ABINGDON, Va., June 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals, and Energy (DMME), after review by the Virginia Coal Mine Safety Board (VCMSB), has announced recipients of the 2007 Coal Mine Safety Awards, recognizing operations and individuals with outstanding safety performance records.

The annual safety awards comprise four different categories: Small Underground Mine, Large Underground Mine, Small Surface Mine and Large Surface Mine. The criteria for the four different categories were based on number of employee hours worked without lost workday injury. To qualify for the award, an operation had to complete the 2007 calendar year without a lost-time accident.

The Large Underground Mine award was given to the employees at Black Dog #2 mine, an Alpha subsidiary located near Bee, Va., for 189,831 employee hours without a lost-time injury. Black Dog #2 was the only facility in the Large Underground Mine category with zero lost-time accidents.

Other Alpha subsidiaries receiving runner-up awards for Large Surface category with no lost-time accidents for the year include Paramont Coal Company Virginia, LLC's 88 Strip and Red Onion surface mines as well as Dickenson-Russell Coal Company, LLC's McClure River preparation plant.

DMME and VCMSB also recognize individuals for working without a lost-time injury. For the 2007 calendar year, 13 employees at Deep Mine #35, near St. Paul, Va., received plaques for working 30 years or longer without a lost-time accident, 12 received plaques for 20 to 30 years and eight received framed certificates for 10 to 20 years of service without a lost-time injury.

About Alpha Natural Resources

Alpha Natural Resources is a leading supplier of high-quality Appalachian coal to electric utilities, steel producers and heavy industry. Approximately 89 percent of the company's reserve base is high Btu coal and 82 percent is low sulfur, qualities that are in high demand among electric utilities which 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 57 mines feeding 11 coal preparation and blending plants. The company and its subsidiaries employ more than 3,600 people.

ANRG

SOURCE Alpha Natural Resources