Patriot Coal Recognizes Best-in-Class Safety Performance

ST. LOUIS, March 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Patriot Coal Corporation (NYSE: PCX) today announced that it has recognized excellence in safety by awarding its inaugural Patriot Award to the Dodge Hill No. 1 Mine, an underground mine located near Sturgis, Kentucky.  The award was given to the operating entity with the best overall safety performance and safety program during 2010 among four best-in-class performers for underground and surface mines and other mining-related facilities.  Dodge Hill had a safety incidence rate of 1.43, and 0.74 violations per inspector day.  In addition to Dodge Hill, three other groups were recognized for their best-in-class safety performance:

• Patriot Surface Mine, Henderson County, Kentucky
• Hobet's Beth Station Preparation Plant, Rock Creek, West Virginia
• Panther Underground Mine, Cabin Creek, West Virginia

Finally, ten organizations within Patriot were recognized for zero incidents in 2010: Hobet No. 23 Plant; Big Mountain Preparation Plant; Campbell's Creek Surface Facilities; Contract Services Group; Harris/Rocklick Beltline; Little Creek Dock; Patriot Surface Mine; Rocklick Preparation Plant; Tom's Fork Loadout; and Wharton Tunnel.

"Patriot's safety programs are all about continuous improvement. Thanks to our employees' careful and more focused attention to each other's safety, Patriot's accident rate improved again in 2010, making it the safest year in our history, for the fourth consecutive time since becoming a public company in 2007," noted Patriot Senior Vice President & Chief Operating Officer Charles A. Ebetino, Jr.  "We are intent upon providing the safest work environment possible and improving our safety compliance programs Company-wide. By recognizing and sharing best practices in safety, we will make further progress toward our goal of zero accidents every shift of every day.  We congratulate all of our award winners and look forward to an even safer 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 1.8 billion tons of proven and probable coal reserves.  The Company's common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol PCX.

SOURCE Patriot Coal Corporation