Jeane Hull will oversee all aspects of Peabody's three surface mines, which in 2007 shipped 161.5 million tons of coal to customers, helping to make the company the world's largest coal producer.

Peabody coal is used to produce 10 percent of U.S. and 2 percent of the world's electricity.

Utah's eight coal mines produced about 27 million tons of coal last year, a pittance compared to the 91.5 million tons that came out of Peabody's North Antelope Rochelle mine in Wyoming.

Hull joined Peabody in May 2007 as senior vice president of engineering and technical services after having been Kennecott Utah Copper's chief operating officer.

Before that, Hull was Kennecott's vice president of operations, a vice president and general manager of Spring Creek Coal, which also is owned by Kennecott's parent company, Rio Tinto, and spent 12 years with Mobil Mining and Minerals, including a decade at a Powder River Basin coal mine.

- Mike Gorrell