Beulah Mine Wins Top Lignite Energy Council Safety Award.

Business Editors

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 23, 2003

Westmoreland Coal Company (AMEX: WLB) announced today that Dakota Westmoreland Corporation's Beulah Mine has received the Lignite Energy Council's 2002 Safety Excellence Award for power plants and mines. The Beulah Mine had an exceptional safety record in 2002, experiencing an average incident rate of only 0.69 compared to the U.S. mining industry average of 2.96 as reported by the Mine Safety Health Administration.

John Dwyer, President of the Lignite Energy Council, presented the award to Bill Weaver, Vice-President of Dakota Westmoreland Corporation and noted: "The lignite users and producers of North Dakota sincerely believe that the safety of employees is of absolute importance in the production of fuel for power generation. The purpose of the Lignite Energy Council's safety award program is to promote safety excellence in our state's mining industry."

Christopher K. Seglem, Chairman, President and CEO of Westmoreland Coal Company added: "Safety is Westmoreland's number one priority and we congratulate the employees of the Beulah Mine for this wonderful achievement and sincerely thank the Lignite Energy Council for recognizing their efforts. By focusing on the importance of safety, emphasizing training on safe procedures and diligently adhering to safe practices, Westmoreland tries to promote continued improvement in this area at all of our operations. But, only dedicated workers themselves can produce these results. It is no coincidence, therefore, that safe mines also tend to be more cost-efficient. Again, my congratulations to the entire team at Beulah."

The Beulah Mine is a 9,000-acre surface mining complex located 75 miles northwest of Bismarck, North Dakota. Coal from the mine supplies the fuel requirements for the adjacent 427 MW Coyote Generating Station and the two-unit 75 MW Heskett Station, located 74 miles away. The mine produces approximately 3.0 million tons of lignite a year.

Westmoreland Coal Company is the oldest independent coal company in the United States and was ranked among the top ten U.S. coal producers in 2001. Westmoreland's coal operations include Powder River Basin coal mining in Montana and lignite mining operations in Montana, Texas and North Dakota. Westmoreland is implementing a growth strategy dedicated to meeting America's dual goals of low-cost power and a clean environment through the acquisition and development of complementary, niche opportunities in coal, power and other segments of the energy sector. For more information visit www.westmoreland.com.