A judge on Wednesday said U.S. Coal Corp. could put half the company's eastern Kentucky coal operations up for sale at an auction next month, Dow Jones Daily Bankruptcy Review reported today. Bankruptcy Judge Tracey Wise approved the request, which allows U.S. coal to sell its Central Appalachia division at a Feb. 20 auction. The company has said that the division, with 24.4 million tons of coal reserves, is expected to lose money as mining costs increase and the coal-market weakens.
