Cloud Peak Energy Mine Awarded Top National Reclamation Award

Company has received prestigious award five of the last eight years.

GILLETTE, Wyo.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Cloud Peak Energy Inc. (NYSE:CLD), one of the largest U.S. coal
producers and the only pure-play Powder River Basin (“PRB”) coal
company, today announced its Spring Creek Mine, located near Decker,
Montana, received the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and
Enforcement (“OSMRE”) 2017 Excellence in Surface Coal Mining Reclamation
Award for enhanced reclamation success through the diversity of
topography, soil and vegetation. The award was presented at the National
Mining Association’s awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., on November 6,
2017.

Reclamation plans at the Spring Creek Mine incorporate a variety of
livestock grazing, pastureland and wildlife habitats into the
post-mining environment. The mine’s reclamation program utilizes a
four-pronged approach to maximize post-mining diversity in designated
post-mine wildlife habitat areas, including a special emphasis on the
following aspects of surface mine reclamation: hydrology, vegetation,
substrate and topography. This approach has yielded outstanding
reclamation success with numerous reclamation fields exhibiting
exceptional diversity, while also achieving the ultimate objective of
establishing enduring wildlife habitat. The advantages of a diverse
post-mining landscape include improved grazing potential and wildlife
use.

“We take great pride in reclaiming the land we mine. This award
highlights the strong commitment of everyone at Spring Creek and Cloud
Peak Energy to returning land to a condition as good if not better than
before mining began, while meeting the post-mine land use that is
essential to reclamation bond release,” said Colin Marshall, President
and CEO of Cloud Peak Energy. “Cloud Peak Energy has a strong record of
using innovative approaches to successfully reclaim the land after
mining is complete. It is gratifying that the federal government has
recognized the success of our approach to reclamation with its highest
honor in five of the last eight years—this is a tremendous
accomplishment by everyone at Cloud Peak Energy.”

Cloud Peak Energy’s mines have received the Excellence in Surface Coal
Mining Reclamation Award in 2009 (Spring Creek Mine), 2010 (Antelope
Mine), 2014 (Antelope Mine) and 2015 (Cordero Rojo Mine). The mines
received the awards for various projects reclaiming previously mined
areas and successfully reintroducing native plants.

“The long-term benefits of the successful establishment of vegetative
diversity is exactly what reclamation should look like,” added Dave
Schwend, General Manager of the Spring Creek Mine. “The success of these
practices at the Spring Creek Mine provides a pathway for other mining
operations. These reclamation methods utilized can be implemented at
other mining operations throughout the west, thereby promoting the
establishment of similarly productive and valuable habitats.”

In addition to the 2017 reclamation award, Cloud Peak Energy’s Antelope
and Cordero Rojo Mines were also partners in the 2017 OSMRE Good
Neighbor Award presented to the Thunder Basin Grasslands Prairie
Ecosystem Association for the collaborative effort among colleagues
(within and among mines), neighbors, lessees, government agencies and
local agricultural producers to implement coordinated conservation
projects that reach beyond permit obligations to positively impact
regional conservation efforts and land management decisions.

Spring Creek mined and shipped approximately 10.3 million tons of low
sulfur coal in 2016. Coal mined from Spring Creek is shipped primarily
to electric utilities and industrial customers in the northwest,
midwest, northeast and southwest United States, various Canadian
provinces and exported to Asian utility customers via the Westshore
terminal in British Columbia, Canada.

About Cloud Peak Energy®

Cloud Peak Energy Inc. (NYSE:CLD) is headquartered in Wyoming and is one
of the largest U.S. coal producers and the only pure-play Powder River
Basin coal company. As one of the safest coal producers in the nation,
Cloud Peak Energy mines low sulfur, subbituminous coal and provides
logistics supply services. The Company owns and operates three surface
coal mines in the PRB, the lowest cost major coal producing region in
the nation. The Antelope and Cordero Rojo mines are located in Wyoming
and the Spring Creek Mine is located in Montana. In 2016, Cloud Peak
Energy shipped approximately 59 million tons from its three mines to
customers located throughout the U.S. and around the world. Cloud Peak
Energy also owns rights to substantial undeveloped coal and
complementary surface assets in the Northern PRB, further building the
Company’s long-term position to serve Asian export and domestic
customers. With approximately 1,300 total employees, the Company is
widely recognized for its exemplary performance in its safety and
environmental programs. Cloud Peak Energy is a sustainable fuel supplier
for approximately three percent of the nation’s electricity.

Contacts

Cloud Peak Energy Inc.
Rick Curtsinger, 720-566-2948
Director,
Public Affairs