America West Resources Expands Coal Operations With Lease Purchase of Wildcat Loadout Facility Near Horizon Mine

SALT LAKE CITY, Oct. 25, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- America West Resources, Inc. AWSR, a domestic compliant coal producer with mining operations in Central Utah, today announced the expansion of its Utah-based coal operations with the lease purchase of the Wildcat Loadout Facility, located just west of Helper, Utah, approximately 8 miles from the Company's Horizon Mine.

Inactive since early 2010 but brought back into full production by America West last month, the Wildcat batch load-out system is currently processing high quality, thermal coal hauled from the Horizon Mine and shipped through direct rail access via Union Pacific Railroad and Utah Railway to the Company's customers in the Western U.S.

In addition, the Wildcat facility is actively screening and sorting lump and stoker coal produced from Horizon, creating a new, high margin revenue stream for America West through sales of pickup loads to individual users and resellers in Utah and surrounding states. Designed to handle up to five million tons of coal annually and service trains up to 110 rail cars, Wildcat may also begin accepting coal from other coal mining operations in Utah in the near future.

Dan Baker, President and Chief Executive Officer of America West, stated, "Through the vertical integration of the Wildcat Loadout Facility into our operating platform, America West will achieve a significant reduction in our coal trucking and transportation costs, dropping as much as two-thirds of the cost we were previously paying per load. Moreover, Wildcat gives us the opportunity to capitalize on entirely new business development channels within the coal supply chain, thus enhancing our revenue and earnings growth on a moving forward basis."

About America West Resources, Inc.

Headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, America West Resources is an established domestic coal producer focused on the mining of compliant (low-sulfur) coal and its sale primarily to utility companies and industrial customers in the western U.S. The Company operates the Horizon Mine, which has recoverable, compliant, high BTU coal reserves. For more information, please visit www.AmericaCoal.com.

The America West Resources, Inc. logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=10183

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements. Please refer to the Company's Form 10-K and other filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") for additional information regarding risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, the risk factors listed from time to time in such SEC reports. Copies of these filings are available through the SEC's electronic data gathering analysis and retrieval system (EDGAR) at www.sec.gov. The forward-looking statements in this release do not constitute guarantees of future performance. Investors are cautioned that statements in this press release which are not strictly historical statements, including, without limitation, statements regarding current or future mining output, ability to obtain necessary equipment, personnel and permits to mine coal, production capabilities, management's strategy, plans and objectives for future operations, plans and objectives for production, plans and objectives for present and future production, plans and objectives for regulatory approval, and anticipated results, constitute forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated, including, without limitation, risks associated with coal production, mining in general and in our mines in particular, ability to achieve the coal output anticipated, ability to obtain permits, ability to hire and retain the necessary personnel, as well as other risks detailed in our filings with the SEC. We assume no obligation to update any forward-looking information contained in this press release or with respect to the announcements described herein.