Walter Energy Honored With Reclamation Award

BIRMINGHAM, AL -- (Marketwire) -- 02/20/12 -- Walter Energy, Inc. (NYSE: WLT) (TSX: WLT), the world's leading publicly traded 'pure-play' producer of metallurgical coal for the global steel industry, was recently honored at the West Virginia Environmental Awards presented during the 39th Annual West Virginia Coal Association Mining Symposium.

The Surface Mine Reclamation Award 2011 was presented to Walter Energy's Lower Muddlety No. 1 and No. 2 Surface Mines, Atlantic Leaseco, LLC. in Nicholas County, West Virginia for excellence in design, operation and reclamation of a surface mining operation. The awards were made at the concluding luncheon of the 39th Annual West Virginia Mining Symposium in Charleston, West Virginia and were co-sponsored by the West Virginia Coal Association and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection. Eligible mining operations were nominated for the awards by their local state inspector in recognition of the operation's commitment to the stewardship of the state's natural resources.

'We are proud to have been recognized by the West Virginia Coal Association for our commitment to environmental stewardship at our Lower Muddlety No. 1 and No. 2 surface mines,' said Dan Stickel, President, West Virginia Operations, Walter Energy. 'Our company strives to comply with all environmental regulations in order to be good stewards of the resources in West Virginia.'

The nomination process analyzed the reclamation nominees' performance according to six criteria: valley fills and regrade, sediment control, roads, material handling, blasting, and water quality and violations. In his award nomination, West Virginia inspector, Cam Ford, also noted that, 'Although safety recognition is not usually a metric used to describe environmental excellence, it is a valuable tool in evaluating a company's commitment to compliance and assessing the company's culture,' and cited the commitment to workplace safety and excellent safety record of the operation.

About Walter Energy

Walter Energy is the world's leading, publicly traded 'pure-play' metallurgical coal producer for the global steel industry. The Company also produces thermal coal and industrial coal, anthracite, metallurgical coke and coal bed methane gas. The Company has strategic access to high-growth steel markets in Asia, South America and Europe. Walter Energy employs approximately 4,400 employees and contractors with operations in the United States, Canada and United Kingdom. For more information about Walter Energy, please visit the company website at www.walterenergy.com.

Media Contact:
Nina Ng

604.694.2899
corporatecommunications@walterenergy.com