Segment Information
 3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2015
Segment Reporting [Abstract]  
Segment Information
Segment Information  

The Company's reportable business segments are based on the major coal producing basins in which the Company operates and may include a number of mine complexes. The Company manages its coal sales by coal basin, not by individual mining complex. Geology, coal transportation routes to customers, regulatory environments and coal quality or type are characteristic to a basin, and, accordingly, market and contract pricing have developed by coal basin. Mining operations are evaluated based on adjusted EBITDA, as well as on other non-financial measures, such as safety and environmental performance. The Company’s reportable segments are the Powder River Basin (PRB) segment, with operations in Wyoming; and the Appalachia (APP) segment, with operations primarily in West Virginia.  The “Other” category combines other operating segments and includes the Company’s coal mining operations in Colorado and Illinois.
 
Operating segment results for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014 are presented below. The Company uses Adjusted EBITDA to assess the operating segments’ performance and to allocate resources. The Company’s management believes that Adjusted EBITDA presents a useful measure of our ability to service existing debt and incur additional debt based on ongoing operations.  Corporate, Other and Eliminations includes the change in fair value of coal derivatives and coal trading activities, net; corporate overhead; land management; other support functions; and the elimination of intercompany trans-actions. 
 
 
PRB
 
APP
 
Other
Operating
Segments
 
Corporate,
Other and
Eliminations
 
Consolidated
 
 
(in thousands)
Three Months Ended March 31, 2015
 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

Revenues
 
$
391,206

 
$
223,439

 
$
62,360

 
$
—

 
$
677,005

Adjusted EBITDA
 
72,062

 
39,807

 
1,691

 
(31,788
)
 
81,772

Depreciation, depletion and amortization
 
44,361

 
48,727

 
10,055

 
1,731

 
104,874

Amortization of acquired sales contracts, net
 
(1,285
)
 
(2,105
)
 
—

 
—

 
(3,390
)
Capital expenditures
 
16,969

 
3,385

 
2,642

 
(116
)
 
22,880

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Three Months Ended March 31, 2014
 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

Revenues
 
$
358,607

 
$
279,137

 
$
98,227

 
$
—

 
$
735,971

Adjusted EBITDA
 
29,819

 
28,427

 
4,132

 
(34,773
)
 
27,605

Depreciation, depletion and amortization
 
39,245

 
54,988

 
9,519

 
671

 
104,423

Amortization of acquired sales contracts, net
 
(789
)
 
(2,974
)
 
67

 
—

 
(3,696
)
Capital expenditures
 
2,094

 
8,156

 
1,801

 
2,403

 
14,454


A reconciliation of adjusted EBITDA to consolidated loss before income taxes follows:

 
 
Three Months Ended March 31,
 
 
 
2015
 
2014
 
 
 
(In thousands)
 
Adjusted EBITDA
 
$
81,772

 
$
27,605

 
Depreciation, depletion and amortization
 
(104,874
)
 
(104,423
)
 
Amortization of acquired sales contracts, net
 
3,390

 
3,696

 
Interest expense, net
 
(96,879
)
 
(94,628
)
 
Loss before income taxes
 
$
(116,591
)
 
$
(167,750
)