CONSOL Energy Operations Earn Top Two WV Safety Awards

PITTSBURGH, Feb. 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- CONSOL Energy Inc.'s (NYSE: CNX) Fola Surface and Robinson Run mines in West Virginia were recognized for their safety performance in 2011, receiving the top two safety awards given to a surface and an underground mine, respectively, through the West Virginia Mountaineer Guardian Awards program.  Four additional CONSOL Energy mine operations in West Virginia were also recognized for their outstanding safety efforts and were named recipients of Mountaineer Guardian awards during the 39th annual West Virginia Mining Symposium held earlier this month in Charleston, WV.

CONSOL Energy's Fola Surface Mine #1 in Clay County, W. Va., earned the prestigious Bart  B. Lay Jr.  Milestones of Safety Award and CONSOL Energy's Robinson Run No. 95 Mine in Marion County, W. Va., earned the Eustace E. Frederick Milestones of Safety Award. The 2011 safety performance awards are awarded based on numbers recorded from October 2010 through September 2011.

"We are proud that one of our surface and one of our underground operations in West Virginia have been recognized with the top two safety awards given through the Mountaineer Guardian Awards program," said J. Brett Harvey, CONSOL Energy chairman and CEO. "Earning the top recognition in both the surface and the underground category is a distinct honor. These recognitions, in addition to the safety awards received by four of our other operations, are a credit to our employees and a reflection of not only CONSOL Energy's commitment to safety, but also of the personal commitment to safety held by each of our employees at these operations."

The Fola Surface Mine won the state's top award for surface mine safety, recognizing it for the best safety performance among West Virginia surface mines in 2011. Fola has some 272 employees and worked safely for 526,535 hours producing 2,295,266 tons of coal with zero accidents to earn the award.

The Robinson Run mine won the state's top award for underground mine safety, recognizing it for the best safety performance among West Virginia underground coal mines in 2011. Robinson Run had some 583employees and worked safely for 1,353,025 hours producing 5,499,559 tons of coal with a 1.3 incident rate to earn the award.

In addition to the awards received by Fola Surface Mine # 1 and Robinson Run, three of CONSOL Energy's Mingo County, W. Va. operations, including the MT-41, Peg Fork Surface Mine and the Southern WV Resources Surface Mine No. 1; and one additional operation in Clay County, the Peach Orchard Preparation Plant, were each recognized for their commitment to safety through the awards given annually to qualifying underground and surface mining operations across the state of West Virginia.

The MT 41 Mine's 45 employees worked 76,076 hours with zero accidents; Peg Fork Surface Mine's 46 employees worked 90,222 hours with zero accidents; Southern West Virginia Resources No. 1 Surface Mine's 19 employees worked 47,669 hours with zero accidents; and Peach Orchard Preparation Plant's 44 employees worked 122,901 hours with zero accidents.  

Commenting on the achievement at all six operations, Mr. Harvey noted, "At CONSOL Energy, safety is a value. Priorities and goals change, but values do not and the fact that six of our operations in three different West Virginia counties achieved these safety recognitions is proof that our employees understand they are empowered to do whatever they need to do to work safely every day. We are proud of them and their achievements."

The West Virginia Office of Miners' Health, Safety and Training and the West Virginia Coal Association (Mining and Reclamation Association) established the Mountaineer Guardian Safety Awards Program in 1983 as a joint effort to promote safety in the coalfields of West Virginia. The special program gives recognition to mining workplaces where employees have accumulated qualifying amounts of production without experiencing a fatal accident. Mining operations are divided into categories, based on number of employees in order to be considered for the awards.

Inspectors for the West Virginia Office of Miners' Health, Safety & Training nominate companies who they feel have achieved a balance of production and safety. Selection criteria also includes safety program initiatives by the company; the nominated company's safety record; and its violation history.

CONSOL Energy Inc., the leading diversified fuel producer in the Eastern U.S., is a member of the Standard & Poor's 500 Equity Index and the Fortune 500. It has 12 bituminous coal mining complexes in four states and reports proven and probable coal reserves of 4.4 billion tons. It is also a leading Eastern U.S. gas producer, with proved reserves of over 3.7 trillion cubic feet. Additional information about CONSOL Energy can be found at its web site: www.consolenergy.com.

SOURCE CONSOL Energy Inc.