Inventories

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2011

Inventories

Inventories

3.  Inventories

Inventories, net, consisted of the following (in thousands):

	September 30,			December 31,
	2011			2010
Materials and supplies	$	68,465		$	60,326
Less: Obsolescence allowance	(871		)	(586		)
	67,594			59,740
Coal stockpiles and finished product	5,097			5,230
	$	72,691		$	64,970

We recognized a provision to increase the obsolescence allowance and charged inventory costs to the obsolescence allowance as follows (in thousands):

	Three Months Ended				Nine Months Ended
	September 30,				September 30,
	2011		2010		2011		2010
Provision to increase the obsolescence allowance	$	89	$	261	$	406	$	658
Inventory costs charged to the obsolescence allowance	$	12	$	1,262	$	121	$	1,668