Patriot's Illinois Basin operations include three complexes that produced approximately 7.0 million tons of thermal coal in 2009. The coal is shipped primarily to electricity generators in the Midwestern United States and to industrial customers for power generation.

Bluegrass
The Bluegrass mining complex is located in western Kentucky and is sourced by two company-operated mines, Freedom, an underground mine, and Patriot, a surface mine. Coal at Freedom is produced utilizing continuous mining methods, while coal at Patriot is produced utilizing the truck-and-shovel/loader mining method. All coal is sold on the thermal market and is transported via truck or via barge loaded on the Green River. Coal is produced from the Kentucky No. 9 seam, with average thickness of four feet for the Freedom underground mine, and with a 15-to-1 average overburden to coal ratio for the Patriot surface mine. The employees at the Bluegrass mining complex are not represented by a union.

Dodge Hill
The Dodge Hill mining complex is located in western Kentucky and is sourced by one company-operated underground mine, utilizing continuous mining methods. All coal is sold on the thermal market and transported via barge on the Ohio River. Coal is produced from the Kentucky No. 6 seam, with average thickness of four feet. The employees at the Dodge Hill mining complex are not represented by a union.

Highland
The Highland mining complex is located in western Kentucky and is sourced by one company-operated underground mine, Highland No. 9, utilizing continuous mining methods. All coal is sold on the thermal market and is transported via barges loaded on the Ohio River. Coal is produced from the Kentucky No. 9 seam, with average thickness of five feet. Most of the employees at the Highland complex are represented by the UMWA.