Illinois Honors Peabody Energy For Environmental Leadership in Midwest

ST. LOUIS, Aug. 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Peabody Energy today announced the company has earned the 2010 Illinois Land Reclamation Award in the coal category from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Office of Mines and Minerals. The honor recognizes Peabody's Cottage Grove Mine near Equality, Ill., for re-establishing areas of prime farmland, highly productive cropland and wildlife habitat in Saline and Gallatin counties in Southern Illinois.

"Peabody's leadership in sustainable practices is core to our mission, as illustrated by the productive agricultural system established at Cottage Grove," said Eric Ford, Peabody's Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. "A key principle of Peabody's mission is to 'leave the land in a condition equal to or better than we found it.' Our teams of engineers and environmental specialists continue to live this mission in the Midwest and around the world."

Illinois environmental and mining authorities credited the mine with revitalizing productive farmland through innovative soil handling techniques and crop management practices. Conditions at Cottage Grove were particularly challenging due to the very high clay content of the existing soils. The mine introduced advances in soil segregation and replacement, improved deep tillage and crop selection, and optimized fertilization through the use of global positioning satellites and other technologies. The program has produced excellent results, with crop yields of corn, soybeans, wheat, and hay that have exceeded local averages.  

Worldwide, Peabody has earned more than two dozen awards for safety, financial leadership, stewardship and good neighbor practices over the past two years, including major honors from the U.S. Department of the Interior for environmental excellence and community outreach at operations in Wyoming, Indiana and Illinois.

Peabody restored more than 3,700 acres companywide, planted more than 250,000 trees and recycled more than 19,000 tons of materials in 2009, while creating $15 billion in direct and implied economic benefits in communities around the world.

Peabody Energy (NYSE: BTU) is the world's largest private-sector coal company and a global leader in clean coal solutions.  With 2009 sales of 244 million tons and $6 billion in revenues, Peabody fuels 10 percent of U.S. power and 2 percent of worldwide electricity.

SOURCE Peabody Energy

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