POWER OF ATTORNEY
FOR EXECUTING FORMS 3, 4 AND 5

	Know all by
these
presents, that the undersigned hereby constitutes and appoints each
of
Jeffery L. Klinger, Joseph W. Bean, and Bryan L. Sutter, signing
singly,
his/her true and lawful attorney-in-fact to:

(1)	execute
for and on
behalf of the undersigned Forms 3, 4 and 5 with respect to
Peabody Energy
Corporation in accordance with Section 16(a) of the
Securities Exchange Act
of 1934 and the rules thereunder;
(2)	do and
perform any and all acts for
and on behalf of the undersigned which may
be necessary or desirable to
complete the execution of any such Form 3, 4
or 5 with respect to Peabody
Energy Corporation and the timely filing of
such form with the United
States Securities and Exchange Commission and
any other authority; and

(3)	take any other action of any type
whatsoever in connection with the
foregoing which, in the opinion of such
attorney-in-fact, may be of benefit
to, in the best interest of, or
legally required by, the undersigned, it
being understood that the
documents executed by such attorney-in-fact on
behalf of the undersigned
pursuant to this Power of Attorney shall be in
such form and shall
contain such terms and conditions as such
attorney-in-fact may approve in
his/her discretion.

The undersigned
hereby grants to each such
attorney-in-fact full power and authority to do
and perform all and every
act and thing whatsoever requisite, necessary and
proper to be done in
the exercise of any of the rights and powers herein
granted, as fully to
all intents and purposes as such attorney-in-fact
might or could do if
personally present, with full power of substitution or
revocation, hereby
ratifying and confirming all that such attorney-in-fact,
or his/her
substitute or substitutes, shall lawfully do or cause to be done
by
virtue of this Power of Attorney and the rights and powers herein

granted.  The undersigned acknowledges that the foregoing

attorneys-in-fact, in serving in such capacity at the request of the

undersigned, are not assuming any of the undersigned’s

responsibilities to comply with Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act

of 1934.

	IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has caused this
Power of
Attorney to be executed as of this 30th day of January 2006.




						/s/ Jiri Nemec
						(Signature)

						Jiri
Nemec

						(Name Printed)