SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                           Washington, D.C. 20549
                          ----------------------------

                                   FORM 8-K
                                 CURRENT REPORT

                     Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
                         Securities Exchange Act of 1934


Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): August 8, 2002(August 7, 2002)

                                Arch Coal, Inc.
               (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

    Delaware                          1-13105                    43-0921172
(State or other jurisdiction   (Commission File Number)       (I.R.S. Employer
    of incorporation)                                        Identification No.)


               One CityPlace Drive, Suite 300, St. Louis, Missouri 63141
                    (Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)


      Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (314) 994-2700


















                           Page 1 of 4 pages.
                       Exhibit Index begins on page 4.







Item 5. Other  Events.

     On August 7, 2002, the Chief Executive  Officer and Chief Financial Officer
of Arch Coal,  Inc. (the  "Company"),  each  executed a Statement  Under Oath of
Principal  Financial  Officer  Regarding  Facts and  Circumstances  Relating  to
Exchange  Act Filings  (individually  referred to as the  "Statement")  which is
required to be filed with the Securities  Exchange  Commission.  Copies of these
Certifications  are attached hereto and incorporated  herein by reference in its
entirety.


Item 7.  Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(c)      The following Exhibits are filed with this Current Report on Form 8-K:

        Exhibit No.    Description
           99-1        Statement executed by Steven F. Leer, President and Chief
                        Executive Officer of the Company

           99-2        Statement executed by Robert J. Messey, Senior Vice
                        President and Chief Financial Officer

























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                           Exhibit Index begins on page 4.






                                     SIGNATURES

     Pursuant to the  requirements  of the Securities  Exchange Act of 1934, the
registrant  has duly  caused  this  report  to be  signed  on its  behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

Dated:  August 8, 2002                  ARCH COAL, INC.



                                         By:  /s/ Robert G. Jones
                                             Robert G. Jones
                                             Vice President - Law, General
                                             Counsel and Secretary































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                           Exhibit Index begins on page 4.







                                EXHIBIT INDEX


Exhibit No.          Description
99-1                 Statement executed by Steven F. Leer, President and Chief
                      Executive Officer of the Company

99-2                 Statement executed by Robert J. Messey, Senior Vice
                      President and Chief Financial Officer


































                                    Page 4 of 4 pages.









                                                                 Exhibit 99-1



               Statement Under Oath of Principal Executive Officer
          Regarding Facts and Circumstances Relating to Exchange Act Filings



  I, Steven F. Leer, state and attest that:


     (1) To the best of my knowledge, based upon a review of the covered reports
of Arch Coal,  Inc.,  and,  except as corrected or  supplemented in a subsequent
covered report:

  o              no covered report contained an untrue statement of a material
                 fact as of the end of the period covered by such report (or in
                 the case of a report on Form 8-K or definitive proxy materials,
                 as of the date on which it w filed); and


  o              no covered report omitted to state a material fact necessary to
                 make the statements in the covered report, in light of the
                 circumstances under which they were made, not misleading as of
                 the end of the period covered such report (or in the case of a
                 report on Form 8-K or definitive proxy materials, as of the
                 date on which it was filed).


     (2) I have reviewed the contents of this statement with the Company's audit
committee.


     (3) In this statement  under oath,  each of the  following,  if filed on or
before the date of this statement, is a "covered report":

  o        the report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2001 of Arch
           Coal, Inc.;


  o        all reports on Form 10-Q, all reports on Form 8-K and all definitive
           proxy materials of Arch Coal, Inc. filed with the Commission
           subsequent to the filing of the Form 10-K identified above; and


  o        any amendments to any of the foregoing.


  /s/ Steven F. Leer

  Steven F. Leer
  President and Chief Executive
      Officer
  August 7, 2002


  Subscribed and sworn to before me this 7th day of August, 2002.


  /s/ Erika M. Dominick
  Notary Public


  My Commission Expires: 9/30/03







                                                                   Exhibit 99-2


               Statement Under Oath of Principal Financial Officer
            Regarding Facts and Circumstances Relating to Exchange Act Filings



  I, Robert J. Messey, state and attest that:


     (1) To the best of my knowledge, based upon a review of the covered reports
of Arch Coal,  Inc.,  and,  except as corrected or  supplemented in a subsequent
covered report:

  o              no covered report contained an untrue statement of a material
                 fact as of the end of the period covered by such report (or in
                 the case of a report on Form 8-K or definitive proxy materials,
                 as of the date on which it w filed); and


  o              no covered report omitted to state a material fact necessary to
                 make the statements in the covered report, in light of the
                 circumstances under which they were made, not misleading as of
                 the end of the period covered such report (or in the case of a
                 report on Form 8-K or definitive proxy materials, as of the
                 date on which it was filed).


     (2) I have reviewed the contents of this statement with the Company's audit
committee.


     (3) In this statement  under oath,  each of the  following,  if filed on or
before the date of this statement, is a "covered report":

  o        the report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2001 of Arch
           Coal, Inc.;

  o        all reports on Form 10-Q, all reports on Form 8-K and all definitive
           proxy materials of Arch Coal, Inc. filed with the Commission
           subsequent to the filing of the Form 10-K identified above; and


  o        any amendments to any of the foregoing.


  /s/ Robert J. Messey
  Robert J. Messey
  Senior Vice President and
      Chief Financial Officer

  August 7, 2002


  Subscribed and sworn to before me this 7th day of August, 2002.


  /s/ Erika M. Dominick
  Notary Public


  My Commission Expires: 9/30/03