Patriot Coal Receives Prestigious Safety Awards

ST. LOUIS, June 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Patriot Coal Corporation (NYSE: PCX) today announced that seven operations were recognized for their 2009 safety performance at the Annual Meeting of the Joseph A. Holmes Safety Association.  The following operations each received awards from the West Virginia Office of Miners Health, Safety & Training:

• Big Mountain preparation plant
• Campbell's Creek No. 7 mine
• Coalburg No. 2 mine
• Guyan Surface mine
• Rivers Edge mine
• Rocklick's Matewan Tunnel operation

Additionally, the Samples Highwall Miner operation in the Paint Creek complex was presented the 2009 District 4 Pacesetter Award by the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration.  This award is earned by operations with the lowest rate of injury as measured by non-fatal days lost.

"Safety is our top priority – period.  Continuous improvement in safety performance is part of our daily routine, with an ultimate goal of zero accidents," said Patriot President & Chief Operating Officer Paul H. Vining.  "We are pleased to be recognized with these prestigious awards.  In particular, the fact that our safety performance was recognized at underground and surface mines, in addition to support facilities, attests to the effectiveness of our comprehensive safety program.  I thank all of our employees for operating safely each day."

About Patriot Coal

Patriot Coal Corporation is a leading producer and marketer of coal in the eastern United States, with 14 current mining complexes in Appalachia and the Illinois Basin.  The Company ships to domestic and international electric utilities, industrial users and metallurgical coal customers, and controls approximately 1.8 billion tons of proven and probable coal reserves.  The Company's common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol PCX.

Forward Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that may be beyond our control and may cause our actual future results to differ materially from expectations. We do not undertake to update our forward-looking statements. Factors that could affect our results include, but are not limited to: price volatility and demand, particularly in higher margin products; geologic, equipment and operational risks associated with mining; changes in general economic conditions, including coal and power market conditions; the availability and costs of competing energy resources; legislative and regulatory developments; risks associated with environmental laws and compliance; developments in greenhouse gas emission regulation and treatment; coal mining laws and regulations; labor availability and relations; the outcome of pending or future litigation; changes in the costs to provide healthcare to eligible active employees and certain retirees under postretirement benefit obligations; changes in contribution requirements to multi-employer retiree healthcare and pension funds; reductions of purchases or deferral of deliveries by major customers; availability and costs of credit; customer performance and credit risks; inflationary trends; worldwide economic and political conditions; downturns in consumer and company spending; supplier and contract miner performance and the availability and cost of key equipment and commodities; availability and costs of transportation; the Company's ability to replace coal reserves; the outcome of commercial negotiations involving sales contracts or other transactions; our ability to respond to changing customer preferences; failure to comply with debt covenants; the effects of mergers, acquisitions and divestitures; and weather patterns affecting energy demand. The Company undertakes no obligation (and expressly disclaims any such obligation) to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. For additional information concerning factors that could cause actual results to materially differ from those projected herein, please refer to the Company's Form 10-K and Form 10-Q reports.

SOURCE Patriot Coal Corporation

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