ABINGDON, Va., May 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Alpha Natural Resources, Inc. (NYSE: ANR) announces that its subsidiaries received eight awards recently for outstanding safety performance, with seven operations in West Virginia and one in Pennsylvania honored by their respective State Councils of the Joseph A. Holmes Association.

The West Virginia awards, which were presented on May 2 at the council's annual meeting at the Stonewall Resort in Roanoke, W. Va., recognized mining operations in Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) District 4 that had the lowest rate of injury as measured by non-fatal days lost (NFDL). The prestigious West Virginia Pacesetter awards were presented to Brooks Run Mining Co.'s Mine No. 5 and Cobra Natural Resources' Black Bear preparation plant. West Virginia Joseph A. Holmes awardees included: Brooks Run Mining's Cucumber Mine, Poplar Ridge Mine, Mine No. 5 and Erbacon preparation plant; Callaway Natural Resources' Premium Energy #2 Mine; and Litwar Processing Co.'s preparation plant. In addition, Frank Matras, President of Brooks Run Mining Co., was recognized as the Coal Safety Leader for 2008.

The Pennsylvania awards were presented on May 8 at the annual meeting of the Pennsylvania State Council of the Joseph A. Holmes Association at the Oakhurst Tearoom in Somerset, Pa. The Council recognized Amfire Mining Co.'s Ondo Extension Mine in MSHA District 2 as having the lowest rate of injury as measured by non-fatal days lost (NFDL) for mines working less than 25,000 man-hours per month. The Ondo mine had a NFDL rate of 0.00. Joseph Sbaffoni, director of the Pennsylvania Bureau of Mine Safety, presented the award to Kim Shick and Ed Miloser.

"We are extremely proud of the hard-working men and women who made these awards possible," said Mike Quillen, chairman and CEO of Alpha Natural Resources. "Our safety programs are all based on the concept of changing behaviors, continuous improvement, and most importantly, are conceived by the individuals closest to the mining operations because they know their jobs better than anyone else." Kevin Crutchfield, Alpha's president, added, "The safety and welfare of our employees is our first and foremost priority, and our Running Right philosophy empowers each employee to carry out our mission of returning home safely at the end of each shift."

About Alpha Natural Resources

Alpha Natural Resources is a leading supplier of high-quality Appalachian coal to the steel industry, electric utilities and other industries. Approximately 88 percent of the company's reserve base is high Btu coal and 83 percent is low sulfur, qualities that are valued by electric utilities that use steam coal. Alpha is also the nation's largest supplier and exporter of metallurgical coal, a key ingredient in steel manufacturing. Alpha and its subsidiaries currently operate mining complexes in four states, consisting of 50 mines supplying 10 coal preparation and blending plants. Alpha and its subsidiaries employ more than 3,600 people.

ANRG

SOURCE Alpha Natural Resources, Inc.