Cloud Peak Energy Announces Results from 2011 Annual Meeting of Stockholders

GILLETTE, Wyo., May 18, 2011 -- Following its annual meeting of stockholders today, Cloud Peak Energy Inc. (NYSE: CLD), the third-largest U.S. coal producer and the only pure-play Powder River Basin (PRB) coal company, announced that the company’s stockholders have elected directors William T. Fox III and James S. Voorhees to its Board of Directors to serve until Cloud Peak Energy’s 2014 annual meeting.

Cloud Peak Energy also announced that the stockholders:

• ratified the appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as the company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the 2011 fiscal year;
• approved, on an advisory basis, the compensation of Cloud Peak Energy’s named executive officers, as disclosed in the Proxy Statement pursuant to the compensation disclosure rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission;
• approved, on an advisory basis, an advisory say-on-pay vote every year;
• approved the amendment to the Cloud Peak Energy Inc. 2009 Long Term Incentive Plan to (i) increase the number of shares authorized for issuance thereunder and (ii) revise the method by which the number of available shares is determined;
• re-approved the performance objectives under the Cloud Peak Energy Inc. 2009 Long Term Incentive Plan, in accordance with the periodic re-approval requirements of Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code; and
• approved the Cloud Peak Energy Inc. Employee Stock Purchase Plan.

Additional information about these proposals can be found in the company's proxy statement for the annual meeting, which was mailed to stockholders and filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

The voting results are based on the preliminary report of the company’s inspector of election.  Final results will be included in the company’s current report on Form 8-K to be filed within four business days of the annual meeting.

About Cloud Peak Energy®

Cloud Peak Energy Inc. (NYSE:CLD) is headquartered in Wyoming and is the third largest U.S. coal producer and the only pure-play Powder River Basin (PRB) coal company. As one of the safest coal producers in the nation, Cloud Peak Energy specializes in the production of low sulfur, subbituminous coal. 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 near Decker, Montana. With approximately 1,500 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 4 percent of the nation's electricity.