Alpha Affiliated Mine Rescue Teams Excel at Tennessee State Contest

BRISTOL, Va., Oct. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Alpha Natural Resources (NYSE:ANR), a leading U.S. coal supplier, today announced that several mine rescue teams successfully participated in the Tennessee State Contest. The two-day event was held September 25-27 in Cove Lake, Tenn.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121004/CG86904)

Eighteen mine rescue teams from around the country participated in the event. The contest tested the teams' skills in various scenarios, bench, pre-shift and first aid. Alpha affiliated teams placed in the top spots in each event.

"We are proud of our mine rescue teams and the work they do. Being on a mine rescue team is a year-round job and it can be challenging. Our teams are dedicated to being the best, and it is evident that their hard work and training paid off," said John Gallick, Alpha's Vice President, Health and Safety.

Below are the highlights of the contest for teams sponsored by Alpha affiliates:

Day 1 Mine Rescue:
1^st Place:  Southern Ky. White Team (zero discounts)
2^nd Place:  East Ky. Team (zero discounts)

Day 2 Mine Rescue:
1^st Place:  Southern Ky. Blue Team (zero discounts)

Overall Mine Rescue for the 2 days:
1^st Place:  Southern Ky. White Team

First Aid Competition:
2^nd Place:  Southern W.Va. Team

About Alpha Natural Resources
With $7.1 billion in total revenue in 2011, Alpha Natural Resources ranks as America's second-largest coal producer by revenue and third-largest by production. Alpha is the nation's largest supplier of metallurgical coal used in the steel-making process and is a major supplier of thermal coal to electric utilities and manufacturing industries. In 2011 the company had more than 200 customers on five continents. More information about Alpha can be found on the company's Web site at www.alphanr.com.

SOURCE Alpha Natural Resources