Three Patriot Coal Operations Receive Safety Awards

ST. LOUIS, May 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Patriot Coal Corporation (NYSE:PCX) announced today that three operations have been recognized for their 2007 safety performance by the Green River Council of the Joseph A. Holmes Safety Association.

Patriot Surface Mine received an award for the best surface operation
above 100,000 man-hours. The mine had no reportable incidents in 2007.

Grand Eagle Preparation Plant was recognized as the best preparation
plant with less than 100,000 man-hours. The plant had no reportable
incidents in 2007.

The Dodge Hill Mine received an award for the best small underground mine
working less than 500,000 man-hours. The mine finished 2007 with a
reportable incident rate of 1.90 per 200,000 man-hours worked.

"Patriot Coal continues to place the health and safety of our employees as the highest priority and a core value in our business. It is our vision to operate our mines and plants incident-free. We congratulate the employees of the Patriot Surface Mine, the Grand Eagle Preparation Plan, and the Dodge Hill Mine in their award-winning performance," said Jiri Nemec, Chief Operating Officer.

About Patriot Coal

Patriot Coal Corporation (the "Company") is a leading producer and marketer of coal in the eastern United States, with ten company-operated mines and numerous contractor-operated mines in Appalachia and the Illinois Basin. The company ships to electric utilities, industrial users and metallurgical coal customers, and controls approximately 1.3 billion tons of proven and probable coal reserves. The company's common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol PCX.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: Patriot Coal Corporation

CONTACT: Janine Orf of Patriot Coal Corporation, +1-314-275-3680

Web site: http://www.patriotcoal.com/

2008-05-07 17:58:33 0355867 PRNEWSWIRE