ABINGDON, Va., May 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Alpha Natural Resources, Inc. , a leading U.S. coal producer, today announced that two of its affiliates have been recognized for their safety performance. Dora 8 underground mine in Jefferson County and the Clymer plant in Indiana County recently received prestigious Pennsylvania Holmes Safety Awards for 2009 based on lowest lost-time accidents frequencies in the state. Neither facility experienced a lost-time accident in 2009, giving each a rate of 00.0 based on 77,654 hours worked at Dora 8 and 29,350 hours worked at Clymer. Both facilities are operated by Alpha affiliate AMFIRE Mining Company, LLC.
Pete Merritts, President of AMFIRE, congratulated the work force at both facilities, "Receiving recognition from the Joseph A. Holmes Safety Association is a high honor, coveted by all of us who work in the mining industry. Our safety goal is to have zero accidents at each of our facilities, and the employees at Dora 8 and Clymer have proven it can be done. We salute all the employees at the two award-winning operations for their superior safety performance."
Dora 8 won the same award in the small mine category in 2006. Alpha affiliates received more than 40 state and federal awards for their 2009 safety performance.
About Alpha Natural Resources
Alpha Natural Resources is one of America's premier coal suppliers with affiliate coal production capacity of more than 90 million tons a year. By and through its affiliates, Alpha is the nation's leading supplier and exporter of metallurgical coal used in the steel-making process and is a major supplier of thermal coal to electric utilities and manufacturing industries across the country. The company, through its affiliates, employs approximately 6,300 people and operates more than 60 mines and 14 coal preparation facilities in the regions of Northern and Central Appalachia and the Powder River Basin. More information about Alpha can be found on the company's Web site at http://www.alphanr.com/.
Alpha Natural Resources, Inc.
CONTACT: Media, Ted Pile, +1-276-623-2920, tpile@alphanr.com, or Rick
Nida, +1-276-739-5304, rnida@alphanr.com, or Investors, Todd Allen, CFA,
+1-276-739-5328, tallen@alphanr.com, all of Alpha Natural Resources, Inc.
Web Site: http://www.alphanr.com/
