UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM 5
ANNUAL STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP
( ) Check box if no longer subject to Section 16.
Form 4 or Form 5 obligations may continue. See Instructions 1(b).
( ) Form 3 Holdings Reported
( ) Form 4 Transactions Reported
1. Name and Address of Reporting Person
   Ashland Inc.
   1000 Ashland Drive
   Russell, KY  41169
   USA
2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
   Ashland Coal, Inc.
   ACI
3. IRS or Social Security Number of Reporting Person (Voluntary)
   61-0122250
4. Statement for Month/Year
   1996
5. If Amendment, Date of Original (Month/Year)
   
6. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer (Check all applicable)
   ( ) Director  (X) 10% Owner  ( ) Officer (give title below) ( ) Other
   (specify below)
   
7. Individual or Joint/Group Reporting (Check Applicable Line)
   (X) Form filed by One Reporting Person
   ( ) Form filed by More than One Reporting Person
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Table I -- Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| 1. Title of Security |2. |3. |4.Securities Acquired (A) |5.Amount of |6.Dir |7.Nature of Indirect | |Transaction| or Disposed of (D) | Securities |ect | Beneficial Ownership | |Date |Code| | Beneficially |(D)or | | | | | | A/| | Owned at |Indir | | | | | Amount | D | Price | End of Year |ect(I)| | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| Common Stock, $.01 par value | |J(1)|96,624 |A | |7,481,289 (2) |D | | - -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| Class B Preferred Stock | | | | | |150 |D | | - -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Table II -- Derivative Securitites Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| 1.Title of Derivative |2.Con |3. |4. |5.Number of De |6.Date Exer|7.Title and Amount |8.Price|9.Number |10.|11.Nature of| Security |version |Transaction rivative Secu |cisable and| of Underlying |of Deri|of Deriva |Dir|Indirect | |or Exer |Date |Code| rities Acqui |Expiration | Securities |vative |tive |ect|Beneficial | |cise Pr | | | red(A) or Dis |Date(Month/| |Secu |Securities |(D)|Ownership | |ice of | | | posed of(D) |Day/Year) | |rity |Benefi |or | | |Deriva | | | |Date |Expir| | |ficially |Ind| | |tive | | | | A/|Exer-|ation| Title and Number | |Owned at |ire| | |Secu | | | | D |cisa-|Date | of Shares | |End of |ct | | |rity | | | Amount | |ble | | | |Year |(I)| | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________|
Explanation of Responses: 1. Shares acquired by the bank administrator of the Ashland Coal, Inc. Dividend Reinvestment Plan, exempt under old Rule 16b-2, acquired on March 15 and June 17 for $23.84 and $24.012 per share, respectively. Price and date of quarterly dividend reinvestment transactions after August 15, 1996 are not reflected in reliance on new Rule 16a-11. 2. Total shares held by the bank administrator of the Ashland Coal, Inc. Dividend Reinvestment Plan. SIGNATURE OF REPORTING PERSON Thomas L. Feazell, Senior VP, General Counsel and Secretary DATE February 7, 1997