Alliance Holdings GP, L.P. (AHGP)

TULSA, Okla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Alliance Holdings GP, L.P. (NASDAQ: AHGP) today reported financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2018 (the "2018 Quarter"). As previously announced on April 27, 2018, the Board of Directors of its general partner (the "Board") approved a distribution to unitholders of $0.7475 per unit (an annualized rate of $2.99 per unit) for the 2018 Quarter, payable on May 18, 2018 to AHGP unitholders of record as of the close of trading on May 11, 2018. The announced distribution represents a 35.9% increase over the cash distribution of $0.55 for the quarter ended March 31, 2017 (the "2017 Quarter") and a 0.7% increase over the cash distribution of $0.7425 for the quarter ended December 31, 2017 (the "Sequential Quarter"). AHGP's principal sources of cash flow are its ownership interests in Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. (NASDAQ: ARLP). The declared distribution is based on the distribution AHGP will receive from its ownership interests in ARLP, which previously announced on April 27, 2018 a quarterly distribution for the 2018 Quarter of $0.515 per unit, or $2.06 per unit on an annualized basis, payable on May 15, 2018 to all unitholders of record as of the close of trading on May 8, 2018. AHGP also reported net income attributable to AHGP for the 2018 Quarter of $103.7 million, or $1.73 per basic and diluted limited partner unit, an increase of 88.5% compared to net income attributable to AHGP for the 2017 Quarter of $55.0 million, or $0.92 per basic and diluted limited partner unit. Net income attributable to AHGP for the 2018 Quarter increased approximately 110.4% compared to net income attributable to AHGP for the Sequential Quarter of $49.3 million, or $0.82 per basic and diluted limited partner unit. Operating results for AHGP reflect those of the operating subsidiaries of ARLP and, as a result, AHGP reports its financial results on a consolidated basis with the financial results of ARLP. The consolidated net income of AHGP includes earnings and losses attributable to both AHGP and noncontrolling interests. On February 23, 2018 ARLP and AHGP (collectively, the “Alliance Partnerships”) jointly announced an agreement pursuant to which, through a series of transactions (the “Simplification Transactions”), AHGP would become a wholly owned subsidiary of ARLP and all of the ARLP common units held by AHGP and its subsidiaries would be distributed to the unitholders of AHGP in exchange for their AHGP common units. Pursuant to this agreement, ARLP filed a preliminary registration statement on Form S-4 on March 29, 2018. On April 26, 2018, the Securities Exchange Commission declared the Form S-4 effective to register the distribution of the ARLP common units currently held by AHGP and its subsidiaries to AHGP’s unitholders and, on April 27, 2018, AHGP mailed consent solicitation statements to its unitholders of record as of April 25, 2018. Consummation of the Simplification Transactions remains subject to the affirmative vote or consent of the holders of a majority of the outstanding AHGP common units. Certain AHGP unitholders, which collectively own a majority of the outstanding AHGP common units, have agreed to deliver a written consent approving the Simplification Transactions pursuant to a support agreement. The Alliance Partnerships expect to close the Simplification Transactions during the second quarter of 2018 following AHGP's quarterly cash distribution to unitholders discussed above. A joint conference call regarding AHGP and ARLP's 2018 Quarter financial results is scheduled for today at 10:00 a.m. Eastern. To participate in the conference call, dial (877) 506-1589 and request to be connected to the Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. and Alliance Holdings GP, L.P earnings conference call. Canadian callers should dial (855) 669-9657 and all other International callers should dial (412) 317-5240 and request to be connected to the same call. Investors may also listen to the call via the "investor information" section of ARLP's website at http://www.arlp.com or AHGP's website at http://www.ahgp.com. An audio replay of the conference call will be available for approximately one week. To access the audio replay, dial US Toll Free (877) 344-7529; International Toll (412) 317-0088; Canada Toll Free (855) 669-9658 and request to be connected to replay access code 10118635. About Alliance Holdings GP, L.P. AHGP is a limited partnership formed to own and control ARLP's general partner through which it holds a non-economic general partner interest in ARLP and an approximate one percent general partner interest in ARLP's operating subsidiary, Alliance Resource Operating Partners, L.P. In addition, AHGP owns 87,188,338 common units of ARLP. News, unit prices and additional information about AHGP including filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, are available at http://www.ahgp.com. For more information, contact the investor relations department of AHGP at (918) 295-1415 or via e-mail at investorrelations@ahgp.com. The statements and projections used throughout this release are based on current expectations. These statements and projections are forward-looking, and actual results may differ materially. These statements do not include the potential impact of any mergers, acquisitions or other business combinations that may occur after the date of this release. At the end of this release, we have included more information regarding business risks that could affect our results. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: With the exception of historical matters, any matters discussed in this press release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from projected results. These risks, uncertainties and contingencies include, but are not limited to, the following: changes in competition in coal markets and the ability of ARLP and its consolidated subsidiaries (the "ARLP Partnership") to respond to such changes; changes in coal prices, which could affect the ARLP Partnership's operating results and cash flows; risks associated with the expansion of the ARLP Partnership's operations and properties; legislation, regulations, and court decisions and interpretations thereof, including those relating to the environment and the release of greenhouse gases, mining, miner health and safety and health care; deregulation of the electric utility industry or the effects of any adverse change in the coal industry, electric utility industry, or general economic conditions; dependence on significant customer contracts, including renewing existing contracts upon expiration; changing global economic conditions or in industries in which the ARLP Partnership's customers operate; liquidity constraints, including those resulting from any future unavailability of financing; customer bankruptcies, cancellations or breaches to existing contracts, or other failures to perform; customer delays, failure to take coal under contracts or defaults in making payments; adjustments made in price, volume or terms to existing coal supply agreements; fluctuations in coal demand, prices and availability; changes in oil and gas prices, which could affect the ARLP Partnership’s investments in oil and gas mineral interests and gas compression services; the ARLP Partnership's productivity levels and margins earned on its coal sales; changes in raw material costs; changes in the availability of skilled labor; the ARLP Partnership's ability to maintain satisfactory relations with its employees; increases in labor costs, including costs of health insurance and taxes resulting from the Affordable Care Act, adverse changes in work rules, or cash payments or projections associated with post-mine reclamation and workers' compensation claims; increases in transportation costs and risk of transportation delays or interruptions; operational interruptions due to geologic, permitting, labor, weather-related or other factors; risks associated with major mine-related accidents, such as mine fires, or interruptions; results of litigation, including claims not yet asserted; difficulty maintaining the ARLP Partnership's surety bonds for mine reclamation as well as workers' compensation and black lung benefits; difficulty in making accurate assumptions and projections regarding post-mine reclamation as well as pension, black lung benefits and other post-retirement benefit liabilities; the coal industry's share of electricity generation, including as a result of environmental concerns related to coal mining and combustion and the cost and perceived benefits of other sources of electricity, such as natural gas, nuclear energy and renewable fuels; uncertainties in estimating and replacing the ARLP Partnership's coal reserves; a loss or reduction of benefits from certain tax deductions and credits; difficulty obtaining commercial property insurance, and risks associated with the ARLP Partnership's participation (excluding any applicable deductible) in the commercial insurance property program; and difficulty in making accurate assumptions and projections regarding future revenues and costs associated with investments in companies the ARLP Partnership does not control. Additional information concerning these and other factors can be found in AHGP's public periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including AHGP's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017, filed on February 23, 2018 with the SEC. Except as required by applicable securities laws, AHGP does not intend to update its forward-looking statements.

TULSA, Okla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Alliance Holdings GP, L.P. (NASDAQ: AHGP) today reported financial results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2017 (the "2017 Quarter" and the "2017 Year", respectively). As previously announced, the Board of Directors of its general partner (the "Board") approved a distribution to unitholders of $0.7425 per unit (an annualized rate of $2.97 per unit) for the 2017 Quarter, payable on February 20, 2018 to AHGP unitholders of record as of the close of trading on February 13, 2018. The announced distribution represents a 35.0% increase over the cash distribution of $0.55 for the quarter ended December 31, 2016 and a 1.0% increase over the cash distribution of $0.735 for the quarter ended September 30, 2017 (the “Sequential Quarter”). AHGP's principal sources of cash flow are its ownership interests in Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. (NASDAQ: ARLP). The declared distribution is based on the distribution AHGP will receive from its ownership interests in ARLP, which previously announced a quarterly distribution for the 2017 Quarter of $0.51 per unit, or $2.04 per unit on an annualized basis, payable on February 14, 2018 to all unitholders of record as of the close of trading on February 7, 2018. (See ARLP Press Release dated January 26, 2018.) AHGP also reported net income attributable to AHGP for the 2017 Quarter of $49.3 million, or $0.82 per basic and diluted limited partner interest, a decrease of 19.4% compared to net income attributable to AHGP for the 2016 Quarter of $61.2 million, or $1.02 per basic and diluted limited partner unit. Net income attributable to AHGP for the 2017 Quarter increased approximately 26.1% compared to net income attributable to AHGP for the Sequential Quarter of $39.1 million, or $0.65 per basic and diluted limited partner unit. For the year ended December 31, 2017, AHGP reported net income of $186.0 million, or $3.11 per basic and diluted limited partner unit, which is consistent with the year ended December 31, 2016. Operating results for AHGP reflect those of the operating subsidiaries of ARLP and, as a result, AHGP reports its financial results on a consolidated basis with the financial results of ARLP. The consolidated net income of AHGP includes earnings and losses attributable to both AHGP and noncontrolling interests. AHGP also announced it intends to move forward with a structural simplification of the Alliance Partnerships, as initially discussed last July when AHGP exchanged its incentive distribution rights in ARLP for common units in ARLP. (Please see Press Release dated July 28, 2017.) At that time, we indicated further evaluation of our structural alternatives and the potential outcome of tax reform proposals then under consideration was appropriate before determining whether further simplification of the Alliance Partnerships should proceed. Now that our structural evaluations are complete and tax reform has been clarified, management has recommended to the Board that further streamlining the Alliance Partnerships’ structure into a single reporting and trading entity should be pursued. We currently anticipate simplification would be principally accomplished through a distribution of ARLP common units held by AHGP to the AHGP unitholders. While the final form of this simplification is being refined, AHGP expects to complete this process in 2018 and will provide additional information once a final structure is approved. A joint conference call regarding AHGP and ARLP’s 2017 Quarter and 2017 Year financial results is scheduled for today at 10:00 a.m. Eastern. To participate in the conference call, dial (877) 317-6016 and request to be connected to the Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. and Alliance Holdings GP, L.P. earnings conference call. Canadian callers should dial (855) 669-9657 and all other International callers should dial (412) 317-6016 and request to be connected to the same call. Investors may also listen to the call via the "investor information" section of ARLP's website at http://www.arlp.com or AHGP's website at http://www.ahgp.com. An audio replay of the conference call will be available for approximately one week. To access the audio replay, dial US Toll Free (877) 344-7529; International Toll (412) 317-0088; Canada Toll Free (855) 669-9658 and request to be connected to replay access code 10115818. About Alliance Holdings GP, L.P. AHGP is a limited partnership formed to own and control ARLP's general partner through which it holds a non-economic general partner interest in ARLP and an approximate one percent general partner interest in ARLP's operating subsidiary, Alliance Resource Operating Partners, L.P. In addition, AHGP owns 87,188,338 common units of ARLP. News, unit prices and additional information about AHGP including filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, are available at http://www.ahgp.com. For more information, contact the investor relations department of AHGP at (918) 295-1415 or via e-mail at investorrelations@ahgp.com. The statements and projections used throughout this release are based on current expectations. These statements and projections are forward-looking, and actual results may differ materially. These statements do not include the potential impact of any mergers, acquisitions or other business combinations that may occur after the date of this release. At the end of this release, we have included more information regarding business risks that could affect our results. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: With the exception of historical matters, any matters discussed in this press release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from projected results. These risks, uncertainties and contingencies include, but are not limited to, the following: changes in competition in coal markets and the ability of ARLP and its consolidated subsidiaries (the "ARLP Partnership") to respond to such changes; changes in coal prices, which could affect the ARLP Partnership's operating results and cash flows; risks associated with the expansion of the ARLP Partnership's operations and properties; legislation, regulations, and court decisions and interpretations thereof, including those relating to the environment and the release of greenhouse gases, mining, miner health and safety and health care; deregulation of the electric utility industry or the effects of any adverse change in the coal industry, electric utility industry, or general economic conditions; dependence on significant customer contracts, including renewing existing contracts upon expiration; changing global economic conditions or in industries in which the ARLP Partnership's customers operate; liquidity constraints, including those resulting from any future unavailability of financing; customer bankruptcies, cancellations or breaches to existing contracts, or other failures to perform; customer delays, failure to take coal under contracts or defaults in making payments; adjustments made in price, volume or terms to existing coal supply agreements; fluctuations in coal demand, prices and availability; continuation or worsening of depressed oil and gas prices adversely affecting the ARLP Partnership’s investments in oil and gas mineral interests and midstream services; the ARLP Partnership's productivity levels and margins earned on its coal sales; changes in raw material costs; changes in the availability of skilled labor; the ARLP Partnership's ability to maintain satisfactory relations with its employees; increases in labor costs, including costs of health insurance and taxes resulting from the Affordable Care Act, adverse changes in work rules, or cash payments or projections associated with post-mine reclamation and workers' compensation claims; increases in transportation costs and risk of transportation delays or interruptions; operational interruptions due to geologic, permitting, labor, weather-related or other factors; risks associated with major mine-related accidents, such as mine fires, or interruptions; results of litigation, including claims not yet asserted; difficulty maintaining the ARLP Partnership's surety bonds for mine reclamation as well as workers' compensation and black lung benefits; difficulty in making accurate assumptions and projections regarding post-mine reclamation as well as pension, black lung benefits and other post-retirement benefit liabilities; the coal industry's share of electricity generation, including as a result of environmental concerns related to coal mining and combustion and the cost and perceived benefits of other sources of electricity, such as natural gas, nuclear energy and renewable fuels; uncertainties in estimating and replacing the ARLP Partnership's coal reserves; a loss or reduction of benefits from certain tax deductions and credits; difficulty obtaining commercial property insurance, and risks associated with the ARLP Partnership's participation (excluding any applicable deductible) in the commercial insurance property program; and difficulty in making accurate assumptions and projections regarding future revenues and costs associated with investments in companies the ARLP Partnership does not control. Additional information concerning these and other factors can be found in AHGP's public periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including AHGP's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016, filed on February 24, 2017 and AHGP's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2017, June 30, 2017, and September 30, 2017 filed on May 8, 2017, August 4, 2017, and November 6, 2017, respectively, with the SEC. Except as required by applicable securities laws, AHGP does not intend to update its forward-looking statements.

TULSA, Okla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Alliance Holdings GP, L.P. (NASDAQ: AHGP) today reported financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2017 (the "2017 Quarter"). As previously announced, the Board of Directors of its general partner (the "Board") approved a distribution to unitholders of $0.735 per unit (an annualized rate of $2.94 per unit) for the 2017 Quarter, payable on November 17, 2017 to AHGP unitholders of record as of the close of trading on November 9, 2017. The announced distribution represents a 33.6% increase over the cash distribution of $0.55 for the quarter ended September 30, 2016 and a 0.7% increase over the cash distribution of $0.73 for the quarter ended June 30, 2017. AHGP's principal sources of cash flow are its ownership interests in Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. (NASDAQ: ARLP). The declared distribution is based on the distribution AHGP will receive from its ownership interests in ARLP, which previously announced a quarterly distribution for the 2017 Quarter of $0.505 per unit, or $2.02 per unit on an annualized basis, payable on November 14, 2017 to all unitholders of record as of the close of trading on November 7, 2017. (See ARLP Press Release dated October 27, 2017.) Based on ARLP's current declared distribution, AHGP expects to receive quarterly cash distributions from ARLP of $44.7 million, or $178.8 million on an annualized basis. AHGP's primary cash requirements are for working capital, distributions to its unitholders and, for the 2017 full year, an estimated $1.9 million in general and administrative expenses. Operating results for AHGP reflect those of the operating subsidiaries of ARLP and, as a result, AHGP reports its financial results on a consolidated basis with the financial results of ARLP. The consolidated net income of AHGP includes earnings and losses attributable to both AHGP and noncontrolling interests. A joint conference call regarding AHGP and ARLP’s 2017 Quarter financial results is scheduled for today at 10:00 a.m. Eastern. To participate in the conference call, dial (888) 317-6016 and request to be connected to the Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. and Alliance Holdings GP, L.P. earnings conference call. Canadian callers should dial (855) 669-9657 and all other International callers should dial (412) 317-6016 and request to be connected to the same call. Investors may also listen to the call via the "investor information" section of ARLP's website at http://www.arlp.com or AHGP's website at http://www.ahgp.com. An audio replay of the conference call will be available for approximately one week. To access the audio replay, dial US Toll Free (877) 344-7529; International Toll (412) 317-0088; Canada Toll Free (855) 669-9658 and request to be connected to replay access code 10113071. About Alliance Holdings GP, L.P. AHGP is a limited partnership formed to own and control ARLP's general partner through which it holds a non-economic general partner interest and an approximate one percent general partner interest in ARLP's operating subsidiary, Alliance Resource Operating Partners, L.P. In addition, AHGP owns 87,188,338 common units of ARLP. News, unit prices and additional information about AHGP including filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, are available at http://www.ahgp.com. For more information, contact the investor relations department of AHGP at (918) 295-1415 or via e-mail at investorrelations@ahgp.com. The statements and projections used throughout this release are based on current expectations. These statements and projections are forward-looking, and actual results may differ materially. These statements do not include the potential impact of any mergers, acquisitions or other business combinations that may occur after the date of this release. At the end of this release, we have included more information regarding business risks that could affect our results. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: With the exception of historical matters, any matters discussed in this press release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from projected results. These risks, uncertainties and contingencies include, but are not limited to, the following: changes in competition in coal markets and the ability of ARLP and its consolidated subsidiaries (the “ARLP Partnership”) to respond to such changes; changes in coal prices, which could affect the ARLP Partnership's operating results and cash flows; risks associated with the expansion of the ARLP Partnership's operations and properties; legislation, regulations, and court decisions and interpretations thereof, including those relating to the environment and the release of greenhouse gases, mining, miner health and safety and health care; deregulation of the electric utility industry or the effects of any adverse change in the coal industry, electric utility industry, or general economic conditions; dependence on significant customer contracts, including renewing existing contracts upon expiration; changing global economic conditions or in industries in which the ARLP Partnership's customers operate; liquidity constraints, including those resulting from any future unavailability of financing; customer bankruptcies, cancellations or breaches to existing contracts, or other failures to perform; customer delays, failure to take coal under contracts or defaults in making payments; adjustments made in price, volume or terms to existing coal supply agreements; fluctuations in coal demand, prices and availability; continuation or worsening of depressed oil and gas prices adversely affecting the ARLP Partnership’s investments in oil and gas mineral interests and midstream services; the ARLP Partnership's productivity levels and margins earned on its coal sales; changes in raw material costs; changes in the availability of skilled labor; the ARLP Partnership's ability to maintain satisfactory relations with its employees; increases in labor costs, including costs of health insurance and taxes resulting from the Affordable Care Act, adverse changes in work rules, or cash payments or projections associated with post-mine reclamation and workers' compensation claims; increases in transportation costs and risk of transportation delays or interruptions; operational interruptions due to geologic, permitting, labor, weather-related or other factors; risks associated with major mine-related accidents, such as mine fires, or interruptions; results of litigation, including claims not yet asserted; difficulty maintaining the ARLP Partnership's surety bonds for mine reclamation as well as workers' compensation and black lung benefits; difficulty in making accurate assumptions and projections regarding post-mine reclamation as well as pension, black lung benefits and other post-retirement benefit liabilities; the coal industry's share of electricity generation, including as a result of environmental concerns related to coal mining and combustion and the cost and perceived benefits of other sources of electricity, such as natural gas, nuclear energy and renewable fuels; uncertainties in estimating and replacing the ARLP Partnership's coal reserves; a loss or reduction of benefits from certain tax deductions and credits; difficulty obtaining commercial property insurance, and risks associated with the ARLP Partnership's participation (excluding any applicable deductible) in the commercial insurance property program; and difficulty in making accurate assumptions and projections regarding future revenues and costs associated with investments in companies the ARLP Partnership does not control. Additional information concerning these and other factors can be found in AHGP's public periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including AHGP's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016, filed on February 24, 2017 and AHGP's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2017 and June 30, 2017, filed on May 8, 2017 and August 4, 2017, respectively, with the SEC. Except as required by applicable securities laws, AHGP does not intend to update its forward-looking statements. ALLIANCE HOLDINGS GP, L.P. AND SUBSIDIARIES CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME AND OPERATING DATA (In thousands, except unit and per unit data) (Unaudited) ALLIANCE HOLDINGS GP, L.P. AND SUBSIDIARIES CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (In thousands, except unit data) (Unaudited) ALLIANCE HOLDINGS GP, L.P. AND SUBSIDIARIES CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (In thousands) (Unaudited)

TULSA, Okla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Alliance Holdings GP, L.P. (NASDAQ: AHGP) today reported financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2017 (the "2017 Quarter") and, as previously announced, the Board of Directors of its general partner (the "Board") approved a distribution to unitholders of $0.73 per unit (an annualized rate of $2.92 per unit) for the 2017 Quarter. The announced distribution is payable on August 18, 2017 to AHGP's unitholders of record as of the close of trading on August 11, 2017 and is an increase of 32.7% compared to the distribution of $0.55 declared for the quarters ended June 30, 2016 (the "2016 Quarter") and March 31, 2017. The declared distribution reflects the previously announced agreement between AHGP and Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. (NASDAQ: ARLP) pursuant to which AHGP’s incentive distribution rights in ARLP have been eliminated and its approximate one percent general partner interest in ARLP has been converted into a non-economic interest in exchange for the issuance to AHGP of 56.1 million ARLP common units. (See ARLP and AHGP Press Release dated July 28, 2017.) AHGP's principal sources of cash flow are its ownership interests in ARLP. The declared distribution is based on the distribution AHGP will receive from its ownership interests in ARLP, which previously announced a quarterly distribution for the 2017 Quarter of $0.50 per unit, or $2.00 per unit on an annualized basis, payable on August 14, 2017 to all unitholders of record as of the close of trading on August 7, 2017. (See ARLP Press Release dated July 28, 2017.) Based on ARLP's current declared distribution, AHGP expects to receive quarterly cash distributions from ARLP of $44.3 million, or $177.2 million on an annualized basis. AHGP's primary cash requirements are for working capital, distributions to its unitholders and, for the 2017 full year, an estimated $2.0 million in general and administrative expenses. Operating results for AHGP reflect those of the operating subsidiaries of ARLP and, as a result, AHGP reports its financial results on a consolidated basis with the financial results of ARLP. The consolidated net income of AHGP includes earnings and losses attributable to both AHGP and noncontrolling interests. A joint conference call regarding AHGP and ARLP’s 2017 Quarter financial results is scheduled for today at 10:00 a.m. Eastern. To participate in the conference call, dial (888) 317-6016 and request to be connected to the Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. and Alliance Holdings GP, L.P. earnings conference call. International callers should dial (412) 317-6016; Canada callers should dial (855) 669-9657 and request to be connected to the same call. Investors may also listen to the call via the "investor information" section of ARLP's website at http://www.arlp.com or AHGP's website at http://www.ahgp.com. An audio replay of the conference call will be available for approximately one week. To access the audio replay, dial US Toll Free (877) 344-7529; International Toll (412) 317-0088; Canada Toll Free (855) 669-9658 and request to be connected to replay access code 10110611. About Alliance Holdings GP, L.P. AHGP is a limited partnership formed to own and control ARLP’s managing general partner through which it holds a non-economic general partner interest and an approximate one percent general partner interest in ARLP’s operating subsidiary, Alliance Resource Operating Partners L.P. In addition, AHGP owns 87,188,338 common units of ARLP. News, unit prices and additional information about AHGP including filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, are available at http://www.ahgp.com. For more information, contact the investor relations department of AHGP at (918) 295-1415 or via e-mail at investorrelations@ahgp.com. The statements and projections used throughout this release are based on current expectations. These statements and projections are forward-looking, and actual results may differ materially. These statements do not include the potential impact of any mergers, acquisitions or other business combinations that may occur after the date of this release. At the end of this release, we have included more information regarding business risks that could affect our results. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: With the exception of historical matters, any matters discussed in this press release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from projected results. These risks, uncertainties and contingencies include, but are not limited to, the following: changes in competition in coal markets and the ARLP Partnership's ability to respond to such changes; changes in coal prices, which could affect the ARLP Partnership's operating results and cash flows; risks associated with the expansion of the ARLP Partnership's operations and properties; legislation, regulations, and court decisions and interpretations thereof, including those relating to the environment and the release of greenhouse gases, mining, miner health and safety and health care; deregulation of the electric utility industry or the effects of any adverse change in the coal industry, electric utility industry, or general economic conditions; dependence on significant customer contracts, including renewing existing contracts upon expiration; changing global economic conditions or in industries in which the ARLP Partnership's customers operate; liquidity constraints, including those resulting from any future unavailability of financing; customer bankruptcies, cancellations or breaches to existing contracts, or other failures to perform; customer delays, failure to take coal under contracts or defaults in making payments; adjustments made in price, volume or terms to existing coal supply agreements; fluctuations in coal demand, prices and availability; continuation or worsening of depressed oil and gas prices adversely affecting the ARLP Partnership’s investments in oil and gas mineral interests; the ARLP Partnership's productivity levels and margins earned on its coal sales; changes in raw material costs; changes in the availability of skilled labor; the ARLP Partnership's ability to maintain satisfactory relations with its employees; increases in labor costs, including costs of health insurance and taxes resulting from the Affordable Care Act, adverse changes in work rules, or cash payments or projections associated with post-mine reclamation and workers' compensation claims; increases in transportation costs and risk of transportation delays or interruptions; operational interruptions due to geologic, permitting, labor, weather-related or other factors; risks associated with major mine-related accidents, such as mine fires, or interruptions; results of litigation, including claims not yet asserted; difficulty maintaining the ARLP Partnership's surety bonds for mine reclamation as well as workers' compensation and black lung benefits; difficulty in making accurate assumptions and projections regarding post-mine reclamation as well as pension, black lung benefits and other post-retirement benefit liabilities; the coal industry's share of electricity generation, including as a result of environmental concerns related to coal mining and combustion and the cost and perceived benefits of other sources of electricity, such as natural gas, nuclear energy and renewable fuels; uncertainties in estimating and replacing the ARLP Partnership's coal reserves; a loss or reduction of benefits from certain tax deductions and credits; difficulty obtaining commercial property insurance, and risks associated with the ARLP Partnership's participation (excluding any applicable deductible) in the commercial insurance property program; and difficulty in making accurate assumptions and projections regarding future revenues and costs associated with equity investments in companies the ARLP Partnership does not control. Additional information concerning these and other factors can be found in AHGP's public periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including AHGP's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016, filed on February 24, 2017 and AHGP's Quarterly Report in Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2017, filed on May 8, 2017 with the SEC. Except as required by applicable securities laws, AHGP does not intend to update its forward-looking statements. ALLIANCE HOLDINGS GP, L.P. AND SUBSIDIARIES CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME AND OPERATING DATA (In thousands, except unit and per unit data) (Unaudited) ALLIANCE HOLDINGS GP, L.P. AND SUBSIDIARIES CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (In thousands, except unit data) (Unaudited) ALLIANCE HOLDINGS GP, L.P. AND SUBSIDIARIES CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (In thousands) (Unaudited)

TULSA, Okla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Alliance Holdings GP, L.P. (NASDAQ: AHGP) today reported financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2017 (the "2017 Quarter") and, as previously announced, the Board of Directors of its general partner (the "Board") approved a distribution to unitholders of $0.55 per unit (an annualized rate of $2.20 per unit) for the 2017 Quarter. The announced distribution is payable on May 19, 2017 to AHGP's unitholders of record as of the close of trading on May 12, 2017 and is equal to the distributions declared for the quarters ended March 31, 2016 (the "2016 Quarter") and December 31, 2016. AHGP's principal sources of cash flow are its ownership of general partner interests, limited partner interests and incentive distribution rights in Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. (NASDAQ: ARLP). The declared distribution is based on the distribution AHGP will receive from its ownership interests in ARLP, which previously announced a quarterly distribution for the 2017 Quarter of $0.4375 per unit, or $1.75 per unit on an annualized basis, payable on May 15, 2017 to all unitholders of record as of the close of trading on May 8, 2017. (See ARLP Press Release dated April 28, 2017.) AHGP also reported net income attributable to AHGP for the 2017 Quarter of $55.0 million, or $0.92 per basic and diluted limited partner unit, an increase of 78.4% compared to $30.8 million, or $0.52 per basic and diluted limited partner unit for the 2016 Quarter. Operating results for AHGP reflect those of the operating subsidiaries of ARLP and, as a result, AHGP reports its financial results on a consolidated basis with the financial results of ARLP. The consolidated net income of AHGP includes earnings and losses attributable to both AHGP and noncontrolling interests. Based on ARLP's current declared distribution, AHGP expects to receive quarterly cash distributions from ARLP of $33.5 million, or $134.0 million on an annualized basis. AHGP's primary cash requirements are for working capital, distributions to its unitholders and, for the 2017 full year, an estimated $2.0 million in general and administrative expenses. A joint conference call regarding AHGP and ARLP’s 2017 Quarter financial results is scheduled for today at 10:00 a.m. Eastern. To participate in the conference call, dial (855) 793-3259 and provide conference number 4320772. International callers should dial (631) 485-4928 and provide the same conference number. Investors may also listen to the call via the "investor information" section of ARLP's website at http://www.arlp.com or AHGP's website at http://www.ahgp.com. An audio replay of the conference call will be available for approximately one week. To access the audio replay, dial (855) 859-2056 and provide conference number 4320772. International callers should dial (404) 537-3406 and provide the same conference number. About Alliance Holdings GP, L.P. AHGP is a limited partnership formed to own and control Alliance Resource Management GP, LLC, the managing general partner of ARLP, through which it holds a 1.98% general partner interest and the incentive distribution rights in ARLP. In addition, AHGP owns 31,088,338 common units of ARLP. News, unit prices and additional information about AHGP including filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, are available at http://www.ahgp.com. For more information, contact the investor relations department of AHGP at (918) 295-1415 or via e-mail at investorrelations@ahgp.com. The statements and projections used throughout this release are based on current expectations. These statements and projections are forward-looking, and actual results may differ materially. These statements do not include the potential impact of any mergers, acquisitions or other business combinations that may occur after the date of this release. At the end of this release, we have included more information regarding business risks that could affect our results. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: With the exception of historical matters, any matters discussed in this press release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from projected results. These risks, uncertainties and contingencies include, but are not limited to, the following: changes in competition in coal markets and the ARLP Partnership's ability to respond to such changes; changes in coal prices, which could affect the ARLP Partnership's operating results and cash flows; risks associated with the expansion of the ARLP Partnership's operations and properties; legislation, regulations, and court decisions and interpretations thereof, including those relating to the environment and the release of greenhouse gases, mining, miner health and safety and health care; deregulation of the electric utility industry or the effects of any adverse change in the coal industry, electric utility industry, or general economic conditions; dependence on significant customer contracts, including renewing existing contracts upon expiration; changing global economic conditions or in industries in which the ARLP Partnership's customers operate; liquidity constraints, including those resulting from any future unavailability of financing; customer bankruptcies, cancellations or breaches to existing contracts, or other failures to perform; customer delays, failure to take coal under contracts or defaults in making payments; adjustments made in price, volume or terms to existing coal supply agreements; fluctuations in coal demand, prices and availability; continuation or worsening of depressed oil and gas prices adversely affecting the ARLP Partnership’s investments in oil and gas mineral interests; the ARLP Partnership's productivity levels and margins earned on its coal sales; changes in raw material costs; changes in the availability of skilled labor; the ARLP Partnership's ability to maintain satisfactory relations with its employees; increases in labor costs, including costs of health insurance and taxes resulting from the Affordable Care Act, adverse changes in work rules, or cash payments or projections associated with post-mine reclamation and workers' compensation claims; increases in transportation costs and risk of transportation delays or interruptions; operational interruptions due to geologic, permitting, labor, weather-related or other factors; risks associated with major mine-related accidents, such as mine fires, or interruptions; results of litigation, including claims not yet asserted; difficulty maintaining the ARLP Partnership's surety bonds for mine reclamation as well as workers' compensation and black lung benefits; difficulty in making accurate assumptions and projections regarding post-mine reclamation as well as pension, black lung benefits and other post-retirement benefit liabilities; the coal industry's share of electricity generation, including as a result of environmental concerns related to coal mining and combustion and the cost and perceived benefits of other sources of electricity, such as natural gas, nuclear energy and renewable fuels; uncertainties in estimating and replacing the ARLP Partnership's coal reserves; a loss or reduction of benefits from certain tax deductions and credits; difficulty obtaining commercial property insurance, and risks associated with the ARLP Partnership's participation (excluding any applicable deductible) in the commercial insurance property program; and difficulty in making accurate assumptions and projections regarding future revenues and costs associated with equity investments in companies the ARLP Partnership does not control. Additional information concerning these and other factors can be found in AHGP's public periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including AHGP's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016, filed on February 24, 2017 with the SEC. Except as required by applicable securities laws, AHGP does not intend to update its forward-looking statements. ALLIANCE HOLDINGS GP, L.P. AND SUBSIDIARIES CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME AND OPERATING DATA (In thousands, except unit and per unit data) (Unaudited) ALLIANCE HOLDINGS GP, L.P. AND SUBSIDIARIES CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (In thousands, except unit data) (Unaudited) ALLIANCE HOLDINGS GP, L.P. AND SUBSIDIARIES CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (In thousands) (Unaudited)

TULSA, Okla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Alliance Holdings GP, L.P. (NASDAQ: AHGP) today reported financial results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2016 (the "2016 Quarter" and the "2016 Year", respectively) and, as previously announced, the Board of Directors of its general partner (the "Board") approved a distribution to unitholders of $0.55 per unit (an annualized rate of $2.20 per unit) for the 2016 Quarter, payable on February 17, 2017 to AHGP's unitholders of record as of the close of trading on February 10, 2017. The announced distribution is equal to that declared for the quarter ended September 30, 2016 (the "Sequential Quarter") and compares to the unitholder distribution of $0.96 per unit for the quarter ended December 31, 2015 (the "2015 Quarter"). AHGP's principal sources of cash flow are its ownership of general partner interests, limited partner interests and incentive distribution rights in Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. (NASDAQ: ARLP). The declared distribution is based on the distribution AHGP will receive from its ownership interests in ARLP, which previously announced a quarterly distribution for the 2016 Quarter of $0.4375 per unit, or $1.75 per unit on an annualized basis, payable on February 14, 2017 to all unitholders of record as of the close of trading on February 7, 2017. (See ARLP Press Release dated January 27, 2017.) AHGP also reported net income for the 2016 Quarter of $61.2 million, or net income per basic and diluted limited partner interest of $1.02 per unit, an increase of 113.0% compared to net income for the 2015 Quarter of $28.7 million, or $0.48 per basic and diluted limited partner unit. AHGP's net income for the 2016 Quarter increased approximately 26.2% compared to net income for the Sequential Quarter of $48.5 million, or net income per basic and diluted limited partner interest of $0.81 per unit. For the year ended December 31, 2016, AHGP reported net income of $185.9 million, or $3.11 per basic and diluted limited partner unit, a decrease of 12.0% compared to $211.3 million, or $3.53 per basic and diluted limited partner unit, earned in the year ended December 31, 2015. Operating results for AHGP reflect those of the operating subsidiaries of ARLP and, as a result, AHGP reports its financial results on a consolidated basis with the financial results of ARLP. Consolidated net income includes earnings and losses attributable to both AHGP and non-controlling interests. Unless otherwise noted, any reference to net income in this release represents Net Income Attributable to AHGP. Based on ARLP's current declared distribution, AHGP expects to receive quarterly cash distributions from ARLP of $33.4 million, or $133.6 million on an annualized basis. AHGP's primary cash requirements are for working capital, distributions to its unitholders and, for the 2017 full year, an estimated $1.6 million in general and administrative expenses. A joint conference call regarding AHGP and ARLP’s 2016 Quarter and Year financial results and 2017 outlook is scheduled for today at 10:00 a.m. Eastern. To participate in the conference call, dial (855) 793-3259 and provide conference number 48863667. International callers should dial (631) 485-4928 and provide the same conference number. Investors may also listen to the call via the "investor information" section of ARLP's website at http://www.arlp.com or AHGP's website at http://www.ahgp.com. An audio replay of the conference call will be available for approximately one week. To access the audio replay, dial (855) 859-2056 and provide conference number 48863667. International callers should dial (404) 537-3406 and provide the same conference number. About Alliance Holdings GP, L.P. AHGP is a limited partnership formed to own and control Alliance Resource Management GP, LLC, the managing general partner of ARLP, through which it holds a 1.98% general partner interest and the incentive distribution rights in ARLP. In addition, AHGP owns 31,088,338 common units of ARLP. News, unit prices and additional information about AHGP including filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, are available at http://www.ahgp.com. For more information, contact the investor relations department of AHGP at (918) 295-1415 or via e-mail at investorrelations@ahgp.com. The statements and projections used throughout this release are based on current expectations. These statements and projections are forward-looking, and actual results may differ materially. These statements do not include the potential impact of any mergers, acquisitions or other business combinations that may occur after the date of this release. At the end of this release, we have included more information regarding business risks that could affect our results. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: With the exception of historical matters, any matters discussed in this press release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from projected results. These risks, uncertainties and contingencies include, but are not limited to, the following: changes in competition in coal markets and the ARLP Partnership's ability to respond to such changes; changes in coal prices, which could affect the ARLP Partnership's operating results and cash flows; risks associated with the ARLP Partnership's expansion of its operations and properties; legislation, regulations, and court decisions and interpretations thereof, including those relating to the environment, mining, miner health and safety and health care; deregulation of the electric utility industry or the effects of any adverse change in the coal industry, electric utility industry, or general economic conditions; dependence on significant customer contracts, including renewing customer contracts upon expiration of existing contracts; changing global economic conditions or in industries in which the ARLP Partnership's customers operate; liquidity constraints, including those resulting from any future unavailability of financing; customer bankruptcies, cancellations or breaches to existing contracts, or other failures to perform; customer delays, failure to take coal under contracts or defaults in making payments; adjustments made in price, volume or terms to existing coal supply agreements; fluctuations in coal demand, prices and availability; the ARLP Partnership's productivity levels and margins earned on its coal sales; changes in raw material costs; changes in the availability of skilled labor; the ARLP Partnership's ability to maintain satisfactory relations with its employees; increases in labor costs, adverse changes in work rules, or cash payments or projections associated with post-mine reclamation and workers' compensation claims; increases in transportation costs and risk of transportation delays or interruptions; operational interruptions due to geologic, permitting, labor, weather-related or other factors; risks associated with major mine-related accidents, such as mine fires, or interruptions; results of litigation, including claims not yet asserted; difficulty maintaining the ARLP Partnership's surety bonds for mine reclamation as well as workers' compensation and black lung benefits; difficulty in making accurate assumptions and projections regarding pension, black lung benefits and other post-retirement benefit liabilities; the coal industry's share of electricity generation, including as a result of environmental concerns related to coal mining and combustion and the cost and perceived benefits of other sources of electricity, such as natural gas, nuclear energy and renewable fuels; uncertainties in estimating and replacing the ARLP Partnership's coal reserves; a loss or reduction of benefits from certain tax deductions and credits; difficulty obtaining commercial property insurance, and risks associated with the ARLP Partnership's participation (excluding any applicable deductible) in the commercial insurance property program; and difficulty in making accurate assumptions and projections regarding future revenues and costs associated with equity investments in companies we do not control. Additional information concerning these and other factors can be found in AHGP's public periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including AHGP's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015, filed on February 26, 2016 and AHGP's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2016, June 30, 2016 and September 30, 2016, filed on May 10, 2016, August 5, 2016 and November 8, 2016, respectively, with the SEC. Except as required by applicable securities laws, AHGP does not intend to update its forward-looking statements.

TULSA, Okla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Alliance Holdings GP, L.P. (NASDAQ: AHGP) today reported strong financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2016 (the "2016 Quarter") and announced that the Board of Directors of its general partner (the "Board") approved a distribution to unitholders of $0.55 per unit (an annualized rate of $2.20 per unit) for the 2016 Quarter, payable on November 18, 2016 to AHGP's unitholders of record as of the close of trading on November 10, 2016. The announced distribution is equal to that declared for the quarter ended June 30, 2016 (the "Sequential Quarter") and compares to the unitholder distribution of $0.96 per unit for the quarter ended September 30, 2015 (the "2015 Quarter"). AHGP's principal sources of cash flow are its ownership of general partner interests, limited partner interests and incentive distribution rights in Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. (NASDAQ: ARLP). The declared distribution is based on the distribution AHGP will receive from its ownership interests in ARLP, which today announced a quarterly distribution for the 2016 Quarter of $0.4375 per unit, or $1.75 per unit on an annualized basis, payable on November 14, 2016 to all unitholders of record as of the close of trading on November 7, 2016. (See ARLP Press Release dated October 28, 2016.) AHGP also reported net income for the 2016 Quarter of $48.5 million, or net income per basic and diluted limited partner interest of $0.81 per unit, compared to net income for the 2015 Quarter of $56.1 million, or $0.94 per basic and diluted limited partner unit. AHGP's net income for the 2016 Quarter increased approximately 6.9% compared to net income for the Sequential Quarter of $45.4 million, or net income per basic and diluted limited partner interest of $0.76 per unit. Operating results for AHGP reflect those of the operating subsidiaries of ARLP and, as a result, AHGP reports its financial results on a consolidated basis with the financial results of ARLP. Consolidated net income includes earnings and losses attributable to both AHGP and non-controlling interests. Unless otherwise noted, any reference to net income in this release represents Net Income Attributable to AHGP. Based on ARLP's current declared distribution, AHGP expects to receive quarterly cash distributions from ARLP of $33.4 million, or $133.6 million on an annualized basis. AHGP's primary cash requirements are for working capital, distributions to its unitholders and, for the 2016 full year, an estimated $3.0 million in general and administrative expenses. AHGP and ARLP will discuss their 2016 Quarter financial results during a joint conference call scheduled for today at 10:00 a.m. Eastern. To participate in the conference call, dial (855) 793-3259 and provide conference number 42634095. International callers should dial (631) 485-4928 and provide the same conference number. Investors may also listen to the call via the "investor information" section of ARLP's website at http://www.arlp.com or AHGP's website at http://www.ahgp.com. An audio replay of the conference call will be available for approximately one week. To access the audio replay, dial (855) 859-2056 and provide conference number 42634095. International callers should dial (404) 537-3406 and provide the same conference number. This announcement is intended to be a qualified notice under Treasury Regulation Section 1.1446-4(b), with 100% of the partnership's distributions to foreign investors attributable to income that is effectively connected with a United States trade or business. Accordingly, AHGP's distributions to foreign investors are subject to federal income tax withholding at the highest applicable tax rate. About Alliance Holdings GP, L.P. AHGP is a limited partnership formed to own and control Alliance Resource Management GP, LLC, the managing general partner of ARLP, through which it holds a 1.98% general partner interest and the incentive distribution rights in ARLP. In addition, AHGP owns 31,088,338 common units of ARLP. News, unit prices and additional information about AHGP including filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, are available at http://www.ahgp.com. For more information, contact the investor relations department of AHGP at (918) 295-1415 or via e-mail at investorrelations@ahgp.com. The statements and projections used throughout this release are based on current expectations. These statements and projections are forward-looking, and actual results may differ materially. These statements do not include the potential impact of any mergers, acquisitions or other business combinations that may occur after the date of this release. At the end of this release, we have included more information regarding business risks that could affect our results. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: With the exception of historical matters, any matters discussed in this press release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from projected results. These risks, uncertainties and contingencies include, but are not limited to, the following: changes in competition in coal markets and the ARLP Partnership's ability to respond to such changes; changes in coal prices, which could affect the ARLP Partnership's operating results and cash flows; risks associated with the ARLP Partnership's expansion of its operations and properties; legislation, regulations, and court decisions and interpretations thereof, including those relating to the environment, mining, miner health and safety and health care; deregulation of the electric utility industry or the effects of any adverse change in the coal industry, electric utility industry, or general economic conditions; dependence on significant customer contracts, including renewing customer contracts upon expiration of existing contracts; changing global economic conditions or in industries in which the ARLP Partnership's customers operate; liquidity constraints, including those resulting from any future unavailability of financing; customer bankruptcies, cancellations or breaches to existing contracts, or other failures to perform; customer delays, failure to take coal under contracts or defaults in making payments; adjustments made in price, volume or terms to existing coal supply agreements; fluctuations in coal demand, prices and availability; the ARLP Partnership's productivity levels and margins earned on its coal sales; changes in raw material costs; changes in the availability of skilled labor; the ARLP Partnership's ability to maintain satisfactory relations with its employees; increases in labor costs, adverse changes in work rules, or cash payments or projections associated with post-mine reclamation and workers' compensation claims; increases in transportation costs and risk of transportation delays or interruptions; operational interruptions due to geologic, permitting, labor, weather-related or other factors; risks associated with major mine-related accidents, such as mine fires, or interruptions; results of litigation, including claims not yet asserted; difficulty maintaining the ARLP Partnership's surety bonds for mine reclamation as well as workers' compensation and black lung benefits; difficulty in making accurate assumptions and projections regarding pension, black lung benefits and other post-retirement benefit liabilities; the coal industry's share of electricity generation, including as a result of environmental concerns related to coal mining and combustion and the cost and perceived benefits of other sources of electricity, such as natural gas, nuclear energy and renewable fuels; uncertainties in estimating and replacing the ARLP Partnership's coal reserves; a loss or reduction of benefits from certain tax deductions and credits; difficulty obtaining commercial property insurance, and risks associated with the ARLP Partnership's participation (excluding any applicable deductible) in the commercial insurance property program; and difficulty in making accurate assumptions and projections regarding future revenues and costs associated with equity investments in companies we do not control. Additional information concerning these and other factors can be found in AHGP's public periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including AHGP's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015, filed on February 26, 2016 and AHGP's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2016 and June 30, 2016, filed on May 10, 2016 and August 5, 2016, respectively, with the SEC. Except as required by applicable securities laws, AHGP does not intend to update its forward-looking statements.

TULSA, Okla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Alliance Holdings GP, L.P. (NASDAQ: AHGP) today announced that the Board of Directors of its general partner (the "Board") approved a distribution to unitholders for the quarter ended June 30, 2016 (the "2016 Quarter") of $0.55 per unit (an annualized rate of $2.20 per unit), payable on August 19, 2016 to AHGP’s unitholders of record as of the close of trading on August 12, 2016. The announced distribution is equal to that declared for the quarter ended March 31, 2016 (the "Sequential Quarter") and compares to the unitholder distribution of $0.96 per unit for the quarter ended June, 30 2015 (the "2015 Quarter"). AHGP’s principal sources of cash flow are its ownership of general partner interests, limited partner interests and incentive distribution rights in Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. (NASDAQ: ARLP). The declared distribution is based on the distribution AHGP will receive from its ownership interests in ARLP, which today announced a quarterly distribution for the 2016 Quarter of $0.4375 per unit, or $1.75 per unit on an annualized basis, payable on August 12, 2016 to all unitholders of record as of the close of trading on August 5, 2016. (See ARLP Press Release dated July 26, 2016.) Operating results for AHGP reflect those of the operating subsidiaries of ARLP and, as a result, AHGP reports its financial results on a consolidated basis with the financial results of ARLP. Consolidated net income includes earnings and losses attributable to both AHGP and non-controlling interests. Unless otherwise noted, any reference to net income in this release represents Net Income Attributable to AHGP. AHGP also reported net income for the 2016 Quarter of $45.4 million, or net income per basic and diluted limited partner interest of $0.76 per unit, compared to net income for the 2015 Quarter of $61.0 million, or $1.02 per basic and diluted limited partner unit. AHGP’s net income for the 2016 Quarter increased approximately 47.1% compared to net income for the Sequential Quarter of $30.8 million, or net income per basic and diluted limited partner interest of $0.52 per unit. Based on ARLP’s current declared distribution, AHGP expects to receive quarterly cash distributions from ARLP of $33.4 million, or $133.6 million on an annualized basis. AHGP’s primary cash requirements are for working capital, distributions to its unitholders and general and administrative expenses, including for 2016 full year an estimated $2.5 million in general and administrative expenses. AHGP and ARLP will discuss their 2016 Quarter financial results during a joint conference call scheduled for today at 10:00 a.m. Eastern. To participate in the conference call, dial (855) 793-3259 and provide conference number 42634095. International callers should dial (631) 485-4928 and provide the same conference number. Investors may also listen to the call via the "investor information" section of ARLP’s website at http://www.arlp.com or AHGP’s website at http://www.ahgp.com. An audio replay of the conference call will be available for approximately one week. To access the audio replay, dial (855) 859-2056 and provide conference number 42634095. International callers should dial (404) 537-3406 and provide the same conference number. This announcement is intended to be a qualified notice under Treasury Regulation Section 1.1446-4(b), with 100% of the partnership’s distributions to foreign investors attributable to income that is effectively connected with a United States trade or business. Accordingly, AHGP’s distributions to foreign investors are subject to federal income tax withholding at the highest applicable tax rate. About Alliance Holdings GP, L.P. AHGP is a limited partnership formed to own and control Alliance Resource Management GP, LLC, the managing general partner of ARLP, through which it holds a 1.98% general partner interest and the incentive distribution rights in ARLP. In addition, AHGP owns 31,088,338 common units of ARLP. News, unit prices and additional information about AHGP including filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, are available at http://www.ahgp.com. For more information, contact the investor relations department of AHGP at (918) 295-1415 or via e-mail at investorrelations@ahgp.com. The statements and projections used throughout this release are based on current expectations. These statements and projections are forward-looking, and actual results may differ materially. These statements do not include the potential impact of any mergers, acquisitions or other business combinations that may occur after the date of this release. At the end of this release, we have included more information regarding business risks that could affect our results. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: With the exception of historical matters, any matters discussed in this press release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from projected results. These risks, uncertainties and contingencies include, but are not limited to, the following: changes in competition in coal markets and the ARLP Partnership's ability to respond to such changes; changes in coal prices, which could affect the ARLP Partnership's operating results and cash flows; risks associated with the ARLP Partnership's expansion of its operations and properties; legislation, regulations, and court decisions and interpretations thereof, including those relating to the environment, mining, miner health and safety and health care; deregulation of the electric utility industry or the effects of any adverse change in the coal industry, electric utility industry, or general economic conditions; dependence on significant customer contracts, including renewing customer contracts upon expiration of existing contracts; changing global economic conditions or in industries in which the ARLP Partnership’s customers operate; liquidity constraints, including those resulting from any future unavailability of financing; customer bankruptcies, cancellations or breaches to existing contracts, or other failures to perform; customer delays, failure to take coal under contracts or defaults in making payments; adjustments made in price, volume or terms to existing coal supply agreements; fluctuations in coal demand, prices and availability; the ARLP Partnership's productivity levels and margins earned on its coal sales; changes in raw material costs; changes in the availability of skilled labor; the ARLP Partnership's ability to maintain satisfactory relations with its employees; increases in labor costs, adverse changes in work rules, or cash payments or projections associated with post-mine reclamation and workers' compensation claims; increases in transportation costs and risk of transportation delays or interruptions; operational interruptions due to geologic, permitting, labor, weather-related or other factors; risks associated with major mine-related accidents, such as mine fires, or interruptions; results of litigation, including claims not yet asserted; difficulty maintaining the ARLP Partnership's surety bonds for mine reclamation as well as workers' compensation and black lung benefits; difficulty in making accurate assumptions and projections regarding pension, black lung benefits and other post-retirement benefit liabilities; the coal industry's share of electricity generation, including as a result of environmental concerns related to coal mining and combustion and the cost and perceived benefits of other sources of electricity, such as natural gas, nuclear energy and renewable fuels; uncertainties in estimating and replacing the ARLP Partnership’s coal reserves; a loss or reduction of benefits from certain tax deductions and credits; difficulty obtaining commercial property insurance, and risks associated with the ARLP Partnership's participation (excluding any applicable deductible) in the commercial insurance property program; and difficulty in making accurate assumptions and projections regarding future revenues and costs associated with equity investments in companies we do not control. Additional information concerning these and other factors can be found in AHGP’s public periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including AHGP's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015, filed on February 26, 2016 and AHGP’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2016, filed on May 10, 2016 with the SEC. Except as required by applicable securities laws, AHGP does not intend to update its forward-looking statements. June 30, June 30, WEIGHTED AVERAGE NUMBER OF UNITS OUTSTANDING - BASIC AND DILUTED Total current assets Total other assets

TULSA, Okla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Alliance Holdings GP, L.P. (NASDAQ: AHGP) today announced that the Board of Directors of its general partner (the "Board") approved a distribution to unitholders for the quarter ended March 31, 2016 (the "2016 Quarter") of $0.55 per unit, or an annualized rate of $2.20 per unit compared to a quarterly cash distribution of $0.9375 per unit for the quarter ended March 31, 2015 (the "2015 Quarter") and $0.96 per unit for the quarter ended December 31, 2015. The current declared distribution is payable on May 20, 2016 to AHGP’s unitholders of record as of the close of trading on May 13, 2016. AHGP’s principal sources of cash flow are its ownership of general partner interests, limited partner interests and incentive distribution rights in Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. (NASDAQ: ARLP). The declared distribution is based on the distribution AHGP will receive from its ownership interests in ARLP, which today announced a quarterly distribution for the 2016 Quarter of $0.4375 per unit, or $1.75 per unit on an annualized basis, payable on May 13, 2016 to all unitholders of record as of the close of trading on May 6, 2016. (See ARLP Press Release dated April 26, 2016.) "The decision by our Board to decrease AHGP’s unitholder distribution reflects the distribution reduction announced today by ARLP," said Joseph W. Craft III, President and Chief Executive Officer. "In light of the current capital market environment, we support ARLP’s difficult decision to decrease its unitholder distribution to improve its coverage ratio, reduce its indebtedness and further strengthen its balance sheet." Operating results for AHGP reflect those of the operating subsidiaries of ARLP and, as a result, AHGP reports its financial results on a consolidated basis with the financial results of ARLP. Consolidated net income includes earnings and losses attributable to both AHGP and non-controlling interests. Unless otherwise noted, any reference to net income in this release represents Net Income Attributable to AHGP. AHGP also reported net income for the 2016 Quarter of $30.8 million, or net income per basic and diluted limited partner interest of $0.52 per unit, compared to net income for the 2015 Quarter of $65.5 million, or $1.09 per basic and diluted limited partner unit. Based on ARLP’s current declared distribution, AHGP expects to receive quarterly cash distributions from ARLP of $33.4 million, or $133.6 million on an annualized basis. AHGP’s primary cash requirements are for working capital, distributions to its unitholders and general and administrative expenses, including for 2016 full year an estimated $2.0 million in general and administrative expenses. AHGP and ARLP will discuss their 2016 Quarter financial results during a joint conference call scheduled for today at 10:00 a.m. Eastern. To participate in the conference call, dial (855) 793-3259 and provide conference number 74677339. International callers should dial (631) 485-4928 and provide the same conference number. Investors may also listen to the call via the "investor information" section of ARLP’s website at http://www.arlp.com or AHGP’s website at http://www.ahgp.com. An audio replay of the conference call will be available for approximately one week. To access the audio replay, dial (855) 859-2056 and provide conference number 74677339. International callers should dial (404) 537-3406 and provide the same conference number. This announcement is intended to be a qualified notice under Treasury Regulation Section 1.1446-4(b), with 100% of the partnership’s distributions to foreign investors attributable to income that is effectively connected with a United States trade or business. Accordingly, AHGP’s distributions to foreign investors are subject to federal income tax withholding at the highest applicable tax rate. About Alliance Holdings GP, L.P. AHGP is a limited partnership formed to own and control Alliance Resource Management GP, LLC, the managing general partner of ARLP, through which it holds a 1.98% general partner interest and the incentive distribution rights in ARLP. In addition, AHGP owns 31,088,338 common units of ARLP. News, unit prices and additional information about AHGP, including filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, are available at http://www.ahgp.com. For more information, contact the investor relations department of AHGP at (918) 295-1415 or via e-mail at investorrelations@ahgp.com. The statements and projections used throughout this release are based on current expectations. These statements and projections are forward-looking, and actual results may differ materially. These statements do not include the potential impact of any mergers, acquisitions or other business combinations that may occur after the date of this release. At the end of this release, we have included more information regarding business risks that could affect our results. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: With the exception of historical matters, any matters discussed in this press release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from projected results. These risks, uncertainties and contingencies include, but are not limited to, the following: changes in competition in coal markets and the ARLP Partnership's ability to respond to such changes; changes in coal prices, which could affect the ARLP Partnership's operating results and cash flows; risks associated with the ARLP Partnership's expansion of its operations and properties; legislation, regulations, and court decisions and interpretations thereof, including those relating to the environment, mining, miner health and safety and health care; deregulation of the electric utility industry or the effects of any adverse change in the coal industry, electric utility industry, or general economic conditions; dependence on significant customer contracts, including renewing customer contracts upon expiration of existing contracts; changing global economic conditions or in industries in which the ARLP Partnership’s customers operate; liquidity constraints, including those resulting from any future unavailability of financing; customer bankruptcies, cancellations or breaches to existing contracts, or other failures to perform; customer delays, failure to take coal under contracts or defaults in making payments; adjustments made in price, volume or terms to existing coal supply agreements; fluctuations in coal demand, prices and availability; the ARLP Partnership's productivity levels and margins earned on its coal sales; changes in raw material costs; changes in the availability of skilled labor; the ARLP Partnership's ability to maintain satisfactory relations with its employees; increases in labor costs, adverse changes in work rules, or cash payments or projections associated with post-mine reclamation and workers' compensation claims; increases in transportation costs and risk of transportation delays or interruptions; operational interruptions due to geologic, permitting, labor, weather-related or other factors; risks associated with major mine-related accidents, such as mine fires, or interruptions; results of litigation, including claims not yet asserted; difficulty maintaining the ARLP Partnership's surety bonds for mine reclamation as well as workers' compensation and black lung benefits; difficulty in making accurate assumptions and projections regarding pension, black lung benefits and other post-retirement benefit liabilities; the coal industry's share of electricity generation, including as a result of environmental concerns related to coal mining and combustion and the cost and perceived benefits of other sources of electricity, such as natural gas, nuclear energy and renewable fuels; uncertainties in estimating and replacing the ARLP Partnership’s coal reserves; a loss or reduction of benefits from certain tax deductions and credits; difficulty obtaining commercial property insurance, and risks associated with the ARLP Partnership's participation (excluding any applicable deductible) in the commercial insurance property program; and difficulty in making accurate assumptions and projections regarding future revenues and costs associated with equity investments in companies we do not control. Additional information concerning these and other factors can be found in AHGP’s public periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including AHGP's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015, filed on February 26, 2016 with the SEC. Except as required by applicable securities laws, AHGP does not intend to update its forward-looking statements. WEIGHTED AVERAGE NUMBER OF UNITS OUTSTANDING - BASIC AND DILUTED

TULSA, Okla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Alliance Holdings GP, L.P. (NASDAQ: AHGP) today announced that the Board of Directors of its general partner (the "Board") approved a distribution to unitholders for the quarter ended December 31, 2015 (the "2015 Quarter") of $0.96 per unit, or an annualized rate of $3.84 per unit, payable on February 19, 2016 to AHGP’s unitholders of record as of the close of trading on February 12, 2016. The declared quarterly cash distribution represents a 4.9% increase over the cash distribution of $0.915 per unit for the quarter ended December 31, 2014 (the "2014 Quarter") and is equal to the cash distribution for the quarter ended September 30, 2015. AHGP’s principal sources of cash flow are its ownership of general partner interests, limited partner interests and incentive distribution rights in Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. (NASDAQ: ARLP). The declared distribution is based on the distribution AHGP will receive from its ownership interests in ARLP, which today announced a quarterly distribution for the 2015 Quarter of $0.675 per unit, or $2.70 per unit on an annualized basis, payable on February 12, 2016 to all unitholders of record as of the close of trading on February 5, 2016. (See ARLP Press Release dated January 26, 2016, the "ARLP Release"). Operating results for AHGP reflect those of the operating subsidiaries of ARLP and, as a result, AHGP reports its financial results on a consolidated basis with the financial results of ARLP. Consolidated net income includes earnings and losses attributable to both AHGP and non-controlling interests. Unless otherwise noted, any reference to net income in this release represents Net Income Attributable to AHGP. AHGP reported net income for the 2015 Quarter of $28.7 million, or net income per basic and diluted limited partner interest of $0.48 per unit, a decrease of 59.6% compared to net income for the 2014 Quarter of $71.0 million, or $1.19 per basic and diluted limited partner unit. For the year ended December 31, 2015, AHGP reported net income of $211.3 million, or $3.53 per basic and diluted limited partner unit, a decrease of 25.7% compared to $284.4 million, or $4.75 per basic and diluted limited partner unit, earned in the year ended December 31, 2014. As noted in the ARLP Release, results for the 2015 Quarter and Year were impacted by a number of non-cash items, including asset impairment charges of $89.4 million and $100.1 million in 2015 Quarter and Year, respectively, and net gains of $22.5 million related to ARLP’s accounting for the White Oak Acquisition resulting from the final business combination accounting for the transaction. Excluding these non-cash items, net of the amounts attributable to noncontrolling interests, adjusted Net Income Attributable to AHGP for the 2015 Quarter was $57.5 million, a decrease of 19.0% compared to the 2014 Quarter, and adjusted Net Income Attributable to AHGP for the 2015 Year of $244.7 million, a decrease of 13.9% compared to the 2014 Year. (For a discussion of Adjusted Net Income Attributable to AHGP and a related reconciliation to the comparable financial measure under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States ("GAAP"), please see the end of this release.) Based on ARLP’s current declared distribution, AHGP expects to receive quarterly cash distributions from ARLP of $58.4 million, or $233.6 million on an annualized basis. AHGP’s primary cash requirements are for working capital, distributions to its unitholders and general and administrative expenses, including for 2016 an estimated $2.1 million in general and administrative expenses. AHGP and ARLP will discuss their 2015 Quarter financial results during a joint conference call scheduled for today at 9:00 a.m. Eastern. To participate in the conference call, dial (855) 793-3259 and provide passcode 18774166. International callers should dial (631) 485-4928 and provide the same passcode number. Investors may also listen to the call via the "investor information" section of ARLP’s website at http://www.arlp.com or AHGP’s website at http://www.ahgp.com. An audio replay of the conference call will be available for approximately one week. To access the audio replay, dial (855) 859-2056 and provide passcode number 18774166. International callers should dial (404) 537-3406 and provide the same passcode number. This announcement is intended to be a qualified notice under Treasury Regulation Section 1.1446-4(b), with 100% of the partnership’s distributions to foreign investors attributable to income that is effectively connected with a United States trade or business. Accordingly, AHGP’s distributions to foreign investors are subject to federal income tax withholding at the highest applicable tax rate. About Alliance Holdings GP, L.P. AHGP is a limited partnership formed to own and control Alliance Resource Management GP, LLC, the managing general partner of Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. (NASDAQ: ARLP), through which it holds a 1.98% general partner interest and the incentive distribution rights in ARLP. In addition, AHGP owns 31,088,338 common units of ARLP. News, unit prices and additional information about AHGP including filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, are available at http://www.ahgp.com. For more information, contact the investor relations department of Alliance Holdings GP, L.P. at (918) 295-1415 or via e-mail at investorrelations@ahgp.com. The statements and projections used throughout this release are based on current expectations. These statements and projections are forward-looking, and actual results may differ materially. These projections do not include the potential impact of any mergers, acquisitions or other business combinations that may occur after the date of this release. At the end of this release, we have included more information regarding business risks that could affect our results. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: With the exception of historical matters, any matters discussed in this press release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from projected results. These risks, uncertainties and contingencies include, but are not limited to, the following: changes in competition in coal markets and the ARLP Partnership's ability to respond to such changes; changes in coal prices, which could affect the ARLP Partnership's operating results and cash flows; risks associated with the ARLP Partnership's expansion of its operations and properties; legislation, regulations, and court decisions and interpretations thereof, including those relating to the environment, mining, miner health and safety and health care; deregulation of the electric utility industry or the effects of any adverse change in the coal industry, electric utility industry, or general economic conditions; dependence on significant customer contracts, including renewing customer contracts upon expiration of existing contracts; changing global economic conditions or in industries in which the ARLP Partnership’s customers operate; liquidity constraints, including those resulting from any future unavailability of financing; customer bankruptcies, cancellations or breaches to existing contracts, or other failures to perform; customer delays, failure to take coal under contracts or defaults in making payments; adjustments made in price, volume or terms to existing coal supply agreements; fluctuations in coal demand, prices and availability; the ARLP Partnership's productivity levels and margins earned on its coal sales; changes in raw material costs; changes in the availability of skilled labor; the ARLP Partnership's ability to maintain satisfactory relations with its employees; increases in labor costs, adverse changes in work rules, or cash payments or projections associated with post-mine reclamation and workers' compensation claims; increases in transportation costs and risk of transportation delays or interruptions; operational interruptions due to geologic, permitting, labor, weather-related or other factors; risks associated with major mine-related accidents, such as mine fires, or interruptions; results of litigation, including claims not yet asserted; difficulty maintaining the ARLP Partnership's surety bonds for mine reclamation as well as workers' compensation and black lung benefits; difficulty in making accurate assumptions and projections regarding pension, black lung benefits and other post-retirement benefit liabilities; the coal industry's share of electricity generation, including as a result of environmental concerns related to coal mining and combustion and the cost and perceived benefits of other sources of electricity, such as natural gas, nuclear energy and renewable fuels; uncertainties in estimating and replacing the ARLP Partnership’s coal reserves; a loss or reduction of benefits from certain tax deductions and credits; difficulty obtaining commercial property insurance, and risks associated with the ARLP Partnership's participation (excluding any applicable deductible) in the commercial insurance property program; and difficulty in making accurate assumptions and projections regarding future revenues and costs associated with equity investments in companies we do not control. Additional information concerning these and other factors can be found in AHGP’s public periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including AHGP's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014, filed on February 27, 2015 and AHGP’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2015, June 30, 2015 and September 30, 2015, filed on May 8, 2015, August 6, 2015 and November 6, 2015, respectively, with the SEC. Except as required by applicable securities laws, AHGP does not intend to update its forward-looking statements. Three Months EndedDecember 31, Year EndedDecember 31, WEIGHTED AVERAGE NUMBER OF UNITS OUTSTANDING - BASIC AND DILUTED - - Net settlement of employee withholding taxes on vesting of ARLP Long-Term Incentive Plan Reconciliation of GAAP “Net Income Attributable to AHGP” to non-GAAP “Adjusted Net Income Attributable to AHGP” Adjusted Net income Attributable to AHGP is defined as Net Income Attributable to AHGP modified for certain items that may not reflect the trend of future results, such as non-cash impairments and gains and losses on acquisition related accounting. Adjusted Net Income Attributable to AHGP should not be considered as an alternative to Net Income Attributable to AHGP or any other measure of financial performance presented in accordance with GAAP. Adjusted Net Income Attributable to AHGP excludes certain items that management believes affect the comparability of our operating results. This adjusted financial measure is used by our management and external users of our financial statements, such as investors, commercial banks, research analysts and others, to assess: our operational trends and performance relative to other coal companies; the comparability of our performance to earnings estimates provided by security analysts; and our performance excluding items which are generally nonrecurring in nature or whose timing or amount cannot be reasonably estimated. We believe Adjusted Net Income Attributable to AHGP is a useful measure for investors because it further demonstrates our financial performance without regard to items that may not reflect the trend of future results. Three Months EndedDecember 31, Year EndedDecember 31,

TULSA, Okla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Alliance Holdings GP, L.P. (NASDAQ: AHGP) today announced that the Board of Directors of its general partner (the "Board") approved a distribution to unitholders for the quarter ended September 30, 2015 (the "2015 Quarter") of $0.96 per unit, or an annualized rate of $3.84 per unit, payable on November 19, 2015 to AHGP’s unitholders of record as of the close of trading on November 12, 2015. The declared quarterly cash distribution represents a 7.6% increase over the cash distribution of $0.8925 per unit for the quarter ended September 30, 2014 (the "2014 Quarter") and is equal to the cash distribution for the quarter ended June 30, 2015. AHGP’s principal sources of cash flow are its ownership of general partner interests, limited partner interests and incentive distribution rights in Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. (NASDAQ: ARLP). The declared distribution is based on the distribution AHGP will receive from its ownership interests in ARLP, which today announced a quarterly distribution for the 2015 Quarter of $0.675 per unit, or $2.70 per unit on an annualized basis, payable on November 13, 2015 to all unitholders of record as of the close of trading on November 6, 2015. (See ARLP Press Release dated October 27, 2015.) AHGP also reported net income for the 2015 Quarter of $56.1 million, or net income per basic and diluted limited partner interest of $0.94 per unit, a decrease of 18.2% compared to net income for the 2014 Quarter of $68.5 million, or $1.15 per basic and diluted limited partner unit. (Operating results for AHGP reflect those of the operating subsidiaries of ARLP and, as a result, AHGP reports its financial results on a consolidated basis with the financial results of ARLP. For a discussion of net income presentation, please see the end of this release.) Based on ARLP’s current declared distribution, AHGP expects to receive quarterly cash distributions from ARLP of $58.4 million, or $233.6 million on an annualized basis. AHGP’s primary cash requirements are for working capital, distributions to its unitholders and general and administrative expenses, including for 2015 full year an estimated $2.6 million in general and administrative expenses. AHGP and ARLP will discuss their 2015 Quarter financial results during a joint conference call scheduled for today at 9:00 a.m. Eastern. To participate in the conference call, dial (855) 793-3259 and provide conference number 51932077. International callers should dial (631) 485-4928 and provide the same conference number. Investors may also listen to the call via the "investor information" section of ARLP’s website at http://www.arlp.com or AHGP’s website at http://www.ahgp.com. An audio replay of the conference call will be available for approximately one week. To access the audio replay, dial (855) 859-2056 and provide conference number 51932077. International callers should dial (404) 537-3406 and provide the same pass code. This announcement is intended to be a qualified notice under Treasury Regulation Section 1.1446-4(b), with 100% of the partnership’s distributions to foreign investors attributable to income that is effectively connected with a United States trade or business. Accordingly, AHGP’s distributions to foreign investors are subject to federal income tax withholding at the highest applicable tax rate. About Alliance Holdings GP, L.P. AHGP is a limited partnership formed to own and control Alliance Resource Management GP, LLC, the managing general partner of ARLP, through which it holds a 1.98% general partner interest and the incentive distribution rights in ARLP. In addition, AHGP owns 31,088,338 common units of ARLP. News, unit prices and additional information about AHGP, including filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, are available at http://www.ahgp.com. For more information, contact the investor relations department of AHGP at (918) 295-1415 or via e-mail at investorrelations@ahgp.com. The statements and projections used throughout this release are based on current expectations. These statements and projections are forward-looking, and actual results may differ materially. At the end of this release, we have included more information regarding business risks that could affect our results. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: With the exception of historical matters, any matters discussed in this press release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from projected results. These risks, uncertainties and contingencies include, but are not limited to, the following: changes in competition in coal markets and the ARLP Partnership's ability to respond to such changes; changes in coal prices, which could affect the ARLP Partnership's operating results and cash flows; risks associated with the ARLP Partnership's expansion of its operations and properties; legislation, regulations, and court decisions and interpretations thereof, including those relating to the environment, mining, miner health and safety and health care; deregulation of the electric utility industry or the effects of any adverse change in the coal industry, electric utility industry, or general economic conditions; dependence on significant customer contracts, including renewing customer contracts upon expiration of existing contracts; changing global economic conditions or in industries in which the ARLP Partnership’s customers operate; liquidity constraints, including those resulting from any future unavailability of financing; customer bankruptcies, cancellations or breaches to existing contracts, or other failures to perform; customer delays, failure to take coal under contracts or defaults in making payments; adjustments made in price, volume or terms to existing coal supply agreements; fluctuations in coal demand, prices and availability; the ARLP Partnership's productivity levels and margins earned on its coal sales; changes in raw material costs; changes in the availability of skilled labor; the ARLP Partnership's ability to maintain satisfactory relations with its employees; increases in labor costs, adverse changes in work rules, or cash payments or projections associated with post-mine reclamation and workers' compensation claims; increases in transportation costs and risk of transportation delays or interruptions; operational interruptions due to geologic, permitting, labor, weather-related or other factors; risks associated with major mine-related accidents, such as mine fires, or interruptions; results of litigation, including claims not yet asserted; difficulty maintaining the ARLP Partnership's surety bonds for mine reclamation as well as workers' compensation and black lung benefits; difficulty in making accurate assumptions and projections regarding pension, black lung benefits and other post-retirement benefit liabilities; the coal industry's share of electricity generation, including as a result of environmental concerns related to coal mining and combustion and the cost and perceived benefits of other sources of electricity, such as natural gas, nuclear energy and renewable fuels; uncertainties in estimating and replacing the ARLP Partnership’s coal reserves; a loss or reduction of benefits from certain tax deductions and credits; difficulty obtaining commercial property insurance, and risks associated with the ARLP Partnership's participation (excluding any applicable deductible) in the commercial insurance property program; and difficulty in making accurate assumptions and projections regarding future revenues and costs associated with equity investments in companies we do not control. Additional information concerning these and other factors can be found in AHGP’s public periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including AHGP's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014, filed on February 27, 2015 and AHGP’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2015 and June 30, 2015, filed on May 8, 2015 and August 6, 2015, respectively, with the SEC. Except as required by applicable securities laws, AHGP does not intend to update its forward-looking statements. Three Months EndedSeptember 30, Nine Months EndedSeptember 30, WEIGHTED AVERAGE NUMBER OF UNITS OUTSTANDING - BASIC AND DILUTED Presentation of Net Income Consolidated net income includes earnings attributable to both AHGP and noncontrolling interests. Unless otherwise noted, any reference to net income in this release represents net income attributable to AHGP.

TULSA, Okla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Alliance Holdings GP, L.P. (NASDAQ: AHGP) today announced that the Board of Directors of its general partner (the "Board") increased the cash distribution to unitholders for the quarter ended June 30, 2015 (the "2015 Quarter ") to $0.96 per unit, or an annualized rate of $3.84 per unit, payable on August 19, 2015 to AHGP’s unitholders of record as of the close of trading on August 12, 2015. The declared quarterly cash distribution represents a 10.3% increase over the cash distribution of $0.87 per unit for the quarter ended June 30, 2014 (the "2014 Quarter") and an increase of 2.4% over the first quarter 2015 distribution of $0.9375 per unit. AHGP’s principal sources of cash flow are its ownership of general partner interests, limited partner interests and incentive distribution rights in Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. (NASDAQ: ARLP). The declared distribution is based on the distribution AHGP will receive from its ownership interests in ARLP, which today announced a quarterly distribution for the 2015 Quarter of $0.675 per unit, or $2.70 per unit on an annualized basis, payable on August 14, 2015 to all unitholders of record as of the close of trading on August 7, 2015. (See ARLP Press Release dated July 28, 2015.) AHGP also reported net income for the 2015 Quarter of $61.0 million, or net income per basic and diluted limited partner interest of $1.02 per unit, a decrease of 21.1% compared to net income for the 2014 Quarter of $77.3 million, or $1.29 per basic and diluted limited partner unit. (Operating results for AHGP reflect those of the operating subsidiaries of ARLP and, as a result, AHGP reports its financial results on a consolidated basis with the financial results of ARLP. For a discussion of net income presentation, please see the end of this release.) Based on ARLP’s current declared distribution, AHGP expects to receive quarterly cash distributions from ARLP of $58.4 million, or $233.6 million on an annualized basis. AHGP’s primary cash requirements are for working capital, distributions to its unitholders and general and administrative expenses, including for 2015 full year an estimated $3.3 million in general and administrative expenses. AHGP and ARLP will discuss their 2015 Quarter financial results during a joint conference call scheduled for today at 9:00 a.m. Eastern. To participate in the conference call, dial (855) 793-3259 and provide conference number 85117094. International callers should dial (631) 485-4928 and provide the same conference number. Investors may also listen to the call via the "investor information" section of ARLP’s website at http://www.arlp.com or AHGP’s website at http://www.ahgp.com. An audio replay of the conference call will be available for approximately one week. To access the audio replay, dial (855) 859-2056 and provide conference number 85117094. International callers should dial (404) 537-3406 and provide the same pass code. This announcement is intended to be a qualified notice under Treasury Regulation Section 1.1446-4(b), with 100% of the partnership’s distributions to foreign investors attributable to income that is effectively connected with a United States trade or business. Accordingly, AHGP’s distributions to foreign investors are subject to federal income tax withholding at the highest applicable tax rate. About Alliance Holdings GP, L.P. AHGP is a limited partnership formed to own and control Alliance Resource Management GP, LLC, the managing general partner of ARLP, through which it holds a 1.98% general partner interest and the incentive distribution rights in ARLP. In addition, AHGP owns 31,088,338 common units of ARLP. News, unit prices and additional information about AHGP including filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, are available at http://www.ahgp.com. For more information, contact the investor relations department of AHGP at (918) 295-1415 or via e-mail at investorrelations@ahgp.com. The statements and projections used throughout this release are based on current expectations. These statements and projections are forward-looking, and actual results may differ materially. At the end of this release, we have included more information regarding business risks that could affect our results. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: With the exception of historical matters, any matters discussed in this press release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from projected results. These risks, uncertainties and contingencies include, but are not limited to, the following: changes in competition in coal markets and the ARLP Partnership's ability to respond to such changes; changes in coal prices, which could affect the ARLP Partnership's operating results and cash flows; risks associated with the ARLP Partnership's expansion of its operations and properties; legislation, regulations, and court decisions and interpretations thereof, including those relating to the environment, mining, miner health and safety and health care; deregulation of the electric utility industry or the effects of any adverse change in the coal industry, electric utility industry, or general economic conditions; dependence on significant customer contracts, including renewing customer contracts upon expiration of existing contracts; changing global economic conditions or in industries in which the ARLP Partnership’s customers operate; liquidity constraints, including those resulting from any future unavailability of financing; customer bankruptcies, cancellations or breaches to existing contracts, or other failures to perform; customer delays, failure to take coal under contracts or defaults in making payments; adjustments made in price, volume or terms to existing coal supply agreements; fluctuations in coal demand, prices and availability; the ARLP Partnership's productivity levels and margins earned on its coal sales; changes in raw material costs; changes in the availability of skilled labor; the ARLP Partnership's ability to maintain satisfactory relations with its employees; increases in labor costs, adverse changes in work rules, or cash payments or projections associated with post-mine reclamation and workers' compensation claims; increases in transportation costs and risk of transportation delays or interruptions; operational interruptions due to geologic, permitting, labor, weather-related or other factors; risks associated with major mine-related accidents, such as mine fires, or interruptions; results of litigation, including claims not yet asserted; difficulty maintaining the ARLP Partnership's surety bonds for mine reclamation as well as workers' compensation and black lung benefits; difficulty in making accurate assumptions and projections regarding pension, black lung benefits and other post-retirement benefit liabilities; the coal industry's share of electricity generation, including as a result of environmental concerns related to coal mining and combustion and the cost and perceived benefits of other sources of electricity, such as natural gas, nuclear energy and renewable fuels; uncertainties in estimating and replacing the ARLP Partnership’s coal reserves; a loss or reduction of benefits from certain tax deductions and credits; difficulty obtaining commercial property insurance, and risks associated with the ARLP Partnership's participation (excluding any applicable deductible) in the commercial insurance property program; and difficulty in making accurate assumptions and projections regarding future revenues and costs associated with equity investments in companies we do not control. Additional information concerning these and other factors can be found in AHGP’s public periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including AHGP's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014, filed on February 27, 2015 with the SEC. Except as required by applicable securities laws, AHGP does not intend to update its forward-looking statements. June 30, June 30, WEIGHTED AVERAGE NUMBER OF UNITS OUTSTANDING - BASIC AND DILUTED Presentation of Net Income Consolidated net income includes earnings attributable to both AHGP and noncontrolling interests. Unless otherwise noted, any reference to net income in this release represents net income attributable to AHGP.

TULSA, Okla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Alliance Holdings GP, L.P. (NASDAQ: AHGP) today announced that the Board of Directors of its general partner (the "Board") increased the cash distribution to unitholders for the quarter ended March 31, 2015 (the "2015 Quarter ") to $0.9375 per unit, or an annualized rate of $3.75 per unit, payable on May 20, 2015 to AHGP’s unitholders of record as of the close of trading on May 13, 2015. The declared quarterly cash distribution represents a 10.6% increase over the cash distribution of $0.8475 per unit for the quarter ended March 31, 2014 (the "2014 Quarter") and an increase of 2.5% over the fourth quarter 2014 distribution of $0.915 per unit. AHGP’s principal sources of cash flow are its ownership of general partner interests, limited partner interests and incentive distribution rights in Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. (NASDAQ: ARLP). The declared distribution is based on the distribution AHGP will receive from its ownership interests in ARLP, which today announced a quarterly distribution for the 2015 Quarter of $0.6625 per unit, or $2.65 per unit on an annualized basis, payable on May 15, 2015 to all unitholders of record as of the close of trading on May 8, 2015. (See ARLP Press Release dated April 28, 2015.) AHGP also reported net income for the 2015 Quarter of $65.5 million, or net income per basic and diluted limited partner interest of $1.09 per unit, a decrease of 2.8% compared to net income for the 2014 Quarter of $67.4 million, or $1.13 per basic and diluted limited partner unit. (Operating results for AHGP reflect those of the operating subsidiaries of ARLP and, as a result, AHGP reports its financial results on a consolidated basis with the financial results of ARLP. For a discussion of net income presentation, please see the end of this release.) Based on ARLP’s current declared distribution, AHGP expects to receive quarterly cash distributions from ARLP of $57.0 million, or $228.0 million on an annualized basis. AHGP’s primary cash requirements are for working capital, distributions to its unitholders and general and administrative expenses, including for 2015 full year an estimated $3.6 million in general and administrative expenses. AHGP and ARLP will discuss their 2015 Quarter financial results during a joint conference call scheduled for Wednesday, April 29, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern. To participate in the conference call, dial (855) 793-3259 and provide conference number 19590246. International callers should dial (631) 485-4928 and provide the same conference number. Investors may also listen to the call via the "investor information" section of ARLP’s website at http://www.arlp.com or AHGP’s website at http://www.ahgp.com. An audio replay of the conference call will be available for approximately one week. To access the audio replay, dial (855) 859-2056 and provide conference number 19590246. International callers should dial (404) 537-3406 and provide the same conference number. This announcement is intended to be a qualified notice under Treasury Regulation Section 1.1446-4(b), with 100% of the partnership’s distributions to foreign investors attributable to income that is effectively connected with a United States trade or business. Accordingly, AHGP’s distributions to foreign investors are subject to federal income tax withholding at the highest applicable tax rate. About Alliance Holdings GP, L.P. AHGP is a limited partnership formed to own and control Alliance Resource Management GP, LLC, the managing general partner of Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. (NASDAQ: ARLP), through which it holds a 1.98% general partner interest and the incentive distribution rights in ARLP. In addition, AHGP owns 31,088,338 common units of ARLP. News, unit prices and additional information about AHGP including filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, are available at http://www.ahgp.com. For more information, contact the investor relations department of Alliance Holdings GP, L.P. at (918) 295-1415 or via e-mail at investorrelations@ahgp.com. The statements and projections used throughout this release are based on current expectations. These statements and projections are forward-looking, and actual results may differ materially. These projections do not include the potential impact of any mergers, acquisitions or other business combinations that may occur after the date of this release. At the end of this release, we have included more information regarding business risks that could affect our results. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: With the exception of historical matters, any matters discussed in this press release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from projected results. These risks, uncertainties and contingencies include, but are not limited to, the following: changes in competition in coal markets and the ARLP Partnership's ability to respond to such changes; changes in coal prices, which could affect the ARLP Partnership's operating results and cash flows; risks associated with the ARLP Partnership's expansion of its operations and properties; legislation, regulations, and court decisions and interpretations thereof, including those relating to the environment, mining, miner health and safety and health care; deregulation of the electric utility industry or the effects of any adverse change in the coal industry, electric utility industry, or general economic conditions; dependence on significant customer contracts, including renewing customer contracts upon expiration of existing contracts; changing global economic conditions or in industries in which the ARLP Partnership’s customers operate; liquidity constraints, including those resulting from any future unavailability of financing; customer bankruptcies, cancellations or breaches to existing contracts, or other failures to perform; customer delays, failure to take coal under contracts or defaults in making payments; adjustments made in price, volume or terms to existing coal supply agreements; fluctuations in coal demand, prices and availability; the ARLP Partnership's productivity levels and margins earned on its coal sales; changes in raw material costs; changes in the availability of skilled labor; the ARLP Partnership's ability to maintain satisfactory relations with its employees; increases in labor costs, adverse changes in work rules, or cash payments or projections associated with post-mine reclamation and workers' compensation claims; increases in transportation costs and risk of transportation delays or interruptions; operational interruptions due to geologic, permitting, labor, weather-related or other factors; risks associated with major mine-related accidents, such as mine fires, or interruptions; results of litigation, including claims not yet asserted; difficulty maintaining the ARLP Partnership's surety bonds for mine reclamation as well as workers' compensation and black lung benefits; difficulty in making accurate assumptions and projections regarding pension, black lung benefits and other post-retirement benefit liabilities; the coal industry's share of electricity generation, including as a result of environmental concerns related to coal mining and combustion and the cost and perceived benefits of other sources of electricity, such as natural gas, nuclear energy and renewable fuels; uncertainties in estimating and replacing the ARLP Partnership’s coal reserves; a loss or reduction of benefits from certain tax deductions and credits; difficulty obtaining commercial property insurance, and risks associated with the ARLP Partnership's participation (excluding any applicable deductible) in the commercial insurance property program; and difficulty in making accurate assumptions and projections regarding future revenues and costs associated with equity investments in companies we do not control. Additional information concerning these and other factors can be found in AHGP’s public periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including AHGP's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014, filed on February 27, 2015 with the SEC. Except as required by applicable securities laws, AHGP does not intend to update its forward-looking statements. March 31, OUTSTANDING - BASIC AND DILUTED Presentation of Net Income Consolidated net income includes earnings attributable to both AHGP and noncontrolling interests. Unless otherwise noted, any reference to net income in this release represents net income attributable to AHGP.

TULSA, Okla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Alliance Holdings GP, L.P. (NASDAQ: AHGP) today announced that the Board of Directors of its general partner declared a quarterly cash distribution for the quarter ended December 31, 2014 (the "2014 Quarter") of $0.915 per unit, or an annualized rate of $3.66 per unit. The declared distribution will be paid on February 19, 2015 to AHGP’s unitholders of record as of the close of trading on February 12, 2015. The announced quarterly cash distribution represents a 10.6% increase over the $0.8275 per unit distribution (an annualized rate of $3.31 per unit) for the quarter ended December 31, 2013 (the "2013 Quarter") and an increase of 2.5% over the third quarter 2014 distribution of $0.8925 per unit (an annualized rate of $3.57 per unit). The declared distribution is based on the distribution AHGP will receive from its ownership interests in Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. (NASDAQ: ARLP). ARLP today announced a quarterly distribution for the 2014 Quarter of $0.65 per unit, or $2.60 per unit on an annualized basis, payable on February 13, 2015 to all unitholders of record as of the close of trading on February 6, 2015. (See ARLP Press Release dated January 28, 2015.) AHGP also reported net income for the 2014 Quarter of $71.0 million, or $1.19 per basic and diluted limited partner unit, an increase of 21.0% compared to net income for the 2013 Quarter of $58.7 million, or $0.98 per basic and diluted limited partner unit. For the year ended December 31, 2014, AHGP’s net income increased 21.6% to a record $284.4 million, or $4.75 per basic and diluted limited partner unit, compared to net income for the year ended December 31, 2013 of $233.9 million, or $3.91 per basic and diluted limited partner unit. (For a discussion of net income presentation, please see the end of this release.) AHGP currently has no other operating activities apart from those conducted by the operating subsidiaries of ARLP and reports its financial results on a consolidated basis with the financial results of ARLP. AHGP’s principal sources of cash flow are its ownership of general partner interests, limited partner interests and incentive distribution rights in ARLP. Based on ARLP’s current declared distribution, AHGP expects to receive quarterly cash distributions from ARLP of $55.7 million, or $222.8 million on an annualized basis. AHGP’s primary cash requirements are for working capital, distributions to its unitholders and general and administrative expenses, including for 2015 an estimated $3.6 million in general and administrative expenses. AHGP and ARLP will discuss their 2014 Quarter financial results during a joint conference call scheduled for today at 10:00 a.m. Eastern. To participate in the conference call, dial (800) 295-4740 and provide pass code 28724896. International callers should dial (617) 614-3925 and provide the same pass code. Investors may also listen to the call via the "investor information" section of ARLP’s website at http://www.arlp.com or AHGP’s website at http://www.ahgp.com. An audio replay of the conference call will be available for approximately one week. To access the audio replay, dial (888) 286-8010 and provide pass code 73393790. International callers should dial (617) 801-6888 and provide the same pass code. This announcement is intended to be a qualified notice under Treasury Regulation Section 1.1446-4(b), with 100% of the partnership’s distributions to foreign investors attributable to income that is effectively connected with a United States trade or business. Accordingly, AHGP’s distributions to foreign investors are subject to federal income tax withholding at the highest applicable tax rate. About Alliance Holdings GP, L.P. AHGP is a limited partnership formed to own and control Alliance Resource Management GP, LLC, the managing general partner of Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. (NASDAQ: ARLP), through which it holds a 1.98% general partner interest and the incentive distribution rights in ARLP. In addition, AHGP owns 31,088,338 common units of ARLP. News, unit prices and additional information about AHGP including filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, are available at http://www.ahgp.com. For more information, contact the investor relations department of Alliance Holdings GP, L.P. at (918) 295-1415 or via e-mail at investorrelations@ahgp.com. The statements and projections used throughout this release are based on current expectations. These statements and projections are forward-looking, and actual results may differ materially. These projections do not include the potential impact of any mergers, acquisitions or other business combinations that may occur after the date of this release. At the end of this release, we have included more information regarding business risks that could affect our results. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: With the exception of historical matters, any matters discussed in this press release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from projected results. These risks, uncertainties and contingencies include, but are not limited to, the following: changes in competition in coal markets and the ARLP Partnership's ability to respond to such changes; changes in coal prices, which could affect the ARLP Partnership's operating results and cash flows; risks associated with the ARLP Partnership's expansion of its operations and properties; legislation, regulations, and court decisions and interpretations thereof, including those relating to the environment, mining, miner health and safety and health care; deregulation of the electric utility industry or the effects of any adverse change in the coal industry, electric utility industry, or general economic conditions; dependence on significant customer contracts, including renewing customer contracts upon expiration of existing contracts; changing global economic conditions or in industries in which the ARLP Partnership’s customers operate; liquidity constraints, including those resulting from any future unavailability of financing; customer bankruptcies, cancellations or breaches to existing contracts, or other failures to perform; customer delays, failure to take coal under contracts or defaults in making payments; adjustments made in price, volume or terms to existing coal supply agreements; fluctuations in coal demand, prices and availability; the ARLP Partnership's productivity levels and margins earned on its coal sales; changes in raw material costs; changes in the availability of skilled labor; the ARLP Partnership's ability to maintain satisfactory relations with its employees; increases in labor costs, adverse changes in work rules, or cash payments or projections associated with post-mine reclamation and workers' compensation claims; increases in transportation costs and risk of transportation delays or interruptions; operational interruptions due to geologic, permitting, labor, weather-related or other factors; risks associated with major mine-related accidents, such as mine fires, or interruptions; results of litigation, including claims not yet asserted; difficulty maintaining the ARLP Partnership's surety bonds for mine reclamation as well as workers' compensation and black lung benefits; difficulty in making accurate assumptions and projections regarding pension, black lung benefits and other post-retirement benefit liabilities; the coal industry's share of electricity generation, including as a result of environmental concerns related to coal mining and combustion and the cost and perceived benefits of other sources of electricity, such as natural gas, nuclear energy and renewable fuels; uncertainties in estimating and replacing the ARLP Partnership’s coal reserves; a loss or reduction of benefits from certain tax deductions and credits; difficulty obtaining commercial property insurance, and risks associated with the ARLP Partnership's participation (excluding any applicable deductible) in the commercial insurance property program; and difficulty in making accurate assumptions and projections regarding future revenues and costs associated with equity investments in companies we do not control. Additional information concerning these and other factors can be found in AHGP’s public periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including AHGP's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013, filed on February 28, 2014 with the SEC. Except as required by applicable securities laws, AHGP does not intend to update its forward-looking statements. ALLIANCE HOLDINGS GP, L.P. AND SUBSIDIARIES CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME AND OPERATING DATA (In thousands, except unit and per unit data) (Unaudited) Three Months EndedDecember 31, Year EndedDecember 31, WEIGHTED AVERAGE NUMBER OF UNITS OUTSTANDING - BASIC AND DILUTED Net settlement of employee withholding taxes on vesting of ARLP Long-Term Incentive Plan Presentation of Net Income Consolidated net income includes earnings attributable to both AHGP and noncontrolling interests. Unless otherwise noted, any reference to net income in this release represents net income attributable to AHGP.

TULSA, Okla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Alliance Holdings GP, L.P. (NASDAQ: AHGP) today reported quarterly financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2014 (the "2014 Quarter"). On the strength of solid results by its operating subsidiary, Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. (NASDAQ: ARLP), AHGP’s net income rose 26.4% to $68.5 million, or net income per basic and diluted limited partner interest of $1.15 per unit, an increase of 26.4% compared to the quarter ended September 30, 2013 (the "2013 Quarter"). (Operating results for AHGP reflect those of the operating subsidiaries of ARLP and, as a result, AHGP reports its financial results on a consolidated basis with the financial results of ARLP. For a discussion of net income presentation, please see the end of this release.) AHGP also announced that the Board of Directors of its general partner (the "Board") increased the cash distribution to unitholders for the 2014 Quarter to $0.8925 per unit, or an annualized rate of $3.57 per unit, payable on November 19, 2014 to AHGP’s unitholders of record as of the close of trading on November 12, 2014. The declared quarterly cash distribution represents a 10.5% increase over the cash distribution of $0.8075 per unit for the 2013 Quarter and an increase of 2.6% over the second quarter 2014 distribution of $0.87 per unit. AHGP’s principal sources of cash flow are its ownership of general partner interests, limited partner interests and incentive distribution rights in ARLP. The declared distribution is based on the distribution AHGP will receive from its ownership interests in ARLP, which today announced a quarterly distribution for the 2014 Quarter of $0.6375 per unit, or $2.55 per unit on an annualized basis, payable on November 14, 2014 to all unitholders of record as of the close of trading on November 7, 2014. (See ARLP Press Release dated October 27, 2014.) Based on ARLP’s current declared distribution, AHGP expects to receive quarterly cash distributions from ARLP of $54.4 million, or $217.6 million on an annualized basis. AHGP’s primary cash requirements are for working capital, distributions to its unitholders and general and administrative expenses, including for 2014 an estimated $4.7 million in general and administrative expenses. AHGP and ARLP will discuss their 2014 Quarter financial results during a joint conference call scheduled for Tuesday, October 28, 2014 at 9:30 a.m. Eastern. To participate in the conference call, dial (866) 202-0886 and provide pass code 22702851. International callers should dial (617) 213-8841 and provide the same pass code. Investors may also listen to the call via the "investor information" section of ARLP’s website at http://www.arlp.com or AHGP’s website at http://www.ahgp.com. An audio replay of the conference call will be available for approximately one week. To access the audio replay, dial (888) 286-8010 and provide pass code 23301892. International callers should dial (617) 801-6888 and provide the same pass code. This announcement is intended to be a qualified notice under Treasury Regulation Section 1.1446-4(b), with 100% of the partnership’s distributions to foreign investors attributable to income that is effectively connected with a United States trade or business. Accordingly, AHGP’s distributions to foreign investors are subject to federal income tax withholding at the highest applicable tax rate. About Alliance Holdings GP, L.P. AHGP is a limited partnership formed to own and control Alliance Resource Management GP, LLC, the managing general partner of Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. (NASDAQ: ARLP), through which it holds a 1.98% general partner interest and the incentive distribution rights in ARLP. In addition, AHGP owns 31,088,338 common units of ARLP. News, unit prices and additional information about AHGP including filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, are available at http://www.ahgp.com. For more information, contact the investor relations department of Alliance Holdings GP, L.P. at (918) 295-1415 or via e-mail at investorrelations@ahgp.com. The statements and projections used throughout this release are based on current expectations. These statements and projections are forward-looking, and actual results may differ materially. These projections do not include the potential impact of any mergers, acquisitions or other business combinations that may occur after the date of this release. At the end of this release, we have included more information regarding business risks that could affect our results. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: With the exception of historical matters, any matters discussed in this press release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from projected results. These risks, uncertainties and contingencies include, but are not limited to, the following: changes in competition in coal markets and the ARLP Partnership's ability to respond to such changes; changes in coal prices, which could affect the ARLP Partnership's operating results and cash flows; risks associated with the ARLP Partnership's expansion of its operations and properties; legislation, regulations, and court decisions and interpretations thereof, including those relating to the environment, mining, miner health and safety and health care; deregulation of the electric utility industry or the effects of any adverse change in the coal industry, electric utility industry, or general economic conditions; dependence on significant customer contracts, including renewing customer contracts upon expiration of existing contracts; changing global economic conditions or in industries in which the ARLP Partnership’s customers operate; liquidity constraints, including those resulting from any future unavailability of financing; customer bankruptcies, cancellations or breaches to existing contracts, or other failures to perform; customer delays, failure to take coal under contracts or defaults in making payments; adjustments made in price, volume or terms to existing coal supply agreements; fluctuations in coal demand, prices and availability; the ARLP Partnership's productivity levels and margins earned on its coal sales; changes in raw material costs; changes in the availability of skilled labor; the ARLP Partnership's ability to maintain satisfactory relations with its employees; increases in labor costs, adverse changes in work rules, or cash payments or projections associated with post-mine reclamation and workers' compensation claims; increases in transportation costs and risk of transportation delays or interruptions; operational interruptions due to geologic, permitting, labor, weather-related or other factors; risks associated with major mine-related accidents, such as mine fires, or interruptions; results of litigation, including claims not yet asserted; difficulty maintaining the ARLP Partnership's surety bonds for mine reclamation as well as workers' compensation and black lung benefits; difficulty in making accurate assumptions and projections regarding pension, black lung benefits and other post-retirement benefit liabilities; the coal industry's share of electricity generation, including as a result of environmental concerns related to coal mining and combustion and the cost and perceived benefits of other sources of electricity, such as natural gas, nuclear energy and renewable fuels; uncertainties in estimating and replacing the ARLP Partnership’s coal reserves; a loss or reduction of benefits from certain tax deductions and credits; difficulty obtaining commercial property insurance, and risks associated with the ARLP Partnership's participation (excluding any applicable deductible) in the commercial insurance property program; and difficulty in making accurate assumptions and projections regarding future revenues and costs associated with equity investments in companies we do not control. Additional information concerning these and other factors can be found in AHGP’s public periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including AHGP's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013, filed on February 28, 2014 with the SEC. Except as required by applicable securities laws, AHGP does not intend to update its forward-looking statements. September 30, September 30, WEIGHTED AVERAGE NUMBER OF UNITS OUTSTANDING - BASIC AND DILUTED Presentation of Net Income Consolidated net income includes earnings attributable to both AHGP and noncontrolling interests. Unless otherwise noted, any reference to net income in this release represents net income attributable to AHGP.

TULSA, Okla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Alliance Holdings GP, L.P. (NASDAQ: AHGP) today reported record quarterly financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2014 (the "2014 Quarter"). On the strength of record results by its operating subsidiary, Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. (NASDAQ: ARLP), AHGP’s net income rose 26.8% to a record $77.3 million, or net income per basic and diluted limited partner interest of $1.29 per unit, an increase of 26.5% compared to the quarter ended June 30, 2013 (the "2013 Quarter"). (Operating results for AHGP reflect those of the operating subsidiaries of ARLP and, as a result, AHGP reports its financial results on a consolidated basis with the financial results of ARLP. For a discussion of net income presentation, please see the end of this release.) AHGP also announced that the Board of Directors of its general partner (the "Board") increased the cash distribution to unitholders for the 2014 Quarter to $0.87 per unit, or an annualized rate of $3.48 per unit, payable on August 19, 2014 to AHGP’s unitholders of record as of the close of trading on August 12, 2014. The declared quarterly cash distribution represents a 10.8% increase over the cash distribution of $0.785 per unit for the 2013 Quarter and an increase of 2.7% over the first quarter 2014 distribution of $0.8475 per unit. "AHGP’s performance remained strong during the 2014 Quarter," said Joseph W. Craft III, President and Chief Executive Officer. "Record first half results and expectations for continued distribution growth from ARLP over the balance of 2014 led our Board to increase quarterly distributions to AHGP’s unitholders for the twenty-fifth consecutive quarter." AHGP’s principal sources of cash flow are its ownership of general partner interests, limited partner interests and incentive distribution rights in ARLP. The declared distribution is based on the distribution AHGP will receive from its ownership interests in ARLP, which today announced a quarterly distribution for the 2014 Quarter of $0.625 per unit, or $2.50 per unit on an annualized basis, payable on August 14, 2014 to all unitholders of record as of the close of trading on August 7, 2014. (See ARLP Press Release dated July 28, 2014.) Based on ARLP’s current declared distribution, AHGP expects to receive quarterly cash distributions from ARLP of $53.0 million, or $212.0 million on an annualized basis. AHGP’s primary cash requirements are for working capital, distributions to its unitholders and general and administrative expenses, including for 2014 an estimated $4.6 million in general and administrative expenses. AHGP and ARLP will discuss their 2014 Quarter financial results during a joint conference call scheduled for today at 10:00 a.m. Eastern. To participate in the conference call, dial (866) 510-0707 and provide pass code 29562831. International callers should dial (617) 597-5376 and provide the same pass code. Investors may also listen to the call via the "investor information" section of ARLP’s website at http://www.arlp.com or AHGP’s website at http://www.ahgp.com. An audio replay of the conference call will be available for approximately one week. To access the audio replay, dial (888) 286-8010 and provide pass code 27955898. International callers should dial (617) 801-6888 and provide the same pass code. This announcement is intended to be a qualified notice under Treasury Regulation Section 1.1446-4(b), with 100% of the partnership’s distributions to foreign investors attributable to income that is effectively connected with a United States trade or business. Accordingly, AHGP’s distributions to foreign investors are subject to federal income tax withholding at the highest applicable tax rate. About Alliance Holdings GP, L.P. AHGP is a limited partnership formed to own and control Alliance Resource Management GP, LLC, the managing general partner of Alliance Resource Partners, L.P. (NASDAQ: ARLP), through which it holds a 1.98% general partner interest and the incentive distribution rights in ARLP. In addition, AHGP owns 31,088,338 ARLP common units. News, unit prices and additional information about AHGP, including filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, are available at http://www.ahgp.com. For more information, contact the investor relations department of AHGP at (918) 295-1415 or via e-mail at investorrelations@ahgp.com. The statements and projections used throughout this release are based on current expectations. These statements and projections are forward-looking, and actual results may differ materially. These projections do not include the potential impact of any mergers, acquisitions or other business combinations that may occur after the date of this release. At the end of this release, we have included more information regarding business risks that could affect our results. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: With the exception of historical matters, any matters discussed in this press release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from projected results. These risks, uncertainties and contingencies include, but are not limited to, the following: changes in competition in coal markets and the ARLP Partnership's ability to respond to such changes; changes in coal prices, which could affect the ARLP Partnership's operating results and cash flows; risks associated with the ARLP Partnership's expansion of its operations and properties; legislation, regulations, and court decisions and interpretations thereof, including those relating to the environment, mining, miner health and safety and health care; deregulation of the electric utility industry or the effects of any adverse change in the coal industry, electric utility industry, or general economic conditions; dependence on significant customer contracts, including renewing customer contracts upon expiration of existing contracts; changing global economic conditions or in industries in which the ARLP Partnership’s customers operate; liquidity constraints, including those resulting from any future unavailability of financing; customer bankruptcies, cancellations or breaches to existing contracts, or other failures to perform; customer delays, failure to take coal under contracts or defaults in making payments; adjustments made in price, volume or terms to existing coal supply agreements; fluctuations in coal demand, prices and availability; the ARLP Partnership's productivity levels and margins earned on its coal sales; changes in raw material costs; changes in the availability of skilled labor; the ARLP Partnership's ability to maintain satisfactory relations with its employees; increases in labor costs, adverse changes in work rules, or cash payments or projections associated with post-mine reclamation and workers' compensation claims; increases in transportation costs and risk of transportation delays or interruptions; operational interruptions due to geologic, permitting, labor, weather-related or other factors; risks associated with major mine-related accidents, such as mine fires, or interruptions; results of litigation, including claims not yet asserted; difficulty maintaining the ARLP Partnership's surety bonds for mine reclamation as well as workers' compensation and black lung benefits; difficulty in making accurate assumptions and projections regarding pension, black lung benefits and other post-retirement benefit liabilities; the coal industry's share of electricity generation, including as a result of environmental concerns related to coal mining and combustion and the cost and perceived benefits of other sources of electricity, such as natural gas, nuclear energy and renewable fuels; uncertainties in estimating and replacing the ARLP Partnership’s coal reserves; a loss or reduction of benefits from certain tax deductions and credits; difficulty obtaining commercial property insurance, and risks associated with the ARLP Partnership's participation (excluding any applicable deductible) in the commercial insurance property program; and difficulty in making accurate assumptions and projections regarding future revenues and costs associated with equity investments in companies we do not control. Additional information concerning these and other factors can be found in AHGP’s public periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including AHGP's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013, filed on February 28, 2014 with the SEC. Except as required by applicable securities laws, AHGP does not intend to update its forward-looking statements. Three Months EndedJune 30, Six Months EndedJune 30, WEIGHTED AVERAGE NUMBER OF UNITS OUTSTANDING - BASIC AND DILUTED Presentation of Net Income Consolidated net income includes earnings attributable to both AHGP and noncontrolling interests. Unless otherwise noted, any reference to net income in this release represents net income attributable to AHGP.