Peabody Energy's Gateway Mine Recognized for Safety and Operations Leadership in Illinois

ST. LOUIS, Sept. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Peabody Energy today announced the company has earned the 2010 Illinois Best Injury Frequency Rate Award recognizing the company's Gateway Mine as the state's safest mid-sized operation.

The Illinois Mining Institute also recognized Gateway Mine Operations Manager Cliff Walker and Operations Associate Dan McLean with 2010 Awards of Excellence.

"Our safety vision is 'to operate safe workplaces that are incident-free,'" said Eric Ford, Peabody's Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. "Congratulations to the leadership and the workforce at Gateway Mine for bringing this vision to life as evidenced by their safety and operations excellence."

Gateway Mine received the honor from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Office of Mines and Minerals for having the best incident rate for Underground Operations in the Division Two category, mines with less than 500,000 work hours. In 2009, the mine achieved a 1.05 incidence rate per 200,000 hours worked, an almost six-fold improvement over the 2009 industry average of 6.02. The mine also set a record as the safest underground operation in Peabody history.

A 35-year industry veteran, Walker was recognized with the IMI Excellence in Mining Experienced Miner Award for his achievements at Gateway Mine. The institute honored Walker for operating one of Illinois' safest, most cost-efficient and productive mines.

The Excellence in Mining Apprentice Miner Award also honors the exceptional performance of apprentice professional personnel in Illinois mines. McLean, a former Peabody intern and scholarship recipient, graduated from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale with a mining engineering degree. The Illinois Mining Institute is a 116-year-old organization that promotes mineral industries in Illinois.

Located in Randolph County near Coulterville, Ill., Gateway shipped approximately 3.2 million tons of coal in 2009. Worldwide, Peabody has earned more than two dozen awards for safety, financial leadership, stewardship and good neighbor practices over the past two years.

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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