Washington, D.C., (February 15, 2017) — Members of the American Coal Council (ACC) and the Coal Trading Association (CTA) have approved the combination of the two organizations. The combined organization will operate under the existing American Coal Council name and organizational structure and be managed by CEO Betsy Monseu and current ACC staff members. 

Two CTA Board Directors have been added to the ACC Board of Directors: Steve Watson, Director – Trading and Origination with Arch Energy Resources, and Ginny Farrow, Portfolio Director – Coal with NRG Energy. Coal trading matters will be addressed by a new ACC Coal Trading Committee, which Watson will chair.

Regarding the merger, ACC CEO Monseu said, "The missions, activities, and programs of the ACC and CTA fit well together, and the two organizations have had a longstanding relationship to co-host the annual Coal Trading Conference. I thank the Boards and members of both organizations for their support of this combination, and the recognition of the value proposition it provides. I appreciate the contributions of CTA Executive Director Bob McLean and wish him well as he retires."

CTA programs and events to be continued under ACC include:

• The reception at the Eastern Fuel Buyers Conference in Orlando on May 2, 2017.
• The Coal Trading Conference, in New York on December 4-5, 2017. 
• The Fundamentals of Coal Trading class, which is being converted to an online education program.

The American Coal Council is a non-profit trade association representing the collective interests of the American coal sector, from the hole-in-the-ground to the plug-in-the-wall, in advocating for coal as an economic, abundant, and environmentally sound fuel source.