Patriot Coal Promotes Christopher R. Parcell to Vice President of Decision Support

ST. LOUIS, Oct. 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Patriot Coal Corporation today announced that Christopher R. Parcell has been promoted to Vice President - Decision Support. In his new position, Parcell will have responsibility for forecasting and budgeting, healthcare reporting, and business intelligence processes. He will continue to report to Christopher K. Knibb, Vice President - Controller & Chief Accounting Officer.

Reporting to Parcell will be Pamela E. Hermesch, Director - Planning; Robert M. Brines, Senior Manager - Healthcare & Funds Reporting; Jason L. Jennings, Senior Manager - Business Intelligence; and Joel L. Collins, Manager - Decision Support & Analysis.

Previously, Parcell served as Patriot's Director of Accounting Projects, leading system process improvement projects in the accounting and healthcare areas. Prior to joining Patriot, he held management positions at a number of companies, including Vice President of Finance at American Power Conversion, Director of Corporate Accounting at SAVVIS, Inc. and Director of Accounting at Panera, LLC.

Parcell holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from James Madison University and is a Certified Public Accountant.

About Patriot Coal

Patriot Coal Corporation is a leading producer and marketer of coal in the eastern United States, with 14 active mining complexes in Appalachia and the Illinois Basin. The Company ships to domestic and international electricity generators, industrial users and metallurgical coal customers, and controls approximately 1.9 billion tons of proven and probable coal reserves. The Company's common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol PCX.

Patriot Coal Corporation

CONTACT: Janine Orf, 1-314-275-3680, jorf@patriotcoal.com

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