Peabody’s Farmersburg Mine Recognized for Stream Restoration With Major Indiana Honor

ST. LOUIS, Jan. 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — A flourishing watershed at Peabody

Energy’s Farmersburg Mine has earned one of Indiana’s highest environmental
honors. The Indiana Society of Mining and Reclamation recognized the mine team
with the 2010 Indiana Excellence in Mining and Reclamation Award for Natural
Stream Restoration at the organization’s 24th annual Technology Transfer Seminar
in Jasper, Ind.

The award honors the company’s successful work to reconstruct a nearly
6,000-foot section of the West Fork Busseron Creek, in Sullivan County, Ind.
Forrest Crowe, Environmental Engineer at Peabody Energy’s Bear Run Mine in
Indiana, also was recognized with the 2010 Vance “Pat” Wiram Award for
innovation in land restoration.

“Watersheds are vital to the environmental health of any community, and the
Peabody team’s work at West Fork Busseron Creek is a model for the Midwest. The
team restored a stream and floodplain that sustains wildlife, enhances water
quality and provides excellent habitat for fish and other species,” said Peabody
Energy Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Eric Ford. “This
recognition reinforces our enduring commitment to stewardship, innovation and
sustainability.”

Peabody employed state-of-the-art techniques in natural stream restoration,
designing and constructing a stream channel that improves stability while
providing essential biological habitat. Natural rock and wood materials promote
in-stream stability, while an adjacent floodplain stores water during peak flow
events. Construction was initiated in 2005. Since then, the creek has flourished
amid multiple natural challenges, including nearly 15 inches of rainfall during
a 24-hour period in 2008. Many local roads, levees and flood control structures
failed at the time, but the stream required no repair.

The stream and watershed are improving water quality and contributing to a
flourishing ecosystem. Similarly, the team’s work to embed rock in the channel
bottom and install structures including log vanes, root wads and large boulders
created vital habitat. In many instances, the restored section of West Fork
Busseron Creek is more stable and enjoys a higher density of aquatic life than
in nearby sections of the stream that were not part of the mining operation.

“Modern coal mining and restoration is truly a sustainable process,” said Mark
Yingling, Peabody Energy’s Vice President of Environment and Conservancy. “The
prevalence of sensitive species in the restored West Fork Busseron Creek further
demonstrates that mining is a temporary use of the land, and that energy
resources can be recovered while creating superior post-mine habitat.”

Peabody’s Farmersburg Mine has previously been recognized for its prime farmland
restoration and Good Neighbor practices by the U.S. Department of the Interior.

The honor is the fourth major award Peabody received in 2010 for excellence in
safety, environmental practices and social responsibility in Indiana. During the
year, the company has earned more than a dozen environmental and safety honors
nationwide while restoring nearly 3,700 acres of mined lands, often to a
condition that is better than before mining occurred.

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.

Editor’s note: Images depicting the project can be downloaded at
PeabodyEnergy.com.

CONTACT:
Meg Gallagher
(314) 342-7963

SOURCE Peabody Energy