Patriot Coal Announces New Operations Management Structure

ST. LOUIS, Nov. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Patriot Coal Corporation (NYSE: PCX) today announced the realignment of its operations management to strengthen oversight of key mine complexes in Appalachia and facilitate plans for expansion of captive production.  Effective November 21, the following management team will report directly to Bennett K. Hatfield, Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer:

• John R. Jones will join Patriot as Vice President, Operations – West Virginia South Region, including the Rocklick, Wells, Big Mountain and Paint Creek complexes.  
• James N. Magro will serve as Senior Vice President, Operations – West Virginia North Region, including the Panther, Kanawha Eagle and Federal complexes.
• Michael D. Day will be Senior Vice President – Engineering and West Virginia Central Region Operations, with dual responsibilities for both the corporate engineering group and an operating region that includes the Logan County, Corridor G, Campbell's Creek and Blue Creek complexes.
• Lawrence J. Millburg will become Vice President, Operations – Kentucky Region, including the Bluegrass, Dodge Hill and Highland complexes.
• Terry G. Hudson will continue in his current position as Vice President – Safety.
• E. Kent Hartsog will continue in his current role as Vice President – Operations Support.

"The addition of John Jones to our management team focuses experience and resources on our southern West Virginia operations.  Our Met Build-Out program is a key part of our strategy, and John will help ensure its success," stated Hatfield.  "Also, the new regional structure will allow us to target more of Jim Magro's skills on our critical longwall operations and the ongoing Kanawha Eagle expansion, and will better accommodate Mike Day's responsibility for managing our vital engineering, mine development and environmental compliance efforts.  Finally, Larry Millburg will be responsible for our Western Kentucky operations at an important juncture when a significant legacy customer contract is just rolling off."

"This realignment of operations management is an important step in strengthening Patriot's operating team and positioning the company for organic expansion," concluded Hatfield.  

Mr. Jones most recently served as Vice President Underground Operations for the Brooks Run North Business Unit of Alpha Natural Resources.  His nearly 30 years of coal industry experience with Alpha and Massey Energy includes management roles overseeing several of their largest mining complexes in southern West Virginia.  He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mining Engineering from the University of Kentucky.  

Mr. Magro joined Patriot in December 2009, serving as the Company's Senior Vice President of Underground Mining.  His Patriot service was preceded by a lengthy career in operations management with Consol Energy.  Magro holds a Masters in Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from West Virginia University.

Mr. Day previously served as Patriot's Senior Vice President – Engineering & Surface Operations, overseeing the Company's engineering, technical services, environmental and process improvement functions, as well as Patriot's surface mining operations in West Virginia.  Day holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mining Engineering from the University of Kentucky.

Mr. Millburg has more than 35 years of mining experience and has held a number of mine management positions with Patriot Coal and Peabody Energy.  He has served as Patriot's Acting Vice President – Midwest Operations since July 2011.  

About Patriot Coal

Patriot Coal Corporation is a leading producer and marketer of coal in the eastern United States, with 14 active mining complexes in Appalachia and the Illinois Basin.  The Company ships to domestic and international electricity generators, industrial users and metallurgical coal customers, and controls approximately 1.9 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, power and steel market conditions; coal mining laws and regulations; the availability and costs of competing energy resources; legislative and regulatory developments; risks associated with environmental laws and compliance, including selenium-related matters; developments in greenhouse gas emission regulation and treatment; negotiation of labor contracts, 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; increases to contribution requirements to multi-employer retiree healthcare and pension plans; reductions of purchases or deferral of shipments 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 or disrupting coal supply.  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