U.S. Interior Honors Peabody Energy With Three National Excellence in Reclamation and Good Neighbor Awards

ST. LOUIS, Oct 29, 2009 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- Peabody Energy operations in Wyoming, Indiana and Illinois have been honored for good neighbor practices and environmental excellence at the U.S. Department of the Interior's Excellence in Surface Coal Mining Reclamation Awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. The honorees include: -- The Caballo Mine in Campbell County, Wyo., which earned a National Award of Excellence for restoration of streams and wetlands associated with the North Tisdale Creek, where the operations and environmental team has effectively established riparian vegetation, wetland conditions and regional landscape features on the prairie. These streams and wetlands are important for wildlife habitat. At Caballo Mine, these restored lands are twice as productive for livestock grazing than native range.

-- The Viking Mine in Daviess County, Ind., which earned a National Award of Excellence for restoration of a variety of land uses including prime farmland, high-quality woodlands and wildlife habitat. The operations and environmental team also perfected soil handling techniques that improve crop yields and reduce erosion, and the reforestation creates a natural carbon sink.

-- The Gateway Mine in Randolph County, Ill., which earned a Bronze Good Neighbor Award for its energy education activities and community involvement. Gateway employees routinely conduct mine tours, participate in annual tree planting activities and contribute to school training and educational advancement programs.

"Peabody has a world-class environmental, engineering and operations team, which is consistently recognized for creating the highest and most enduring benefits from our land restoration activities," said Peabody Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Eric Ford. "I applaud our global team for demonstrating a core value of our mission: to restore lands to a condition that is equal to or better than before mining occurred." Each year, an expert panel from U.S. Interior's Office of Surface Mining evaluates land restoration programs and community activities from operations around the nation to honor best practices and innovation. Eight awards were presented in 2009.

This past year, Peabody restored more than 3,700 acres companywide, planted more than 250,000 trees and recycled more than 19,000 tons of materials while creating $14 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, with 2008 sales of 255 million tons and $6.6 billion in revenues. Its coal products fuel 10 percent of all U.S. electricity generation and 2 percent of worldwide electricity.

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Meg Gallagher

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