by Alliance Resource Properties in the Appalachian Basin and are leased/subleased or held for lease/sublease to our mining complexes or third parties as follows:

Tunnel Ridge. Approximately 71.5 million tons of the reserves and resources are currently leased/subleased or held for lease/sublease to our subsidiary, Tunnel Ridge, LLC.

Mountain View. Approximately 12.7 million tons of the reserves and resources are currently leased/subleased or held for lease/sublease to our subsidiary, Mettiki (WV).

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Penn Ridge Resources. Approximately 78.0 million tons of the resources are not under a lease. The resources are near our Tunnel Ridge mining complex and leasing of these resources is dependent upon further development by Tunnel Ridge or third-party mining complexes, which is regulatory and market dependent.

Minerals Interest Competition

Many companies are engaged in the search for and the acquisition of coal and oil & natural gas interests, and there is a limited supply of desirable coal and oil & natural gas reserves. Our ability to acquire additional oil & gas mineral interests in the future will be dependent upon our ability to evaluate and select suitable properties and to consummate transactions in a highly competitive environment. Many of our competitors not only own and acquire oil & gas mineral interests but also explore for and produce oil & gas and, in some cases, conduct midstream and refining operations and market petroleum and other products on a regional, national, or worldwide basis. By engaging in such other activities, our competitors may be able to develop or obtain information that is superior to the information that is available to us. In addition, because we have fewer financial and human resources than many companies in the oil & gas industry, we may be at a disadvantage in bidding for oil & gas properties. Further, oil & gas compete with other forms of energy available to customers, primarily based on price. These alternate forms of energy include electricity, coal, and fuel oils. Changes in the availability or price of oil & gas or other forms of energy, as well as business conditions, conservation, legislation, regulations, and the ability to convert to alternative fuels and other forms of energy, may affect the demand for oil & gas.

We also face competition from land companies, coal producers, and international steel companies in purchasing coal mineral reserves and resources as well as royalty-producing properties. Our mining complexes in which we lease our reserves compete with coal producers in various regions of the United States for domestic sales on the basis of coal price at the mine, coal quality, transportation cost from the mine to the customer, and the reliability of supply. Continued demand for our coal and the prices that our lessees obtain are also affected by the demand for electricity and steel, as well as government regulations, technological developments, and the availability and the cost of generating power from alternative fuel sources, including nuclear, natural gas, wind, solar, and hydroelectric power.

For additional information, please see "Item 1A. Risk Factors".

Oil & Gas Minerals Interest - Seasonal Nature of Business

Generally, demand for oil increases during the summer months and decreases during the winter months while demand for natural gas increases during the winter and summer months and decreases during the spring and fall months. Certain buyers of natural gas use natural gas storage facilities and purchase some of their anticipated winter requirements during the summer, which can lessen seasonal demand fluctuations. Seasonal weather conditions and lease stipulations can limit drilling and producing activities and other oil & gas operations in a portion of our leasing areas. These seasonal anomalies can pose challenges for our operators in meeting well-drilling objectives and can increase competition for equipment, supplies, and personnel during the spring and summer months, which could lead to shortages and increase costs or delay operations.

Other Operations

Matrix Group

Our subsidiaries, Matrix Design Group, LLC ("Matrix Design") and its subsidiaries Matrix Design International, LLC, Matrix Design (Australia) PTY LTD and Matrix Design Africa (PTY) LTD, and Alliance Design Group, LLC ("Alliance Design") (collectively the Matrix Design entities and Alliance Design are referred to as the "Matrix Group"), provide a variety of technology products and services for our mining operations and certain industrial and mining technology products and services to third parties. Matrix Group's products and services include data network, communication and tracking systems, mining proximity detection systems, industrial collision avoidance systems, and data and analytics software. We acquired Matrix Design in September 2006.

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New Ventures

Our subsidiary, AROP II, LLC, and its subsidiary, AROP II Investments, LLC, make strategic investments in attractive opportunities that support the advancement of energy and related infrastructure. We intend to pursue opportunities that leverage our core competencies and relationships with electric utilities, industrial customers, and federal and state governments. We have made investments of $20 million in Francis, $42 million in Infinitum and, as of December 31, 2022, $4.1 million (of a $25 million commitment) in NGP ETP IV. In 2022, revenues from these investments were immaterial.

Francis is currently active in the installation, management and operation of metered-for-fee, public-access EV charging stations. Francis also develops and contracts EV charging stations for third-party customers.

Infinitum is a Texas-based developer and manufacturer of electric motors featuring printed circuit board stators that have the potential to result in motors that are smaller, lighter, quieter, more efficient and capable of operating at a fraction of the carbon footprint of conventional electric motors.

NGP ETP IV focuses on investments that are part of the global transition toward a lower carbon economy by partnering with top-tier management teams and investing growth equity in companies that drive or enable the growth of renewable energy, the electrification of our economy, or the efficient use of energy.

Environmental, Health, and Safety Regulations

Our coal operations, and those of the operators on the properties in which we hold oil & gas mineral interests, are subject to extensive regulation by federal, state, and local authorities on matters such as:

●

employee health and safety;

●

permits and other licensing requirements for mining or exploration and production activities;

●

air quality standards;

●

water quality standards;

●

storage of petroleum products and substances that are regarded as hazardous under applicable laws or that, if spilled, could reach waterways or wetlands;

●

plant and wildlife protection that could limit or prohibit mining or exploration and production activities;

●

restrict the types, quantities, and concentration of materials that can be released into the environment in the performance of mining or exploration and production activities;

●

initiate investigatory and remedial measures to mitigate pollution from former or current operations, such as restoration of waste ponds, mining areas, drilling pits, and plugging of abandoned wells;

●

storage and handling of explosives;

●

wetlands protection;

●

surface subsidence from underground mining; and

●

the effects, if any, that mining has on groundwater quality and availability.

Failure to comply with environmental laws and regulations may result in the assessment of administrative, civil, and criminal sanctions, including monetary penalties, the imposition of strict, joint and several liability, investigatory and remedial obligations, and the issuance of injunctions limiting or prohibiting some or all of the operations on our properties. The regulatory burden on fossil-fuel industries increases the cost of doing business and consequently affects profitability. The trend in environmental regulation has been to place more restrictions and limitations on activities that may affect the environment, and thus, any changes in environmental laws and regulations or reinterpretation of enforcement policies that result in more stringent and costly obligations could increase our or our mineral interest operators' costs and adversely affect our performance.

In addition, the utility industry is subject to extensive regulation regarding the environmental impact of its power generation activities, which has adversely affected the demand for coal. It is possible that new legislation or regulations may be adopted, or that existing laws or regulations may be differently interpreted or more stringently enforced, any of which could have a significant impact on our mining operations, our customers' ability to use coal, or the value of or amount of royalties received from our mineral interests. For more information, please see the risk factors described in "Item 1A. Risk Factors" below.

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We are committed to conducting mining operations in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations. However, because of the extensive and detailed nature of these regulatory requirements, particularly the regulatory system of the Mine Safety and Health Administration ("MSHA") where citations can be issued without regard to fault and many of the standards include subjective elements, it is not reasonable to expect any coal mining company to be free of citations. When we receive a citation, we attempt to promptly remediate any identified condition. While we have not quantified all of the costs of compliance with applicable federal and state laws and associated regulations, those costs have been and are expected to continue to be significant. Compliance with these laws and regulations has substantially increased the cost of coal mining for domestic coal producers.

Expenditures for environmental matters have not been material in recent years. We have accrued for the present value of the estimated cost of asset retirement obligations and mine closings, including the cost of treating mine water discharge, when necessary. The accruals for asset retirement obligations and mine closing costs are based on permit requirements and the estimated costs and timing assumptions of asset retirement obligations and mine closing procedures. Although management believes it has made adequate provisions for all expected reclamation and other costs associated with mine closures, future operating results would be adversely affected if these accruals were insufficient.

Mining Permits and Approvals

Numerous governmental permits or approvals are required for mining operations. Applications for permits require extensive engineering and data analysis and presentation and must address a variety of environmental, health, and safety matters associated with a proposed mining operation. These matters include the manner and sequencing of coal extraction, the storage, use, and disposal of waste and other substances and impacts on the environment, the construction of water containment areas, and reclamation of the area after coal extraction. Meeting all requirements imposed by any of these authorities may be costly and time-consuming and may delay or prevent the commencement or continuation of mining operations.

The permitting process for certain mining operations can extend over several years and can be subject to administrative and judicial challenges, including by the public. Some required mining permits are becoming increasingly difficult to obtain in a timely manner, or at all. We cannot assure you that we will not experience difficulty or delays in obtaining mining permits in the future or that a current permit will not be revoked.

We are required to post bonds to secure performance under our permits. Under some circumstances, substantial fines and penalties, including revocation of mining permits, may be imposed under the laws and regulations described above. Monetary sanctions and, in severe circumstances, criminal sanctions may be imposed for failure to comply with these laws and regulations. Regulations also provide that a mining permit can be refused or revoked if the permit applicant or permittee owns or controls, directly or indirectly through other entities, mining operations that have outstanding environmental violations. Although like other coal companies, we have been cited for violations in the ordinary course of our business, we have never had a permit suspended or revoked because of any violation, and the penalties assessed for these violations have not been material.

Mine Health and Safety Laws

The operation of our mines is subject to the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 ("FMSHA"), and regulations adopted pursuant thereto. FMSHA imposes extensive and detailed safety and health standards on numerous aspects of mining operations, including training of mine personnel, mining procedures, blasting, the equipment used in mining operations, and numerous other matters. MSHA monitors and rigorously enforces compliance with these federal laws and regulations. In addition, most of the states where we operate have state programs for mine safety and health regulation and enforcement. Federal and state safety and health regulations affecting the coal mining industry are perhaps the most comprehensive and rigorous system in the United States for the protection of employee safety and have a significant effect on our operating costs. Although many of the requirements primarily impact underground mining, our competitors in all of the areas in which we operate are subject to the same laws and regulations.

FMSHA has been construed as authorizing MSHA to issue citations and orders pursuant to the legal doctrine of strict liability, or liability without fault, and FMSHA requires the imposition of a civil penalty for each cited violation. Negligence and gravity assessments, along with other factors, can result in the issuance of various types of orders, including orders requiring withdrawal from the mine or the affected area, and some orders can also result in the imposition of civil penalties. FMSHA also contains criminal liability provisions. For example, criminal liability may be imposed upon corporate operators who knowingly and willfully authorize, order, or carry out violations of the FMSHA, or its mandatory health and safety standards.

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The Federal Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act of 2006 ("MINER Act") significantly amended the FMSHA, imposing more extensive and stringent compliance standards, increasing criminal penalties and establishing a maximum civil penalty for non-compliance, and expanding the scope of federal oversight, inspection, and enforcement activities. Following the passage of the MINER Act, MSHA has issued new or more stringent rules and policies on a variety of topics, including:

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sealing off abandoned areas of underground coal mines;

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mine safety equipment, training, and emergency reporting requirements;

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substantially increased civil penalties for regulatory violations;

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training and availability of mine rescue teams;

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underground "refuge alternatives" capable of sustaining trapped miners in the event of an emergency;

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flame-resistant conveyor belts, fire prevention and detection, and use of air from the belt entry; and

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post-accident two-way communications and electronic tracking systems.

MSHA continues to interpret and implement various provisions of the MINER Act, along with introducing new proposed regulations and standards.

In 2014, MSHA began implementation of a finalized new regulation titled "Lowering Miner's Exposure to Respirable Coal Mine Dust, Including Continuous Personal Dust Monitors." The final rule implemented a reduction in the allowable respirable coal mine dust exposure limits, requires the use of sampling data taken from a single sample rather than an average of samples, and increases oversight by MSHA regarding coal mine dust and ventilation issues at each mine, including the approval process for ventilation plans at each mine, all of which increase mining costs. The second phase of the rule began in February 2016 and requires additional sampling for designated and other occupations using the new continuous personal dust monitor technology, which provides real-time dust exposure information to the miner. Phase three of the rule began in August 2016 and resulted in lowering the current respirable dust level of 2.0 milligrams per cubic meter to 1.5 milligrams per cubic meter of air. Compliance with these rules can result in increased costs on our operations, including, but not limited to, the purchasing of new equipment and the hiring of additional personnel to assist with monitoring, reporting, and recordkeeping obligations. MSHA published a request for information regarding engineering controls and best practices to lower miners' exposure to respirable coal mine dust and the comment period closed in July 2022. It is uncertain whether MSHA will present additional proposed rules, or revisions to the final rule, following the closing of the comment period.

MSHA has also published, and may continue to publish, various proposed rules or requests for information, which may result in additional rulemaking. For example:

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In June 2016, MSHA published a request for information on Exposure of Underground Miners to Diesel Exhaust. Following a comment period that closed in November 2016 for this matter, MSHA received requests for MSHA and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to hold a Diesel Exhaust Partnership to address the issues covered by MSHA's 2016 request for information. The comment period for the request for information for the Diesel Exhaust Partnership closed in September 2020.

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In August 2019, MSHA published a request for information regarding exposure to respirable crystalline silica, most commonly found in the mining environment through quartz. The request solicited information regarding best practices to protect miners' health from exposure to quartz, including examination of a new reduced permissible exposure limit, potential new or developing protective technologies, and/or technical and educational assistance. The comment period for the request for information closed in October 2019.

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In November 2020, MSHA published a proposed rule to revise Testing, Evaluation, and Approval of Electric Motor-Driven Mine Equipment and Accessories within underground mining environments. The comment period for the proposed rule closed in December 2020.

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In September 2021, MSHA published a proposed rule requiring that mine operators employing six or more miners develop and implement a written safety program for mobile and powered haulage equipment at surface mines and surface areas of underground mines (Safety Program for Surface Mobile Equipment). The comment period for the proposed rule closed in November 2021. However, MHSA reopened the rulemaking record for additional public comments. A virtual hearing was held in January 2022 and the comment period closed in February 2022.

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It is uncertain whether MSHA will present a final rule addressing any of the above issues or any of the other various proposed rules or requests for information or whether any such rule would have material impacts on our operations or our costs of operation.

Subsequent to the passage of the MINER Act, Illinois, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia have enacted legislation addressing issues such as mine safety and accident reporting, increased civil and criminal penalties, and increased inspections and oversight. Additionally, state administrative agencies can promulgate administrative rules and regulations affecting our operations. Other states may pass similar legislation or administrative regulations in the future.

Some of the costs of complying with existing regulations and implementing new safety and health regulations may be passed on to our customers. Although we have not quantified the full impact, implementing and complying with these new federal and state safety laws and regulations have had, and are expected to continue to have, an adverse impact on our results of operations and financial position.

Black Lung Benefits Act

The Black Lung Benefits Act of 1977 and the Black Lung Benefits Reform Act of 1977, as amended in 1981 ("BLBA") require businesses that conduct current mining operations to make payments of black lung benefits to current and former coal miners with black lung disease, to some survivors of a miner who dies from this disease, and to a trust fund for the payment of benefits and medical expenses where no responsible coal mine operator has been identified for claims. The coal we sell into international markets is generally not subject to this tax. In addition, the BLBA provides that some claims for which coal operators had previously been responsible are or will become obligations of the government trust funded by the tax. As of January 1, 2022, the trust fund was funded by an excise tax on production of up to $0.50 per ton for underground-mined coal and up to $0.25 per ton for surface-mined coal, but not to exceed 2% of the applicable sales price. The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 raised the excise tax, effective October 1, 2022, up to $1.10 per ton of coal from underground mines and up to $0.55 per ton of coal from surface mines, neither amount to exceed 4.4% of the gross sales price.

Workers' Compensation and Black Lung

We provide income replacement and medical treatment for work-related traumatic injury claims as required by applicable state laws. Workers' compensation laws also compensate survivors of workers who suffer employment-related deaths. We generally self-insure this potential expense using our actuary estimates of the cost of present and future claims. In addition, coal mining companies are subject to federal legislation and various state statutes for the payment of medical and disability benefits to eligible recipients related to coal worker's pneumoconiosis, or black lung. We also provide for these claims through self-insurance programs. Our pneumoconiosis benefits liability is calculated using the service cost method based on the actuarial present value of the estimated pneumoconiosis benefits obligation. Our actuarial calculations are based on numerous assumptions including disability incidence, medical costs, mortality, death benefits, dependents, and discount rates. For more information concerning our requirement to maintain bonds to secure our workers' compensation obligations, see the discussion of surety bonds below under "—Bonding Requirements."

The revised BLBA regulations took effect in January 2001, relaxing the stringent award criteria established under previous regulations and thus potentially allowing new federal claims to be awarded and allowing previously denied claimants to refile under the revised criteria. These regulations may also increase black lung-related medical costs by broadening the scope of conditions for which medical costs are reimbursable and increase legal costs by shifting more of the burden of proof to the employer.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, enacted in 2010, includes significant changes to the federal black lung program retroactive to 2005, including an automatic survivor benefit paid upon the death of a miner with an awarded black lung claim and establishes a rebuttable presumption with regard to pneumoconiosis among miners with 15 or more years of coal mine employment that are totally disabled by a respiratory condition. These changes have caused a significant increase in our costs expended in association with the federal black lung program.

Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act

The Federal Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 ("SMCRA") and similar state statutes establish operational, reclamation, and closure standards for all aspects of surface mining as well as many aspects of deep mining.

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Although we have minimal surface mining activity and no mountaintop removal mining activity, SMCRA nevertheless requires that comprehensive environmental protection and reclamation standards be met during the course of and upon completion of our mining activities.

SMCRA and similar state statutes require, among other things, that mined property be restored in accordance with specified standards and approved reclamation plans. SMCRA requires us to restore the surface to approximate the original contours as contemporaneously as practicable with the completion of surface mining operations. Federal law and some states impose on mine operators the responsibility for replacing certain water supplies damaged by mining operations and repairing or compensating for damage to certain structures occurring on the surface as a result of mine subsidence, a consequence of longwall mining and possibly other mining operations. We believe we are in compliance in all material respects with applicable regulations relating to reclamation.

In addition, the Abandoned Mine Lands Program, which is part of SMCRA, imposes a reclamation fee on all current mining operations, the proceeds of which are used to restore mines closed before 1977. The fee expired on September 30, 2021, and was reauthorized through September 30, 2034, under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act which was signed on November 15, 2021. The fee, as reauthorized, for surface-mined and underground-mined coal is $0.224 per ton and $0.096 per ton, respectively, through September 30, 2034. We have accrued the estimated costs of reclamation and mine closing, including the cost of treating mine water discharge when necessary. Please read "Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 20 – Asset Retirement Obligations." In addition, states from time to time have increased and may continue to increase their fees and taxes to fund reclamation or orphaned mine sites and acid mine drainage control on a statewide basis.

Under SMCRA, responsibility for unabated violations, unpaid civil penalties, and unpaid reclamation fees of independent contract mine operators and other third parties can be imputed to other companies that are deemed, according to the regulations, to have "owned" or "controlled" the third-party violator. Sanctions against the "owner" or "controller" are quite severe and can include being blocked from receiving new permits and having any permits revoked that were issued after the time of the violations or after the time civil penalties or reclamation fees became due. We are not aware of any currently pending or asserted claims against us relating to the "ownership" or "control" theories discussed above. However, we cannot assure you that such claims will not be asserted in the future.

In April 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") finalized rules on coal combustion residuals ("CCRs"); however, the final rule does not address the placement of CCRs in minefills or non-minefill uses of CCRs at coal mine sites. The Federal Office of Surface Mining ("OSM") has announced its intention to release a proposed rule to regulate the placement and use of CCRs at coal mine sites, but, to date, no further action has been taken. These actions by OSM potentially could result in additional delays and costs associated with obtaining permits, prohibitions or restrictions relating to mining activities, and additional enforcement actions.

Bonding Requirements

Federal and state laws require bonds to secure our obligations to reclaim lands used for mining, to pay federal and state workers' compensation, to pay certain black lung claims, and to satisfy other miscellaneous obligations. These bonds are typically renewable on a yearly basis. It has become increasingly difficult for us and for our competitors to secure new surety bonds without posting collateral and in some cases it is unclear what level of collateral will be required. In addition, surety bond costs have increased while the market terms of surety bonds have generally become less favorable to us. It is possible that surety bond issuers may refuse to renew bonds or may demand additional collateral upon those renewals. Our failure to maintain or inability to acquire, surety bonds that are required by federal and state laws would have a material adverse effect on our ability to produce coal, which could affect our profitability and cash flow. For additional information, please see "Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources—Cash Requirements."

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Air Emissions

The CAA and similar state and local laws and regulations regulate emissions into the air and affect coal mining, as well as oil & gas, operations. The CAA imposes permitting requirements and, in some cases, requirements to install certain emissions control equipment, achieve certain emissions standards, or implement certain work practices on sources that emit various air pollutants. The CAA also indirectly affects coal mining operations by extensively regulating the air emissions of coal-fired electric power generating plants and other coal-burning facilities. There have been a series of federal rulemakings focused on emissions from coal-fired electric generating facilities. Installation of additional emissions control technology and any additional measures required under applicable federal and state laws and regulations related to air emissions will make it more costly to operate coal-fired power plants and possibly other facilities that consume coal and, depending on the requirements of individual state implementation plans ("SIPs"), could make fossil fuels a less attractive fuel alternative in the planning and building of power plants in the future. A significant reduction in fossil fuels' share of power generating capacity could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

In addition to the greenhouse gas ("GHG") issues discussed below, the air emissions programs that may affect our operations or the operations of those on the properties in which we hold mineral interests, directly or indirectly, include but are not limited to the following:

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The EPA's Acid Rain Program, provided in Title IV of the CAA, regulates emissions of sulfur dioxide from electric generating facilities. Sulfur dioxide is a by-product of coal combustion. Affected facilities purchase or are otherwise allocated sulfur dioxide emissions allowances, which must be surrendered annually in an amount equal to a facility's sulfur dioxide emissions in that year. Affected facilities may sell or trade excess allowances to other facilities that require additional allowances to offset their sulfur dioxide emissions. In addition to purchasing or trading for additional sulfur dioxide allowances, affected power facilities can satisfy the requirements of the EPA's Acid Rain Program by switching to lower-sulfur fuels, installing pollution control devices such as flue gas desulfurization systems, or "scrubbers," or by reducing electricity-generating levels. In 2022, we sold 82.4% of our total tons to electric utilities in the United States, substantially all of which was sold to utility plants with installed pollution control devices. These requirements would not be supplanted by a replacement rule for the Clean Air Interstate Rule ("CAIR"), discussed below.

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The CAIR calls for power plants in 28 states and Washington, D.C. to reduce emission levels of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide pursuant to a cap-and-trade program similar to the system in effect for acid rain. In June 2011, the EPA finalized the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule ("CSAPR"), a replacement rule for CAIR, which would have required 28 states in the Midwest and eastern seaboard to reduce power plant emissions that cross state lines and contribute to ozone and/or fine particle pollution in other states. CSAPR has become increasingly irrelevant with continuing coal plant retirements making the nitrogen oxide ozone budget less stringent and lowering emission allowance prices to levels closer to average operating cost for many of our customers. The full impacts of CSAPR are presently unknown due to the implementation of Mercury and Air Toxic Standards ("MATS"), discussed below, and the impact of the continuing coal plant retirements.

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In February 2012, the EPA adopted the MATS, which regulates the emission of mercury and other metals, fine particulates, and acid gases such as hydrogen chloride from coal and oil-fired power plants. In March 2013, the EPA finalized a reconsideration of the MATS rule as it pertains to new power plants, principally adjusting emissions limits to levels attainable by existing control technologies. In subsequent litigation, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the MATS rule based on the EPA's failure to take costs into consideration. The D.C. Circuit Court allowed the current rule to stay in place until the EPA issued a new finding. In April 2016, the EPA issued a final supplemental finding upholding the rule and concluding that a cost analysis supports the MATS rule. In April 2017, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals granted the EPA's request to cancel oral arguments and ordered the case held in abeyance for an EPA review of the supplemental finding. In December 2018, the EPA issued a proposed Supplemental Cost Finding, as well as the CAA required "risk and technology review." In May 2020, EPA issued a final rule that reverses the Agency's prior determination from 2000 and 2016 that it was "appropriate and necessary" to regulate hazardous air pollutants from coal-fueled Electric Generating Units ("EGUs") under the MATS rule. However, in February 2022, EPA published a proposed rule proposing to revoke the May 2020 finding. The final rule remains pending. Although various issues surrounding the MATS rule remain subject to litigation in the D.C. Circuit, the MATS rule has forced electric power generators to make capital investments to retrofit power plants and

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could lead to additional premature retirements of older coal-fired generating units and many electric power generators have already announced retirements due to the uncertainty surrounding the MATS rule. The announced and possible additional retirements are likely to reduce the demand for coal. Apart from MATS, several states have enacted or proposed regulations requiring reductions in mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants, and federal legislation to reduce mercury emissions from power plants has been proposed. Regulation of mercury emissions by the EPA, states, or Congress may decrease the future demand for coal. We continue to evaluate the possible scenarios associated with CSAPR Update and MATS and the effects they may have on our business and our results of operations, financial condition, or cash flows.

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The EPA is required by the CAA to periodically reevaluate the available health effects information to determine whether the National Ambient Air Quality Standards ("NAAQS") should be revised. Pursuant to this process, the EPA has adopted more stringent NAAQS for fine particulate matter ("PM"), ozone, nitrogen oxide, and sulfur dioxide. As a result, some states will be required to amend their existing SIPs to attain and maintain compliance with the new air quality standards and other states will be required to develop new SIPs for areas that were previously in "attainment" but do not attain the new standards. In addition, under the revised ozone NAAQS, significant additional emissions control expenditures may be required at coal-fired power plants. In March 2019, the EPA published a final rule that retained the current primary NAAQS for sulfur oxide. In December 2020, EPA published a final rule to retain the current NAAQS for both PM and ozone; however, various entities filed litigation against one or both of these rulemakings, and the Biden Administration announced that it would reconsider and potentially revise the NAAQS. However, with respect to ozone, a draft assessment released in April 2022 indicates EPA staff have reached a preliminary conclusion that the December 2020 decision will stand, but uncertainty remains until a final decision is reached. New standards may impose additional emissions control requirements on new and expanded coal-fired power plants and industrial boilers. Because coal mining operations and coal-fired electric generating facilities emit particulate matter and sulfur dioxide, our mining operations and our customers could be affected when the new standards are implemented by the applicable states, and developments could indirectly reduce the demand for coal. Separately, the implementation of new standards by states has the potential to delay or otherwise impact oil & gas production activities, which could reduce the profitability of our mineral interests.

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The EPA's regional haze program is designed to protect and improve visibility at and around national parks, national wilderness areas, and international parks. Under the program, states are required to develop SIPs to improve visibility. Typically, these plans call for reductions in sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions from coal-fueled electric plants. In prior cases, the EPA has decided to negate the SIPs and impose stringent requirements through Federal Implementation Plans ("FIPs"). The regional haze program, including particularly the EPA's FIPs, and any future regulations may restrict the construction of new coal-fired power plants whose operation may impair visibility at and around federally protected areas and may require some existing coal-fired power plants to install additional control measures designed to limit haze-causing emissions. These requirements could limit the demand for coal in some locations. In September 2018, the EPA issued a memorandum that detailed plans to assist states as they develop their SIPs, which was followed by a supplemental memorandum in July 2021 for SIPs for the second implementation period.

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The EPA's new source review ("NSR") program under the CAA in certain circumstances requires existing coal-fired power plants, when modifications to those plants significantly increase emissions, to install more stringent air emissions control equipment. The Department of Justice, on behalf of the EPA, has filed lawsuits against a number of coal-fired electric generating facilities alleging violations of the NSR program. The EPA has alleged that certain modifications have been made to these facilities without first obtaining certain permits issued under the program. Several of these lawsuits have been settled, but others remain pending. In October 2020, the EPA finalized a rule to clarify the process for evaluating whether the NSR permitting program would apply to a proposed modification of a source of air emissions. The EPA has announced that it will review the NSR program. Depending on the ultimate resolution of the EPA's litigation and review, demand for coal could be affected.

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The EPA's New Source Performance Standards ("NSPS") under the CAA require the reduction of certain pollutants and methane emissions from certain stimulated oil & gas wells for which well completion operations are conducted and further require that most wells use reduced emission completions, also known as "green completions." These regulations also establish specific new requirements regarding emissions from production-related wet seal and reciprocating compressors, and pneumatic controllers and storage vessels.

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Although the Trump Administration revised prior regulations in September 2020 to rescind certain methane standards and remove the transmission and storage segments from the source category for certain regulations, the U.S. Congress passed, and President Biden signed into law, a revocation of the 2020 rulemaking, effectively reinstating the 2016 standards. Additionally, in November 2021, EPA issued a proposed rule that, if finalized, would establish new source and first-time existing source standards of performance for GHG and volatile organic compound ("VOC") emissions for crude oil and natural gas well sites, natural gas gathering and boosting compressor stations, natural gas processing plants, and transmission and storage facilities. In November 2022, EPA published a supplemental methane proposal which, among other items, sets forth specific revisions strengthening the first nationwide emissions guidelines for states to limit methane emissions from existing crude oil and natural gas facilities. The proposal also revises requirements for fugitive emissions monitoring and repair as well as equipment leaks and the frequency of monitoring surveys and establishes a "super-emitter" response program to timely mitigate emissions events. The proposal is currently subject to public comment and is expected to be finalized in 2023; however, it is likely that it will be subject to legal challenges. Oil & gas production on the properties in which we hold mineral interests could be adversely affected to the extent any final rule imposes increased operating costs on the oil & gas industry.

GHG Emissions

Combustion of fossil fuels, such as the coal we produce and the oil & gas produced from our mineral interests, results in the emission of GHGs, such as carbon dioxide and methane. Combustion of fuel for mining equipment used in coal production also emits GHGs. Future regulation of GHG emissions in the United States could occur pursuant to future United States treaty commitments, new domestic legislation, or regulation by the EPA. Although no comprehensive climate change regulation has been adopted at the federal level in the United States, President Biden has made it clear that climate change will be a focus of his administration. For example, in January 2021, President Biden issued an executive order that commits to substantial action on climate change, calling for, among other things, the increased use of zero-emissions vehicles by the federal government, the elimination of subsidies provided to the fossil-fuel industry, a doubling of electricity generated by offshore wind by 2030, and increased emphasis on climate-related risks across governmental agencies and economic sectors. Internationally, the Paris Agreement requires member states to submit non-binding, individually-determined emissions reduction targets. These commitments could further reduce demand and prices for fossil fuels. Although the United States had withdrawn from the Paris Agreement, President Biden recommitted the United States in February 2021 and, in April 2021, announced a new, more rigorous nationally determined emissions reduction level of 50-52% reduction from 2005 levels in economy-wide net GHG emissions by 2030. The international community gathered again at the 26th Conference to the Parties ("COP26") during which multiple announcements were made, including a call for parties to eliminate fossil fuel subsidies, among other measures. Relatedly, the United States and European Union jointly announced at COP26 the launch of the Global Methane Pledge, an initiative committing to a collective goal of reducing global methane emissions by at least 30% from 2020 levels by 2030, including "all feasible reductions" in the energy sector. Also at COP26, more than forty countries pledged to phase out coal, although the United States did not sign the pledge. At COP27, countries reiterated the agreements from COP26 and were called upon to accelerate efforts toward the phase out of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies. The United States also announced, in conjunction with the European Union and other partner countries, that it would develop standards for monitoring and reporting methane emissions to help create a market for low methane-intensity natural gas. Although no firm commitment or timeline to phase out or phase down all fossil fuels was made at COP27, there can be no guarantees that countries will not seek to implement such a phase out in the future. The full impact of these actions remains unclear at this time. Moreover, many states, regions, and governmental bodies have adopted GHG initiatives and have or are considering the imposition of fees or taxes based on the emission of GHGs by certain facilities, including coal-fired electric generating facilities. Others have announced their intent to increase the use of renewable energy sources, displacing coal and other fossil fuels. Depending on the particular regulatory program that may be enacted, at either the federal or state level, the demand for coal and oil & gas could be negatively impacted, which would have an adverse effect on our operations.

Even in the absence of new federal legislation, the EPA has begun to regulate GHG emissions under the CAA based on the U.S. Supreme Court's 2007 decision that the EPA has the authority to regulate GHG emissions. Although the U.S. Supreme Court's holding did not expressly involve the EPA's authority to regulate GHG emissions from stationary sources, such as coal-fueled power plants, the EPA has determined on its own that it has the authority to regulate GHG emissions from power plants and issued a final rule which found that GHG emissions, including carbon dioxide and methane, endanger both the public health and welfare. Several rulemakings have been issued under the NSPS that constrain the GHG emissions of fossil-fuel-fired power plants. In January 2021, the EPA published a final significant contribution

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finding for purposes of regulating source category of GHG emissions, confirming that such power plants are a source category for such regulations. However, this finding also excludes several sectors and may, therefore, be subject to revision, and future implementation of the NSPS is uncertain at this time. The EPA is expected to publish a notice of proposed rulemaking in Spring 2023.

In August 2015, the EPA issued its final Clean Power Plan ("CPP") rules that establish carbon pollution standards for power plants, called CO2 emission performance rates. Judicial challenges led the U.S. Supreme Court to grant a stay in February 2016 of the implementation of the CPP before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ("Circuit Court") even issued a decision. Then, in October 2017 the EPA proposed to repeal the CPP. The EPA subsequently proposed the Affordable Clean Energy ("ACE") rule to replace the CPP with a rule that utilizes heat rate improvement measures as the "best system of emission reduction". The ACE rule adopts new implementing regulations under the CAA to clarify the roles of the EPA and the states, including an extension of the deadline for state plans and EPA approvals; and, the rule revises the NSR permitting program to provide EGUs the opportunity to make efficiency improvements without triggering NSR permit requirements. In June 2019, the EPA published the final repeal of the CPP and promulgation of the ACE rule. On January 19, 2021, the Circuit Court struck down the ACE rule and found the EPA's "repeal of the CPP rested critically on a mistaken reading of the CAA." On June 30, 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States reversed and remanded the Circuit Court's decision in West Virginia v. EPA and found that, in the promulgation of the CPP, the EPA had acted outside the bounds of the legal authority granted to the agency by Congress.

Notwithstanding the ACE rule, the CPP's requirements and impact during the pendency of the litigation led to premature retirements and could lead to additional premature retirements of coal-fired generating units and reduce the demand for coal. Congress has not currently adopted legislation to restrict carbon dioxide emissions from existing power plants and has not otherwise expanded the legal authority of the EPA following West Virginia v. EPA, including as it relates to authority to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from existing and modified power plants as proposed in the NSPS and CPP. We cannot predict whether such legislation will be signed into law in the future.

There have been numerous protests and challenges to the permitting of new fossil-fuel infrastructure, including power plants and pipelines, by environmental organizations and state regulators for concerns related to GHG emissions. For instance, various state regulatory authorities have rejected the construction of new coal-fueled power plants based on the uncertainty surrounding the potential costs associated with GHG emissions from these plants under future laws limiting the emissions of carbon dioxide. In addition, several permits issued to new coal-fueled power plants without limits on GHG emissions have been appealed to the EPA's Environmental Appeals Board. In addition, over thirty states have currently adopted "renewable energy standards" or "renewable portfolio standards," which encourage or require electric utilities to obtain a certain percentage of their electric generation portfolio from renewable resources by a certain date. Several states have announced their intent to have renewable energy comprise 100% of their electric generation portfolio. Other states may adopt similar requirements, and federal legislation is a possibility in this area. In December 2021, President Biden issued an executive order setting a goal for a carbon pollution-free electricity sector across the country by 2035. To the extent these requirements affect our current and prospective customers or those of our mineral interest producers, they may reduce the demand for fossil-fuel energy and may affect the long-term demand for our coal and the oil & gas producers from the properties in which we hold mineral interests. Finally, while the U.S. Supreme Court has held that federal common law provides no basis for public nuisance claims against utilities due to their carbon dioxide emissions, the Court did not decide whether similar claims can be brought under state common law. As a result, despite this favorable ruling, tort-type liabilities remain a concern. For more information, see our risk factor titled "We, our customers, or the operators of our oil & gas mineral interests could be subject to litigation related to climate change."

In addition, environmental advocacy groups have filed a variety of judicial challenges claiming that the environmental analyses conducted by federal agencies before granting permits and other approvals necessary for certain coal activities do not satisfy the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act ("NEPA"). These groups assert that the environmental analyses in question do not adequately consider the climate change impacts of these particular projects. In April 2022, the Council on Environmental Quality ("CEQ") issued a final rule revoking some of the modifications made to the NEPA regulations under the previous administration and reincorporated the consideration of direct, indirect and cumulative effects of major federal actions, including GHG emissions. And, in January 2023, the CEQ released guidance, effective immediately, to assist federal agencies in assessing the GHG emissions and climate change effects of their proposed actions under NEPA.

Many states and regions have adopted GHG initiatives and certain governmental bodies have or are considering the imposition of fees or taxes based on the emission of GHG by certain facilities, including coal-fired electric generating

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facilities. For example, in 2005, ten Northeastern states entered into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative agreement ("RGGI"), calling for the implementation of a cap and trade program aimed at reducing carbon dioxide emissions from power plants in the participating states. The members of RGGI have established in statutes and/or regulations a carbon dioxide trading program. Auctions for carbon dioxide allowances under the program began in September 2008. Since its inception, several additional states and Canadian provinces have joined RGGI as participants or observers, while Virginia has withdrawn from RGGI via executive order by its governor. Similar to RGGI, five western states launched the Western Regional Climate Initiative, although only California and certain Canadian provinces are currently active participants. We cannot predict what other regional greenhouse gas reduction initiatives may arise in the future.

It is possible that future international, federal, and state initiatives to control GHG emissions could result in increased costs associated with fossil-fuel production and consumption, such as costs to install additional controls to reduce carbon dioxide emissions or costs to purchase emissions reduction credits to comply with future emissions trading programs. Such increased costs for fossil-fuel consumption could result in some customers switching to alternative sources of fuel, or otherwise adversely affect our operations and demand for our products, or those of the operators of our mineral interests, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Finally, activists may try to hamper fossil-fuel companies by other means, including pressuring financing and other institutions into restricting access to capital, bonding, and insurance, as well as pursuing tort litigation for various alleged climate-related impacts. For more information, see our Risk Factor titled "Our operations are subject to a series of risks resulting from climate change."

Water Discharge

The Federal Clean Water Act ("CWA") and similar state and local laws and regulations regulate discharges into certain waters, primarily through permitting. Section 404 of the CWA imposes permitting and mitigation requirements associated with the dredging and filling of certain wetlands and streams. The CWA and equivalent state legislation, where such equivalent state legislation exists, affect coal mining operations that impact such wetlands and streams. Although permitting requirements have been tightened in recent years, we believe we have obtained all necessary permits required under CWA Section 404 as it has traditionally been interpreted by the responsible agencies. However, mitigation requirements under existing and possible future "fill" permits may vary considerably. For that reason, the setting of post-mine asset retirement obligation accruals for such mitigation projects is difficult to ascertain with certainty and may increase in the future. For more information about asset retirement obligations, please read "Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 20 - Asset Retirement Obligations." Although more stringent permitting requirements may be imposed in the future, we are not able to accurately predict the impact, if any, of such permitting requirements.

For us or the operators of the properties in which we hold oil & gas mineral interests to conduct certain activities, an operator may need to obtain a permit for the discharge of fill material from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ("Corps of Engineers") and/or a discharge permit from the state regulatory authority under the state counterpart to the CWA. Our coal mining operations typically require Section 404 permits to authorize activities such as the creation of slurry ponds and stream impoundments. The CWA authorizes the EPA to review Section 404 permits issued by the Corps of Engineers, and in 2009, the EPA began reviewing Section 404 permits issued by the Corps of Engineers for coal mining in Appalachia. Currently, significant uncertainty exists regarding the obtaining of permits under the CWA for coal mining operations in Appalachia due to various initiatives launched by the EPA regarding these permits.

The EPA also has statutory "veto" power over a Section 404 permit if the EPA determines, after notice and an opportunity for a public hearing, that the permit will have an "unacceptable adverse effect." In January 2011, the EPA exercised its veto power to withdraw or restrict the use of a previously issued permit for Spruce No. 1 Surface Mine in West Virginia, which is one of the largest surface mining operations ever authorized in Appalachia. This action was the first time that such power was exercised with regard to a previously permitted coal mining project which veto was subsequently upheld by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2013. Any future use of the EPA's Section 404 "veto" power could create uncertainty with regard to our continued use of current permits, as well as impose additional time and cost burdens on future operations, potentially adversely affecting our coal revenues. In addition, the EPA initiated a preemptive veto prior to the filing of any actual permit application for a copper and gold mine based on a fictitious mine scenario. The implications of this decision could allow the EPA to bypass the state permitting process and engage in watershed and land use planning.

Total Maximum Daily Load ("TMDL") regulations under the CWA establish a process to calculate the maximum amount of a pollutant that an impaired waterbody can receive and still meet state water quality standards, and to allocate

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pollutant loads among the point and non-point pollutant sources discharging into that water body. Likewise, when water quality in a receiving stream is better than required, states are required to conduct an antidegradation review before approving discharge permits. The adoption of new TMDL-related allocations or any changes to antidegradation policies for streams near our coal mines could require more costly water treatment and could adversely affect our coal production.

Considerable legal uncertainty exists surrounding the standard for what constitutes jurisdictional waters and wetlands subject to the protections and requirements of the CWA. Rulemakings to establish the extent of such jurisdiction were finalized in 2015 and 2020, respectively, and both rulemakings have been subject to substantial litigation. Although the EPA and Corps of Engineers did not seek to vacate the 2020 rule on an interim basis, two federal district courts in Arizona and New Mexico vacated the 2020 rule in decisions announced during the third quarter of 2021. In December 2022, the EPA and Corps of Engineers released a final revised definition of "waters of the United States" ("WOTUS") founded upon a pre-2015 definition and including updates to incorporate existing Supreme Court decisions. However, continued uncertainty remains as to the government's jurisdictional reach as the rule is likely to be subject to legal challenge. Judicial developments further add to this uncertainty. In October 2022, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Sackett v. EPA regarding the scope and authority of the CWA and the definition of WOTUS and is expected to release an opinion in this case in 2023, which could impact the regulatory definition and its implementation. To the extent any decision expands the scope of the EPA and the Corps of Engineers' jurisdiction under the CWA, we could face increased costs and delays due to additional permitting and regulatory requirements and possible challenges to permitting decisions.

Hazardous Substances and Wastes

The Federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act ("CERCLA"), otherwise known as the "Superfund" law, and analogous state laws, impose liability, without regard to fault or the legality of the original conduct on certain classes of persons that are considered to have contributed to the release of a "hazardous substance" into the environment. These persons include the owner or operator of the site where the release occurred and companies that disposed of or arranged for the disposal of the hazardous substances found at the site. Persons who are or were responsible for the release of hazardous substances may be subject to joint and several liability under CERCLA for the costs of cleaning up releases of hazardous substances and natural resource damages. Some products used in coal mining operations generate waste containing hazardous substances. We are currently unaware of any material liability associated with the release or disposal of hazardous substances from our past or present mine sites.

The Federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act ("RCRA") and analogous state laws impose requirements for the generation, transportation, treatment, storage, disposal, and cleanup of hazardous and non-hazardous wastes. Many mining wastes are excluded from the regulatory definition of hazardous wastes, and coal mining operations covered by SMCRA permits are by statute exempted from RCRA permitting. Similarly, most wastes associated with the exploration, development, and production of oil & gas are exempt from regulation as hazardous wastes under RCRA, though these wastes typically constitute "solid wastes" that are subject to less stringent non-hazardous waste requirements. However, it is possible that RCRA could be amended or the EPA or state environmental agencies could adopt policies to require such wastes to become subject to more stringent storage, handling, treatment, or disposal requirements, which could impose significant additional costs on the operators of the properties in which we own oil & gas mineral interests. RCRA also allows the EPA to require corrective action at sites where there is a release of hazardous substances. In addition, each state has its own laws regarding the proper management and disposal of waste material. While these laws impose ongoing compliance obligations, such costs are not believed to have a material impact on our operations.

RCRA impacts the coal industry in particular because it regulates the disposal of certain coal combustion by-products ("CCB"). On April 17, 2015, the EPA finalized regulations under RCRA for the disposal of CCB. Under the finalized regulations, CCB is regulated as "non-hazardous" waste and avoids the stricter, more costly, regulations under RCRA's "hazardous" waste rules. While the classification of CCB as a hazardous waste would have led to more stringent restrictions and higher costs, this regulation may still increase our customers' operating costs and potentially reduce their ability to purchase coal. The CCB rule was subject to legal challenge and ultimately remanded to the EPA. On August 28, 2020, the EPA published a final revised rule mandating the closure of unlined impoundments, with deadlines to initiate closure between 2021 and 2028, depending on site-specific circumstances. Certain provisions of the revised CCB rule were vacated by the D.C. Circuit in 2018. The EPA is expected to finalize additional rules addressing those specific provisions in June 2023. Meanwhile, on January 25, 2022, the EPA published determinations for 9 of 57 CCB facilities that sought approval to continue disposal of CCB and non-CCB waste streams until 2023, as opposed to the initial 2021 deadline for unlined impoundments prescribed by the current rule. While the EPA issued one conditional approval, the EPA required the remaining facilities to cease receipt of waste within 135 days of completion of public comment, or

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around July 2022. And, in January 2023, the EPA issued six proposed determinations to deny facilities' requests to continue disposal into unlined surface impoundments. The current determinations, future determinations of the same nature, or similar actions in expected future rulemakings could lead to accelerated, abrupt, or unplanned suspension of coal-fired boilers. The combined effect of the CCB rules and the Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards ("ELG") regulations (discussed below) has compelled power generating companies to close existing ash ponds and may force the closure of certain existing coal burning power plants that cannot comply with the new standards. Such retirements may adversely affect the demand for our coal.

On November 3, 2015, the EPA published the final rule ELG, revising the regulations for the Steam Electric Power Generating category which became effective on January 4, 2016. The rule sets the first federal limits on the levels of toxic metals in wastewater that can be discharged from power plants, based on technological improvements in the steam electric power industry over the last three decades. The combined effect of the CCB and ELG regulations has forced power generating companies to close existing ash ponds and will likely force the closure of certain older existing coal-burning power plants that cannot comply with the new standards. In November 2019, the EPA proposed revisions to the 2015 ELG rule and announced proposed changes to regulations for the disposal of coal ash in order to reduce compliance costs. In October 2020, EPA published a final rule. In August 2021, EPA initiated supplemental rulemaking indicating that it intended to strengthen certain discharge limits. EPA expects to issue a proposed rule for public comment in the summer of 2023. It is unclear what impact these regulations will have on the market for our products.

Endangered Species Act

The federal Endangered Species Act ("ESA") and counterpart state legislation protect species threatened with possible extinction. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (the "USFWS") works closely with the OSM and state regulatory agencies to ensure that species subject to the ESA are protected from potential impacts from mining-related and oil & gas exploration and production activities. In October 2021, the Biden Administration proposed the rollback of new rules promulgated under the Trump Administration and, in June 2022, the USFWS and the National Marine Fisheries Service published a final rule rescinding the 2020 regulatory definition of "habitat." If the USFWS were to designate species indigenous to the areas in which we operate as threatened or endangered or to redesignate a species from threatened to endangered, we or the operators of the properties in which we hold oil & gas mineral interests could be subject to additional regulatory and permitting requirements, which in turn could increase operating costs or adversely affect our revenues.

Other Environmental, Health, and Safety Regulations

In addition to the laws and regulations described above, we are subject to regulations regarding underground and above-ground storage tanks in which we may store petroleum or other substances. Some monitoring equipment that we use is subject to licensing under the Federal Atomic Energy Act. Water supply wells located on our properties are subject to federal, state, and local regulations. In addition, our use of explosives is subject to the Federal Safe Explosives Act. We are also required to comply with the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act, the Toxic Substance Control Act, and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act. The costs of compliance with these regulations should not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations.

Human Capital

To conduct our operations, as of December 31, 2022, we employed 3,371 full-time employees, including 2,901 employees involved in active coal mining operations, 230 employees in other operations, and 240 corporate employees. Our workforce is entirely union-free. Our typical employee has approximately six years of experience with the Partnership and more than 40% of all employees remain employed for more than five years.

To attract and retain the most qualified personnel across all functions of our business we offer competitive compensation packages. In making decisions regarding employee compensation, we review current compensation levels for each position within other companies in the coal industry and other peers and use our discretion to determine an appropriate total compensation package, which generally includes some combination of base salary, possible incentive compensation, medical, dental and life insurance benefits and participation in our profit sharing and savings plan. Depending on the position and employer, incentive compensation bonuses can be based on production and safety goals at a specific coal operation or broader performance goals across the Partnership, among other factors. We intend for each employee's total compensation to be competitive in the marketplace.

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ITEM 1A.RISK FACTORS

Summary Risk Factors

Our business is subject to a number of risks, including risks that could prevent us from achieving our business objectives or could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, and prospects. These risks are discussed more fully below and include but are not limited to risks related to:

Risks Inherent in an Investment in Us

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Cash distributions are not guaranteed

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Ownership of limited partner interests could be diluted

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Sales of our common units could cause decline in the market price of our common units

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Increase in interest rates could cause decline in the market price of our common units

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The credit risk of our general partner could adversely impact us

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Our unitholders do not elect the general partner

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The control of our general partner may be transferred to a third party

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Unitholders may be required to sell their units to our general partner

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Cost reimbursements due to our general partner could be substantial

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Your liability as a limited partner may not be limited under certain circumstances

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Our general partner's fiduciary duties are limited

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Our general partner has discretion in determining the level of cash reserves

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Our general partner has potential conflicts of interest

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Some executive officers and directors face potential conflicts of interest

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ESG scores could adversely impact our securities

Risks Related to Our Business

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Declining global economic conditions could adversely impact us

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Material adverse effects on our financial condition as a result of future pandemic outbreaks could adversely impact us

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Financing may not be available to us on favorable terms or at all

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Our indebtedness could adversely impact us

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We depend upon the leadership of key personnel

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Legal proceedings could adversely impact us

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Our customers may not honor their contracts or may not enter into new contracts for our products

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Some of our contracts may be renegotiated or terminated

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We depend upon a few customers for significant portions of our revenues

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The credit risk of our customers could adversely impact us

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Cyber or terrorist attacks could adversely impact us

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Establishment of labor unions at our operations could adversely affect our profitability

Risks Related to Our Industries

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Changes in coal prices and/or oil & gas prices could impact our results of operations

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Competition within the coal industry could adversely affect our ability to sell coal

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Changes in taxes or tariffs and trade measures could adversely impact us

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The Russian-Ukrainian conflict, and sanctions brought against Russia, have caused significant market disruptions that may lead to increased volatility in the price of commodities

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Changes in consumption patterns by utilities could affect our ability to sell coal and/or impact the price of our natural gas

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Tort claims based on climate change

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Litigation resulting from disputes with customers could result in costs and liabilities

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Unanticipated mine operating conditions could affect our profitability

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Inability to obtain and renew permits necessary for operations could limit our ability to continue or expand our operations

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Fluctuations in transportation costs and availability could reduce demand for our products

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Unexpected increases in raw material costs could impact the profitability of our operations

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The ability to recruit, hire and retain skilled labor could impact the profitability of our operations

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Disruptions in supply chains could impact the profitability of our operations

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Inflationary pressures could impact the profitability of our operations

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Unavailability of economic coal mineral reserves and resources could limit our ability to continue or expand our operations

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Estimates of our coal mineral reserves and resources could be inaccurate and could result in decreased profitability

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Coal mining in certain areas could be difficult and involve regulatory constraints which could impact our operations

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Extensive environmental laws and regulations could reduce demand for coal as a fuel source

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Legislative and regulatory compliance is costly

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Legislative and regulatory compliance could impact our business

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Legislative and regulatory initiatives relating to hydraulic fracturing could impact our mineral interests

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Legislative and regulatory initiatives relating to seismic activity could impact our business

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Legislative and regulatory initiatives relating to climate change could impact demand for our products

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Mine facilities may be located in a leased portion of the surface properties which introduces a risk of disruption to our operations

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Inability to acquire or failure to maintain surety bonds could limit our ability to continue or expand our operations

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Dependency on unaffiliated operators to explore and drill on our oil & gas properties limits our ability to control the timing and quantity of production

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Delays in royalty payments and optional royalty payments could impact our business

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Suspension of the right to receive royalty payments could impact our business

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Estimates of our oil & gas reserves could be inaccurate and could result in decreased profitability

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Uncertainties involved in drilling for and producing oil & gas could impact our business

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Availability of transportation and facilities for the products could impact our business

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Lack of hedging arrangements exposes us to the impact of commodity prices

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Expansions and acquisitions have inherent risks that could adversely impact us

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Integration of expansions or acquisitions has inherent risks that could adversely impact us

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Inability to obtain commercial insurance at acceptable rates could have a negative impact on our business

Tax Risks to Our Common Unitholders

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Our tax treatment depends on our status as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and not being subject to a material amount of entity-level taxation. Our cash available for distribution to unitholders may be substantially reduced if we become subject to entity-level taxation as a result of the Internal Revenue Service ("IRS") treating us as a corporation or legislative, judicial, or administrative changes, and may also be reduced by any audit adjustments if imposed directly on the Partnership.

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Even if unitholders do not receive any cash distributions from us, unitholders will be required to pay taxes on their share of our taxable income. A unitholder's share of our taxable income may be increased as a result of the IRS successfully contesting any of the federal income tax positions we take.

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Tax gain or loss on the disposition of our units could be more than expected and create tax liabilities for our unitholders

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Limitation on unitholders' ability to deduct interest expense incurred by us could create tax liabilities for our unitholders

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Tax Exempt entities and non-U.S. unitholders face unique tax issues from owning our common units that may result in adverse tax consequences for them

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IRS challenging our allocation of depreciation and amortization deductions could cause adverse tax consequences

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IRS challenging methods of prorating items of income, gain, loss, and deduction could cause adverse tax consequences

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Unitholders with units subject to securities loans could face adverse tax consequences

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Certain U.S. federal income tax deductions currently available with respect to coal mining and production may be eliminated as a result of future legislation

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Unitholders could be subject to state and local taxes and income tax return filing due to their status as a unitholder

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Risks Inherent in an Investment in Us

Cash distributions to unitholders are not guaranteed.

The payment and amount of any future distribution will be subject to the sole discretion of the board of directors of our general partner ("Board of Directors") and will depend upon many factors, including our financial condition and prospects, our capital requirements and access to financing, covenants associated with our debt obligations, and other factors that our Board of Directors may deem relevant, and there can be no assurance that we will pay a distribution in the future. The amount of cash we can distribute to holders of our common units or other partnership securities each quarter principally depends on the amount of cash we generate from our operations, which fluctuates from quarter to quarter. In addition, the actual amount of cash available for distribution may depend on other factors, including capital allocation decisions, financing availability, restrictions in debt agreements, and the amount of cash reserves, if any, established by the general partner, in its discretion, for the proper conduct of our business. Furthermore, since the amount of cash we have available for distribution is not solely a function of profitability, which will be affected by non-cash items, we may make cash distributions during periods when we record net losses and may be unable to make cash distributions during periods when we record net income. Please read "—Risks Related to our Business" for a discussion of further risks affecting our ability to generate available cash.

We may issue an unlimited number of limited partner interests, on terms and conditions established by our general partner, without the consent of our unitholders, which will dilute your ownership interest in us and could increase the risk that we will not have sufficient available cash to make distributions.

The issuance by us of additional common units or other equity securities of equal or senior rank will have the following effects:

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our unitholders' proportionate ownership interest in us will decrease;

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the amount of cash available for distribution on each unit could decrease;

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the relative voting strength of each previously outstanding unit could be diminished;

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the ratio of taxable income to distributions could increase; and

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the market price of our common units could decline.

The market price of our common units could be adversely affected by sales of substantial amounts of our common units in the public markets, including sales by our existing unitholders.

The sale or disposition of a substantial number of our common units by our existing unitholders in the public markets could have a material adverse effect on the price of our common units or could impair our ability to obtain capital through an offering of equity securities. We do not know whether any such sales would be made in the public market or private placements, nor do we know what impact such potential or actual sales would have on our unit price in the future.

An increase in interest rates could cause the market price of our common units to decline.

Like all equity investments, an investment in our common units is subject to certain risks. In exchange for accepting these risks, investors may expect to receive a higher rate of return than would otherwise be obtainable from lower-risk investments. Accordingly, as interest rates rise, the ability of investors to obtain higher risk-adjusted rates of return by purchasing government-backed debt securities could cause a corresponding decline in demand for riskier investments generally, including yield-based equity investments such as publicly traded limited partnership interests. Reduced demand for our common units resulting from investors seeking other more favorable investment opportunities could cause the trading price of our common units to decline.

The credit and risk profile of our general partner and its owners could adversely affect our credit ratings and profile.

The credit and risk profile of our general partner or its owners may be factors in credit evaluations of us as a master limited partnership. This is because our general partner can exercise significant influence or control over our business activities, including our cash distribution policy, acquisition strategy, and business risk profile.

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Our unitholders do not elect our general partner or vote on our general partner's officers or directors.

Unlike the holders of common stock in a corporation, our unitholders have only limited voting rights on matters affecting our business and, therefore, limited ability to influence management's decisions regarding our business. Unitholders did not elect our general partner and will have no right to elect our general partner on annual or other continuing bases. If our unitholders are dissatisfied with the performance of our general partner, they will have little ability to remove our general partner. Our general partner may not be removed except upon the vote of the holders of at least 66.7% of our outstanding units.

Our unitholders' voting rights are also restricted by a provision in our partnership agreement that provides that any units held by a person that owns 20.0% or more of any class of units then outstanding, other than our general partner and its affiliates, cannot be voted on any matter.

The control of our general partner may be transferred to a third party without unitholder consent.

Our general partner may transfer its general partner interest in us to a third party in a merger or a sale of its equity securities without the consent of our unitholders. Furthermore, there is no restriction in the partnership agreement on the ability of the members of our general partner to sell or transfer all or part of their ownership interest in our general partner to a third party. The new owner or owners of our general partner would then be in a position to replace the directors and officers of our general partner and control the decisions made and actions taken by the Board of Directors and officers.

Unitholders may be required to sell their units to our general partner at an undesirable time or price.

If at any time less than 20.0% of our outstanding common units are held by persons other than our general partner and its affiliates, our general partner will have the right to acquire all, but not less than all, of those units at a price no less than their then-current market price. As a consequence, a unitholder may be required to sell his common units at an undesirable time or price. Our general partner may assign this purchase right to any of its affiliates or us.

Cost reimbursements due to our general partner could be substantial and could reduce our ability to pay distributions to unitholders.

Before making any distributions to our unitholders, we will reimburse our general partner and its affiliates for all expenses they have incurred on our behalf. The reimbursement of these expenses and the payment of these fees could adversely affect our ability to make distributions to the unitholders. Our general partner has sole discretion to determine the amount of these expenses and fees. For additional information, please see "Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence—Related-Party Transactions—Administrative Services."

Your liability as a limited partner may not be limited, and our unitholders could have to repay distributions or make additional contributions to us under certain circumstances.

As a limited partner in a partnership organized under Delaware law, you could be held liable for our obligations to the same extent as a general partner if you participate in the "control" of our business. Our general partner generally has unlimited liability for the obligations of the partnership, except for those contractual obligations of the partnership that are expressly made without recourse to our general partner. Additionally, the limitations on the liability of holders of limited partner interests for the obligations of a limited partnership have not been established in many jurisdictions.

Under certain circumstances, our unitholders could have to repay amounts wrongfully distributed to them. Under Delaware law, we may not make a distribution to our unitholders if the distribution would cause our liabilities to exceed the fair value of our assets. Delaware law provides that for three years from the date of the impermissible distribution, partners who received the distribution and who knew at the time of the distribution that it violated Delaware law will be liable to the partnership for the distribution amount. Liabilities to partners on account of their partnership interest and liabilities that are non-recourse to the partnership are not counted for purposes of determining whether a distribution is permitted.

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Our partnership agreement limits our general partner's fiduciary duties to our unitholders and restricts the remedies available to unitholders for actions taken by our general partner that may otherwise constitute breaches of fiduciary duty.

Our partnership agreement contains provisions that waive or consent to conduct by our general partner and its affiliates and which reduce the obligations to which our general partner would otherwise be held by state-law fiduciary duty standards. The following is a summary of the material restrictions contained in our partnership agreement on the fiduciary duties owed by our general partner to the limited partners. Our partnership agreement:

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permits our general partner to make many decisions in its "sole discretion." This entitles our general partner to consider only the interests and factors that it desires, and it has no duty or obligation to give any consideration to any interest of, or factors affecting us, our affiliates, or any limited partner;

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provides that our general partner is entitled to make other decisions in its "reasonable discretion";

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generally provides that affiliated transactions and resolutions of conflicts of interest not involving a required vote of unitholders must be "fair and reasonable" to us and that, in determining whether a transaction or resolution is "fair and reasonable," our general partner may consider the interests of all parties involved, including its own. Unless our general partner has acted in bad faith, the action taken by our general partner shall not constitute a breach of its fiduciary duty; and

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provides that our general partner and our officers and directors will not be liable for monetary damages to us, our limited partners, or assignees for errors of judgment or any acts or omissions if our general partner and those other persons acted in good faith.

All limited partners are bound by the provisions in the partnership agreement, including the provisions discussed above.

Our general partner's discretion in determining the level of cash reserves may adversely affect our ability to make cash distributions to our unitholders.

Our partnership agreement requires our general partner to deduct from available cash reserves that in its reasonable discretion are necessary for the proper conduct of our business, to comply with applicable law or agreements to which we are a party, or to provide funds for future distributions to partners. These cash reserves will affect the amount of cash available for distribution to unitholders.

Our general partner has conflicts of interest and limited fiduciary responsibilities, which may permit our general partner to favor its interests to the detriment of our unitholders.

Conflicts of interest could arise in the future as a result of relationships between our general partner and its affiliates, on the one hand, and us, on the other hand. As a result of these conflicts, our general partner may favor its interests and those of its affiliates over the interests of our unitholders. The nature of these conflicts includes the following considerations:

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Remedies available to our unitholders for actions that, without the limitations, could constitute breaches of fiduciary duty are limited. Unitholders are deemed to have consented to some actions and conflicts of interest that could otherwise be deemed a breach of fiduciary or other duties under applicable state law.

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Our general partner is allowed to take into account the interests of parties in addition to us in resolving conflicts of interest, thereby limiting its fiduciary duties to our unitholders.

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Our general partner's affiliates are not prohibited from engaging in other businesses or activities, including those in direct competition with us, except as provided in the omnibus agreement (please see "Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence—Omnibus Agreement").

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Our general partner determines the amount and timing of our asset purchases and sales, capital expenditures, borrowings, and reserves, each of which can affect the amount of cash that is distributed to unitholders.

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Our general partner determines whether to issue additional units or other equity securities in us.

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Our general partner determines which costs are reimbursable by us.

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Our general partner controls the enforcement of obligations owed to us by it.

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Our general partner decides whether to retain separate counsel, accountants, or others to perform services for us.

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Our general partner is not restricted from causing us to pay it or its affiliates for any services rendered on terms that are fair and reasonable to us or from entering into additional contractual arrangements with any of these entities on our behalf.

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In some instances, our general partner may direct us to borrow funds to permit the payment of distributions.

Some of our executive officers and directors face potential conflicts of interest in managing our business.

Certain of our executive officers and directors are also officers and/or directors of Alliance GP, LLC ("AGP"). These relationships could create conflicts of interest regarding corporate opportunities and other matters. The resolution of any such conflicts may not always be in our or our unitholders' best interests. These officers and directors face potential conflicts regarding the allocation of their time, which could adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

Increasing attention to ESG matters may negatively impact our business, financial results, and unit price.

Companies across all industries, including companies in fossil-fuel industries, are facing increased scrutiny from stakeholders related to their ESG practices. Companies that do not adapt or comply with evolving investor or stakeholder expectations and standards, or are perceived to have not responded appropriately to ESG issues, regardless of any legal requirement to do so, may suffer reputational damage and the business, financial condition, and valuation of such companies could be materially and adversely affected. Several advocacy groups, both domestically and internationally, have campaigned for governmental and private action to promote change at public companies related to ESG matters, including through the investment and voting practices of investment advisers, public pension funds, universities, and other members of the investing community. These activities include increasing attention to and demands for action related to climate change, promoting the use of substitutes to fossil-fuel products, encouraging the divestment of fossil-fuel equities, and pressuring lenders to limit funding to companies engaged in the extraction of fossil-fuel reserves. These activities could increase costs, reduce demand for our coal and hydrocarbon products, reduce our profits, increase the potential for investigations and litigation, impair our brand, limit our choices for lenders, insurance providers and business partners, and have negative impacts on our unit price and access to capital markets.

In addition, certain organizations that provide corporate governance and other corporate risk information to investors and unitholders have developed scores and ratings to evaluate companies and investment funds based on ESG or "sustainability" metrics. Currently, there are no universal standards for such scores or ratings, but consideration of sustainability evaluations is becoming more broadly accepted by investors. Indeed, many investment funds focus on positive ESG business practices and sustainability scores when making investments, whereas other funds may use certain ESG criteria to "screen" certain sectors, such as coal or fossil fuels more generally, out of their investments. In addition, investors, particularly institutional investors, use these scores to benchmark companies against their peers and if a company is perceived as lagging, these investors may engage with companies to require improved ESG disclosure or performance or sell their interests in the company, particularly if its ESG performance does not improve. Moreover, certain members of the broader investment community may consider a company's sustainability score as a reputational or other factor in making an investment decision. Companies in the energy industry, and in particular those focused on coal, natural gas, or oil extraction, often do not score as well under ESG assessments compared to companies in other industries. Consequently, a low ESG or sustainability score could result in our securities, both debt and equity, being excluded from the portfolios of certain investment funds and investors, restricting our access to capital to fund our continuing operations and growth opportunities. Additionally, to the extent ESG matters negatively impact our reputation, we may not be able to compete as effectively to recruit or retain employees, which may adversely affect our operations.

Public statements with respect to ESG matters, such as emission reduction goals, other environmental targets, or other commitments addressing certain social issues, are becoming increasingly subject to heightened scrutiny from public and governmental authorities related to the risk of potential "greenwashing," i.e., misleading information or false claims overstating potential ESG benefits. For example, in March 2021, the SEC established the Climate and ESG Task Force in the Division of Enforcement to identify and address potential ESG-related misconduct, including greenwashing. Certain non-governmental organizations and other private actors have also filed lawsuits under various securities and consumer protection laws alleging that certain ESG-statements, goals, or standards were misleading, false, or otherwise deceptive. As a result, we may face increased litigation risks from private parties and governmental authorities related to our ESG efforts. In addition, any alleged claims of greenwashing against us or others in our industry may lead to further negative sentiment and diversion of investments. Additionally, we could face increasing costs as we attempt to comply with and navigate further ESG-related focus and scrutiny.

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Risks Related to our Business

Global economic conditions or economic conditions in any of the industries in which our customers operate as well as sustained uncertainty in financial markets could have material adverse impacts on our business and financial condition that we currently cannot predict.

Weakness in global economic conditions or economic conditions in any of the industries we serve or in the financial markets could materially adversely affect our business and financial condition. For example:

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the demand for electricity in the United States and globally could decline if economic conditions deteriorate, which could negatively impact the revenues, margins, and profitability of our business;

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any inability of our customers to raise capital could adversely affect their ability to honor their obligations to us; and

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our future ability to access the capital markets could be restricted as a result of future economic conditions, which could materially impact our ability to grow our business, including the development of our coal mineral reserves and resources.

We face various risks related to pandemics and similar outbreaks, which have had and may continue to have material adverse effects on our business, financial position, results of operations, and/or cash flows.

Since first reported in late 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically impacted the global health and economic environment, including millions of confirmed cases, business slowdowns or shutdowns, government challenges, and market volatility of an unprecedented nature. The COVID-19 pandemic and related economic repercussions have created significant volatility, uncertainty, and turmoil in the coal and oil & gas industries driven by widespread government-imposed lockdowns. While most government-imposed shut-downs in the United States and abroad have been phased out, there is a possibility that such shut-downs may be reinstated if COVID-19 or another pandemic were to again become an acute, severe risk. This could cause a sustained decrease in demand for our coal and the failure of our customers to purchase coal from us that they are obligated to purchase pursuant to existing contracts and could cause a sustained decrease in demand for oil & gas, which would have a material adverse effect on our operations and financial condition. The various governmental and private responses to the pandemic also led to widespread, global supply chain disruptions. These supply chain disruptions have previously caused and may continue to or again cause some of our suppliers to fail to deliver the quantities of supplies we need or fail to deliver such supplies in a timely manner.

The extent to which COVID-19 or another future pandemic may adversely impact our results of operations, cash flows and financial condition depends on future developments, which are highly uncertain and unpredictable.

Growing our business could require significant amounts of financing that may not be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all.

We plan to fund capital expenditures for our growth initiatives with existing cash balances, future cash flows from operations, borrowings under revolving credit and securitization facilities, and cash provided from the issuance of debt or equity. At times, weakness in the energy sector in general and coal, in particular, has significantly impacted access to the debt and equity capital markets. Accordingly, our funding plans could be negatively impacted by constraints in the capital markets as well as numerous other factors, including higher than anticipated capital expenditures or lower than expected cash flow from operations. In addition, we could be unable to refinance our current debt obligations when they expire or obtain adequate funding prior to expiry because our lending counterparties may be unwilling or unable to meet our funding needs. Furthermore, additional growth projects and expansion opportunities could develop in the future that could also require significant amounts of financing that may not be available to us on acceptable terms or in the amounts we expect, or at all.

Various factors could adversely impact the debt and equity capital markets as well as our credit ratings or our ability to remain in compliance with the financial covenants under our then-current debt agreements, which in turn could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows. If we are unable to finance our growth initiatives as expected, we could be required to seek alternative financing, the terms of which may not be attractive to us, or to revise or cancel our plans.

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Our indebtedness could limit our ability to borrow additional funds, make distributions to unitholders, or capitalize on business opportunities.

We had long-term indebtedness of $427.0 million as of December 31, 2022. Our leverage may:

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adversely affect our ability to finance future operations and capital needs;

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limit our ability to pursue acquisitions and other business opportunities;

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make our results of operations more susceptible to adverse economic or operating conditions; and

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make it more difficult to self-insure for our workers' compensation obligations.

In addition, we have unused borrowing capacity under our revolving credit facility. Future borrowings, under our credit facilities or otherwise, could increase our leverage.

Our payments of principal and interest on any indebtedness will reduce the cash available for distribution on our units. We will be prohibited from making cash distributions:

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during an event of default under any of our indebtedness; or

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if after such distribution, we fail to meet a coverage test based on the ratio of our consolidated cash flow to our consolidated fixed charges.

Various limitations in our debt agreements may reduce our ability to incur additional indebtedness, engage in some transactions, and capitalize on business opportunities. Any subsequent refinancing of our current indebtedness or any new indebtedness could have similar or greater restrictions. Please see "Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 8 – Long-Term Debt" for further discussion.

We depend on the leadership and involvement of Joseph W. Craft III and other key personnel for the success of our business.

We depend on the leadership and involvement of Mr. Craft. Mr. Craft has been integral to our success, due in part to his ability to identify and develop internal growth projects and accretive acquisitions, make strategic decisions, and attract and retain key personnel. The loss of his leadership and involvement or the services of any members of our senior management team could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

We and our subsidiaries are subject to various legal proceedings, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.

We are party to a number of legal proceedings incident to our normal business activities. There is the potential that an individual matter or the aggregation of multiple matters could have an adverse effect on our cash flows, results of operations, or financial position. Please see "Item 3. Legal Proceedings" and "Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 23 – Commitments and Contingencies" for further discussion.

The stability and profitability of our operations could be adversely affected if our customers do not honor existing contracts or do not extend existing or enter into new long-term contracts for coal.

In 2022, we sold approximately 85.0% of our coal sales tonnage under contracts having a term greater than one year, which we refer to as long-term sales contracts. These contracts have historically provided a relatively secure market for the production committed under the terms of the contracts. From time to time industry conditions could make it more difficult for us to enter into long-term sales contracts with our electric utility customers, and if supply exceeds demand in the coal industry, electric utilities may become less willing to lock in price or quantity commitments for an extended period of time. Accordingly, we may not be able to continue to obtain long-term sales contracts with reliable customers as existing contracts expire, which could subject a portion of our revenue stream to the increased volatility of the spot market.

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Some of our long-term sales contracts contain provisions allowing for the renegotiation of prices and, in some instances, the termination of the contract or the suspension of purchases by customers.

Some of our long-term sales contracts contain provisions that allow the purchase price to be renegotiated at periodic intervals. These price reopener provisions may automatically set a new price based on the prevailing market price or, in some instances, require the parties to the contract to agree on a new price. Any adjustment or renegotiation leading to a significantly lower contract price could adversely affect our operating profit margins. Accordingly, long-term sales contracts may provide only limited protection during adverse market conditions. In some circumstances, the failure of the parties to agree on a price under a reopener provision can also lead to the early termination of a contract.

Several of our long-term sales contracts also contain provisions that allow the customer to suspend or terminate performance under the contract upon the occurrence or continuation of certain events that are beyond the customer's reasonable control. Such events could include labor disputes, mechanical malfunctions, and changes in government regulations, including changes in environmental regulations rendering the use of our coal inconsistent with the customer's environmental compliance strategies. Additionally, most of our long-term sales contracts contain provisions requiring us to deliver coal within stated ranges for specific coal characteristics. Failure to meet these specifications can result in economic penalties, rejection or suspension of shipments, or termination of the contracts. In the event of early termination of any of our long-term sales contracts, if we are unable to enter into new contracts on similar terms, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected.

We depend on a few customers for a significant portion of our revenues, and the loss of one or more significant customers could affect our ability to maintain the sales volume and price of the coal we produce.

In 2022, we derived more than 10% of our total revenues from each of Duke Energy, Louisville Gas and Electric Company, and Tennessee Valley Authority. If we were to lose this or any of our significant customers without finding replacement customers willing to purchase an equivalent amount of coal on similar terms, or if these customers were to decrease the amounts of coal purchased or change the terms, including pricing terms, on which they buy coal from us, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Our ability to collect payments from our customers could be impaired if their creditworthiness declines or if they fail to honor their contracts with us.

Our ability to receive payment for coal sold and delivered depends on the continued creditworthiness of our customers. If the creditworthiness of our customers declines significantly, our business could be adversely affected. In addition, if a customer refuses to accept shipments of our coal for which they have an existing contractual obligation, our revenues will decrease and we may have to reduce production at our mines until our customer's contractual obligations are honored.

Terrorist attacks or cyber incidents could result in information theft, data corruption, operational disruption, and/or financial loss.

Like most companies, we have become increasingly dependent upon digital technologies, including information systems, infrastructure, and cloud applications and services, to operate our businesses, process and record financial and operating data, communicate with our business partners, analyze mine and mining information, and estimate quantities of reserves and resources, as well as other activities related to our businesses. Strategic targets, such as energy-related assets, could be at greater risk of future terrorist or cyber-attacks than other targets in the United States. Deliberate attacks on, or security breaches in, our systems or infrastructure, or the systems or infrastructure of third parties could lead to corruption or loss of our proprietary data and potentially sensitive data, delays in production or delivery, difficulty in completing and settling transactions, challenges in maintaining our books and records, environmental damage, communication interruptions, other operational disruptions, and third-party liability. Our insurance may not protect us against such occurrences. Consequently, it is possible that any of these occurrences, or a combination of them, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows. Further, as cyber incidents continue to evolve, we could be required to expend additional resources to continue to modify or enhance our protective measures or to investigate and remediate any vulnerability to cyber incidents.

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Although none of our employees are members of unions, our workforce may not remain union-free in the future.

None of our employees are represented under collective bargaining agreements. However, our workforce may not remain union-free in the future, and legislative, regulatory, or other governmental action could make it more difficult to remain union-free. If some or all of our currently union-free operations were to become unionized, it could adversely affect our productivity and increase the risk of work stoppages at our mining complexes. In addition, even if we remain union-free, our operations could still be adversely affected by work stoppages at unionized companies, particularly if union workers were to orchestrate boycotts against our operations.

Risks Related to Our Industries

Prices for oil & gas, as well as coal, are volatile and can fluctuate widely based on a number of factors beyond our control. An extended decline in the prices of such commodities could negatively impact our results of operations.

Our results of operations are primarily dependent upon the prices of oil & gas and coal, as well as our ability to improve productivity and control costs. The prices for oil & gas and coal depend upon factors beyond our control, including:

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overall domestic and global economic conditions;

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the adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic due to the reduction in demand;

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the supply of and demand for domestic and foreign coal;

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the supply of and demand for oil & gas;

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weather conditions and patterns that affect demand for coal and oil & gas, or our ability to produce coal or the ability of operators to produce oil & gas from our mineral interests;

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supply chain and cost of raw materials for coal and oil & gas operations;

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the proximity to and capacity of transportation facilities;

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competition from other coal suppliers;

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domestic and foreign governmental regulations and taxes;

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the price and availability of alternative fuels;

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the effect of worldwide energy consumption, including the impact of technological advances on energy consumption;

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international developments impacting the supply of coal;

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international developments impacting the supply of oil & gas; and

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the impact of domestic and foreign governmental laws and regulations.

Any adverse change in these factors could result in weaker demand and lower prices for our products. A substantial or extended decline in coal prices could materially and adversely affect us by decreasing our revenues to the extent we are not protected by the terms of existing coal supply agreements.

Competition within the coal industry could adversely affect our ability to sell coal. In addition, foreign currency fluctuations could adversely affect the competitiveness of our coal abroad.

We compete with other coal producers in various regions of the United States for domestic coal sales. In addition, we face competition from foreign and domestic producers that sell their coal in the international coal markets. The most important factors on which we compete are delivered price (i.e., the cost of coal delivered to the customer, including transportation costs, which are generally paid by our customers either directly or indirectly), coal quality characteristics, contract flexibility (e.g., volume optionality and multiple supply sources), and reliability of supply. Some competitors could have, among other things, larger financial and operating resources, lower per ton cost of production, or relationships with specific transportation providers. The competition among coal producers could impact our ability to retain or attract customers and could adversely impact our revenues and cash available for distribution.

We sell coal in the export thermal and metallurgical coal market, both of which are significantly affected by international demand and competition. Consolidation in the coal industry or current or future bankruptcy proceedings of coal competitors could adversely affect us. The prices of and demand for our coal could significantly decline, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows, and could reduce our revenues and cash available for distribution.

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In addition, we face competition from foreign producers that sell their coal in the export market. Potential changes to international trade agreements, trade concessions, or other political and economic arrangements could benefit coal producers operating in countries other than the United States. We could be adversely impacted on the basis of price or other factors by foreign trade policies or other arrangements that benefit competitors. In addition, coal is sold internationally in United States dollars and, as a result, general economic conditions in foreign markets and changes in foreign currency exchange rates could provide our foreign competitors with a competitive advantage. If our competitors' currencies decline against the United States dollar or foreign purchasers' local currencies, those competitors could be able to offer lower prices for coal to those purchasers. Furthermore, if the currencies of overseas purchasers were to significantly decline in value in comparison to the United States dollar, those purchasers may seek decreased prices for the coal we sell. Consequently, currency fluctuations could adversely affect the competitiveness of our coal in international markets, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

Changes in taxes or tariffs and other trade measures by the United States and foreign governments could adversely affect our results of operations, financial position, and cash flows.

We pay certain taxes and fees related to our operations. Congress or state legislatures may seek to increase these taxes and fees that relate specifically to the coal industry. We cannot predict further developments, and such increases could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial position, and cash flows.

New tariffs and other trade measures could adversely affect our results of operations, financial position, and cash flows. In response to tariffs imposed by the United States, the European Union, Canada, Mexico, and China have imposed tariffs on United States goods and services. The new tariffs, along with any additional tariffs or trade restrictions that may be implemented by the United States or retaliatory trade measures or tariffs implemented by other countries, could result in reduced economic activity, increased costs in operating our business, reduced demand and changes in purchasing behaviors for thermal and metallurgical coal, limits on trade with the United States or other potentially adverse economic outcomes. Additionally, we sell coal into the export thermal and metallurgical markets. Accordingly, our international sales could also be impacted by the tariffs and other restrictions on trade between the United States and other countries. While tariffs and other retaliatory trade measures imposed by other countries on United States goods have not yet had a significant impact on our business or results of operations, we cannot predict further developments, and such existing or future tariffs could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial position and cash flows and could reduce our revenues and cash available for distribution.

The Russian-Ukrainian conflict, and sanctions brought against Russia, have caused significant market disruptions that may lead to increased volatility in the price of commodities, including oil & gas, coal, and other sources of energy.

The extent and duration of the military conflict involving Russia and Ukraine, resulting sanctions and future market or supply disruptions in the region are impossible to predict, but could be significant and may have a severe adverse effect on the region. Globally, various governments have banned imports from Russia including commodities such as oil & gas and coal. These events have caused volatility in the aforementioned commodity markets. Although we have not experienced any material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition or cash flows as a result of the war or the resulting volatility, such volatility, may significantly affect prices for our coal and oil & gas or the cost of supplies and equipment, as well as the prices of competing sources of energy for our electric power plant customers.

The war, trade and monetary sanctions, as well as any escalation of the conflict and future developments, could significantly affect worldwide market prices and demand for our coal and oil & gas and cause turmoil in the capital markets and generally in the global financial system. Additionally, the geopolitical and macroeconomic consequences of the war and associated sanctions cannot be predicted, but could severely impact the world economy. If any of these events occur, the resulting political instability and societal disruption could reduce overall demand for products, causing a reduction in our revenues or an increase in our costs and thereby materially and adversely affecting our results of operations.

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Changes in consumption patterns by utilities regarding the use of coal, including plans by utilities to shut down or move away from coal-fired generation, have affected our ability to sell the coal we produce and may do so in the future.

Our business is closely linked to the demand for electricity, and any changes in coal consumption by domestic or international electric power generators would likely impact our business over the long term. The domestic electric power sector accounts for the vast majority of the total domestic coal consumption. The amount of coal consumed by the domestic electric utility industry is affected primarily by the overall demand for electricity, environmental and other governmental regulations, and the price and availability of competing fuels for power plants such as nuclear, natural gas, and fuel oil as well as alternative sources of energy. Competition from natural gas-fired plants that are relatively more efficient, less expensive to construct, and less difficult to permit than coal-fired plants has the most potential to displace a significant amount of coal-fired electric power generation in the near term, particularly from older, less efficient coal-fired powered generators.

Future environmental regulation of GHG emissions also could accelerate the use by utilities of fuels other than coal. In addition, federal and state mandates for increased use of electricity derived from renewable energy sources could affect demand for coal. Such mandates, combined with other incentives to use renewable energy sources such as tax credits, could make alternative fuel sources more competitive with coal. Further, far-reaching federal regulations promulgated by the EPA in the last several years, such as CSAPR and MATS, have led to the premature retirement of coal-fired generating units and a significant reduction in the amount of coal-fired generating capacity in the United States. A decrease in coal consumption by the domestic electric utility industry could adversely affect the demand for or the price of coal, which could negatively impact our results of operations and reduce our cash available for distribution.

Other factors, such as efficiency improvements associated with technologies powered by electricity have slowed electricity demand growth and could contribute to slower growth in the future. Further decreases in the demand for electricity, such as decreases that could be caused by a worsening of current economic conditions, could have a material adverse effect on the demand for coal and our business over the long term.

We, our customers, or the operators of our oil & gas mineral interests could be subject to litigation related to climate change.

Increasing attention to climate change risk has also resulted in a recent trend of governmental investigations and private litigation by state and local governmental agencies as well as private plaintiffs in an effort to hold energy companies accountable for the alleged effects of climate change. Other public nuisance lawsuits have been brought in the past against power, coal, and oil & gas companies alleging that their operations are contributing to climate change. The plaintiffs in these suits sought various remedies, including punitive and compensatory damages and injunctive relief. While the U.S. Supreme Court held that federal common law provided no basis for public nuisance claims against the defendants in those cases, tort-type liabilities remain a possibility and a source of concern. Government entities in other states (including California and New York) have brought similar claims seeking to hold a wide variety of companies that produce fossil fuels liable for the alleged impacts of the GHG emissions attributable to those fuels. Those lawsuits allege damages as a result of climate change and the plaintiffs are seeking unspecified damages and abatement under various tort theories. Separately, litigation has been brought against certain fossil-fuel companies alleging that they have been aware of the adverse effects of climate change for some time but failed to adequately disclose such impacts to their investors or consumers. We have not been made a party to these other suits, but it is possible that we could be included in similar future lawsuits initiated by state and local governments as well as private claimants.

Litigation resulting from disputes with our customers could result in substantial costs, liabilities, and loss of revenues.

From time to time, we have disputes with our customers over the provisions of coal supply contracts relating to, among other things, coal pricing, quality, quantity, and the existence of specified conditions beyond our or our customers' control that suspend performance obligations under the particular contract. Disputes could occur in the future and we may not be able to resolve those disputes in a satisfactory manner, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

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Our profitability could decline due to unanticipated mine operating conditions and other events that are not within our control and that may not be fully covered under our insurance policies.

Our coal mining operations are influenced by changing conditions or events that can affect production levels and costs at particular mines for varying lengths of time and, as a result, can diminish our profitability. These conditions and events include, among others:

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mining and processing equipment failures and unexpected maintenance problems;

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unavailability of required equipment;

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prices for fuel, steel, explosives, and other supplies;

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fines and penalties incurred as a result of alleged violations of environmental and safety laws and regulations;

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variations in the thickness of the layer, or seam, of coal;

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amounts of overburden, partings, rock, and other natural materials;

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weather conditions, such as heavy rains, flooding, ice, and other natural events affecting operations, transportation, or customers;

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accidental mine water discharges and other geological conditions;

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fires;

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seismic activities, ground failures, rock bursts or structural cave-ins or slides;

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employee injuries or fatalities;

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labor-related interruptions;

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increased reclamation costs;

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inability to acquire, maintain or renew mining rights or permits in a timely manner, if at all;

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fluctuations in transportation costs and the availability or reliability of transportation; and

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unexpected operational interruptions due to other factors.

These conditions have the potential to significantly impact our operating results. Prolonged disruption of production at any of our mines would result in a decrease in our revenues and profitability, which could materially adversely impact our quarterly or annual results.

Effective December 1, 2022, we renewed our annual property and casualty insurance program. Our property insurance was procured from our wholly owned captive insurance company, Wildcat Insurance, LLC ("Wildcat Insurance"). Wildcat Insurance charged certain of our subsidiaries for the premiums on this program and in return purchased reinsurance for the program in the standard market. The maximum limit in the commercial property program is $100.0 million per occurrence, excluding a $1.5 million deductible for property damage, a 75 or 90 day waiting period for underground business interruption depending on the mining complex, and an additional $25.0 million overall aggregate deductible. We can make no assurances that we will not experience significant insurance claims in the future that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and ability to purchase property insurance in the future. Also, exposures exist for which no insurance may be available and for which we have not reserved. In addition, the insurance industry has been subject to efforts by environmental activists to restrict coverages available for fossil-fuel companies.

We could be unable to obtain and renew permits necessary for our coal mining operations, which could reduce our production, cash flow, and profitability.

Mining companies must obtain numerous governmental permits or approvals that impose strict conditions and obligations relating to various environmental and safety matters in connection with coal mining. The permitting rules are complex and can change over time. Regulatory authorities exercise considerable discretion in the timing and scope of permit issuance. The public has the right to comment on permit applications and otherwise participate in the permitting process, including through court intervention. Accordingly, permits required to conduct our operations may not be issued, maintained, or renewed, may not be issued or renewed in a timely fashion, or may involve requirements that restrict our ability to economically conduct our mining operations. Limitations on our ability to conduct our mining operations due to the inability to obtain or renew necessary permits or similar approvals could reduce our production, cash flow, and profitability. Please read "Item 1. Business—Environmental, Health and Safety Regulations—Mining Permits and Approvals."

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The EPA has begun reviewing permits required for the discharge of overburden from mining operations under Section 404 of the CWA. Various initiatives by the EPA regarding these permits have increased the time required to obtain and the costs of complying with such permits. In addition, the EPA previously exercised its "veto" power to withdraw or restrict the use of previously issued permits in connection with one of the largest surface mining operations in Appalachia. The EPA's action was ultimately upheld by a federal court. As a result of these developments, we could be unable to obtain or experience delays in securing, utilizing, or renewing Section 404 permits required for our operations, which could have an adverse effect on our results of operation and financial position. Please read "Item 1. Business—Environmental, Health and Safety Regulations—Water Discharge."

In addition, some of our permits could be subject to challenges from the public, which could result in additional costs or delays in the permitting process or even an inability to obtain permits, permit modifications, or permit renewals necessary for our operations.

Fluctuations in transportation costs and the availability or reliability of transportation could reduce revenues by causing us to reduce our production or by impairing our ability to supply coal to our customers.

Transportation costs represent a significant portion of the total cost of coal for our customers and, as a result, the cost of transportation is a critical factor in a customer's purchasing decision. Increases in transportation costs could make coal a less competitive source of energy or could make our coal production less competitive than coal produced from other sources. Disruption of transportation services due to weather-related problems, flooding, drought, accidents, mechanical difficulties, strikes, lockouts, bottlenecks, or other events could temporarily impair our ability to supply coal to our customers. Our transportation providers could face difficulties in the future that could impair our ability to supply coal to our customers, resulting in decreased revenues. If there are disruptions in the transportation services provided by our primary rail or barge carriers that transport our coal and we are unable to find alternative transportation providers to ship our coal, our business could be adversely affected.

Conversely, significant decreases in transportation costs could result in increased competition from coal producers in other parts of the country. For instance, difficulty in coordinating the many eastern coal loading facilities, the large number of small shipments, the steeper average grades of the terrain, and a more unionized workforce are all issues that combine to make coal shipments originating in the eastern United States inherently more expensive on a per-mile basis than coal shipments originating in the western United States. Historically, high coal transportation rates from the western coal-producing areas into certain eastern markets limited the use of western coal in those markets. Lower rail rates from the western coal-producing areas to markets served by eastern United States coal producers have created major competitive challenges for eastern coal producers. In the event of further reductions in transportation costs from western coal-producing areas, the increased competition with certain eastern coal markets could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

States in which our coal is transported by truck may modify or increase enforcement of their laws regarding weight limits or coal trucks on public roads. Such legislation and enforcement efforts could result in shipment delays and increased costs. An increase in transportation costs could have an adverse effect on our ability to increase or maintain production and could adversely affect revenues.

Political or financial instability, currency fluctuations, the outbreak of pandemics or other illnesses (such as th

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