ST. LOUIS -- Two major coal companies and one of the Midwest's largest utilities are combining with Washington University to try and make St. Louis the nation's center for clean coal research and education.

Arch Coal and Peabody Energy are based in St. Louis. So is the utility company Ameren Corp. Chief executive officers from those companies and Washington University Chancellor Mark Wrighton on Tuesday announced formation of the Consortium for Clean Coal Utilization.

"Despite these difficult financial times, the university and these lead corporate sponsors realize that the investment in such research will benefit the region and the world in the long run," Wrighton said at a news conference at the university. "The knowledge and technology we will be able to create together will over time mean lower costs to customers and global environmental improvement."

Wrighton said the university has dedicated more than $60 million over the past year in education and research on energy, the environment and sustainability. A new building is expected to open in 2010.

Under the consortium, Arch Coal and Peabody each will contribute $5 million and Ameren will contribute $2 million. The money will be paid over a five-year period.

Sears suffers 3Q loss on weak U.S., Kmart sales

CHICAGO -- Hefty charges and poor results at its U.S. stores led Sears Holdings Corp. to post a bigger-than-expected loss for the third quarter on Tuesday, and the struggling retailer withdrew its operating profit outlook because of the nation's recession.

The suburban Chicago-based company, led by financier Edward Lampert who is the retailer's chairman, also boosted its stock buyback plan by $500 million to $572 million.

Sears lost $146 million, or $1.16 per share, during the three months ending Nov. 1. That compares with a profit of $4 million, or 3 cents per share, in the same period last year. Excluding a hefty charge related to 14 store closings and gains on Sears Canada hedges, Sears posted a loss of 90 cents per share in the latest period.

Revenue dropped more than 8 percent to $10.66 billion from $11.62 billion as the company's Sears department store's comparable sales slid 10.6 percent in the U.S. Same-store sales at Kmart, the company's discount brand, slipped 7 percent. Total same-store sales, or sales at stores open at least a year, a key retail industry metric, fell 9 percent.

AK Steel adds $10 per ton charge to some products

WEST CHESTER, Ohio -- AK Steel Holding Corp. said Tuesday that a $10 per ton surcharge will be added to invoices for electrical steel products shipped in January 2009.

AK Steel said its surcharges are based on reported prices for raw materials and energy used to manufacture its products.