POWER OF ATTORNEY
FOR EXECUTING FORMS 3, 4 AND 5

	Know all by these presents, that the undersigned hereby constitutes and
appoints each of Alexander C. Schoch, Kenneth L. Wagner, and Bryan L. Sutter,
signing singly, his 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
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 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.

This Power of Attorney shall remain in full force and effect until the
undersigned is no longer required to file Forms 3, 4, and 5 with respect to the
undersigned's holdings of and transactions in securities issued by the Company,
unless earlier revoked by the undersigned in a signed writing delivered to the
foregoing attorneys-in-fact.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has caused this Power of Attorney to be
executed as of this 18th day of October 2007.


					/s/ Alan H. Washkowitz
					Alan H. Washkowitz