Press Releases

Peabody Energy's Miller Creek Mine has earned the 2007 Excellence in Mining and Reclamation Award from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) for reclaiming nearly 1,100 acres of highly productive farmland and wildlife habitat at its Sugar Ridge Pit in South Central Indiana. Miller Creek is operated by Black Beauty Coal Company, LLC, a Peabody subsidiary.

Employees were honored for innovative techniques to restore prime farmland, the highest land reclamation use. Efforts included soil replacement and handling techniques that exceed Indiana state requirements and are considered a model for the coal industry, according to Bruce Stevens, Director of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Reclamation.

"Miller Creek employees should be very proud of their reclamation work at the Sugar Ridge pit," said Stevens. "They went well above and beyond what Indiana regulations require. For example, Miller Creek completed extensive soil quality investigations to determine the soil mix best suited for farmland restoration. Although the minimum requirement for soil replacement of prime farmland is four feet in Indiana, soil depths at Sugar Ridge are typically six to eight feet."

Located five miles north of Clay City, Ind., reclaimed farmland at Miller Creek's Sugar Ridge Pit has produced corn, soybean, wheat and alfalfa yields that have equaled or surpassed pre-mining harvests.

"We've taken a lot of pride in using best practices to restore productive farmland for local land owners in the area," said Jerry Kempf, Midwest Surface Mining Director. "This award underlines how committed Miller Creek employees are to our mission: 'to return the land to a condition equal to or better than we found it.'"

The honors cap a year in which Peabody affiliates have earned 10 awards for stewardship and sustainability, including five major Good Neighbor and Excellence in Reclamation awards from the U.S. Department of the Interior. Miller Creek has approximately 140 employees and is active in the community, recently partnering with the Indiana Prime Farmland Team to host a "Field Day" to educate local residents about reclamation and mining.

Peabody Energy is the world's largest private-sector coal company. Its coal products fuel approximately 10 percent of all U.S. electricity generation and more than 2 percent of worldwide electricity.

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SOURCE: Peabody Energy