Form 8-K

                                  UNITED STATES
                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

                             Washington, D. C. 20549

                       PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF
                       THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

                Date of Report(Date of earliest event reported):
                                October 31, 2000


                            WESTMORELAND COAL COMPANY
                            -------------------------
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)


          DELAWARE                       0-752                    23-1128670
          --------                       -----                    ----------
(State or other jurisdiction       (Commission File           (I.R.S. Employer
    of incorporation or                  Number              Identification No.)
       organization)


2 North Cascade Avenue, 14th Floor, Colorado Springs, Colorado       80903
- --------------------------------------------------------------       -----
(Address of principal executive offices)                          (Zip Code)

Registrant's telephone number,
   including area code:                            719-442-2600
                                                   ------------

Item 5.     Other Events

     Westmoreland Coal Company announced today that Michael Armstrong had joined
its Board of Directors. Mr. Armstrong, 49, is a private investor specializing in
value investment situations and owns 11,334 depositary shares, each representing
one-quarter  of a share  of  Westmoreland's  Series A  Convertible  Exchangeable
Preferred Stock.  Mr.  Armstrong was formerly a licensed  stockbroker with Quinn
Southwest  (a division of Southwest  Securities,  Inc.) in Santa Fe, NM, and has
worked in the accounting and tax fields in Australia and the United Kingdom.

Item 7. Financial Statements and Exhibits

            (c) Exhibits

            Exhibit 99.7 -- Press release dated October 31, 2000.


                                 SIGNATURE


Pursuant  to the  requirements  of the  Securities  Exchange  Act of  1934,  the
registrant  has duly  caused  this  report  to be  signed  on its  behalf by the
undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.


                         WESTMORELAND COAL COMPANY



Date: October 31, 2000              /s/ Robert J. Jaeger
                                    --------------------------
                                    By: Robert J. Jaeger
                                    Senior Vice President-Finance
                                    and Treasurer


Exhibit 99.7

                       Westmoreland Announces Appointment
                        Of New Preferred Stock Director;
                         Seeks Second Preferred Director


Colorado Springs,  CO - October 31, 2000 - Westmoreland Coal Company (AMEX: WLB)
announced  today that Michael  Armstrong had joined its Board of Directors.  Mr.
Armstrong, 49, is a private investor specializing in value investment situations
and owns 11,334 depositary shares,  each representing  one-quarter of a share of
Westmoreland's Series A Convertible  Exchangeable Preferred Stock. Mr. Armstrong
was  formerly a  licensed  stockbroker  with  Quinn  Southwest  (a  division  of
Southwest  Securities,  Inc.) in Santa Fe, NM, and has worked in the  accounting
and tax fields in Australia and the United Kingdom. Mr. Armstrong was brought to
the attention of the Company as a potential Board candidate by a  representative
of Quinn Southwest.  Customers of Quinn Southwest hold  approximately 24% of the
total outstanding preferred shares in their accounts.

Mr. Armstrong joined the Board as a preferred stock director. Under the terms of
the  Certificate  of  Designation  governing the Series A Preferred  Stock,  the
holders of such stock are entitled to elect two members of the  Company's  Board
when there are six or more accumulated but unpaid preferred stock dividends. The
holders of the Series A Preferred Stock have elected directors to Westmoreland's
Board since 1996.

Mr.  Armstrong's  appointment  occurred  at the  request of Robert E. Killen and
James W.  Sight.  Messrs.  Killen  and Sight  voluntarily  resigned  from  their
preferred  seats on the board in order to permit the  appointment of individuals
who have significant  preferred  stockholdings as preferred stock directors.  At
the request of the Company's directors,  Messrs. Killen and Sight have agreed to
remain on the Board as directors at large. Messrs. Killen and Sight were elected
to the  Board as  preferred  stock  directors  in 1996 with the  support  of the
Company's then-largest  preferred stockholder.  They were reelected in June 2000
at the  Company's  annual  meeting  with the  favorable  votes of the holders of
approximately  75% of the preferred shares voting at the meeting.  Following the
annual meeting,  a consent  solicitation was initiated by a dissident group, the
Committee to Enhance Share Value  ("Committee"),  to remove  Messrs.  Killen and
Sight from their  preferred  seats on the Board.  On October 26, the independent
inspector of elections  reported that the Committee had obtained an insufficient
number of valid consents  during the statutory  period of solicitation to remove
Messrs. Killen and Sight from the Board.

In announcing Mr.  Armstrong's  appointment,  and consistent  with the Company's
repeated efforts to reach a compromise with the Committee,  Westmoreland renewed
its  invitation  to Mr.  Guy Dove to join  the  Company's  Board  as the  second
preferred stock director. Mr. Dove is one of the three members of the Committee.
Christopher K. Seglem,  Westmoreland's  Chairman,  President and CEO said,  "The
Company  continues to seek a  compromise  in the hope that it can put this issue
behind  us and turn  full  attention  to  implementing  our  exciting  strategic
business plan which we believe will benefit all shareholders."

In addition,  the Company has requested that preferred  stockholders call to its
attention potential  candidates to fill the vacant preferred stock directorship.
The Company intends to consider these candidates if Mr. Dove fails to accept the
Company's offer promptly.  Potential candidates should own significant shares of
preferred  stock  and meet the  criteria  for  service  on the Board of a public
company.

Messrs.  Killen and Sight  noted,  "We  deeply  appreciate  the  support we have
received from  stockholders over the past several years. And we remain committed
to addressing the interests of both preferred and common stockholders by helping
Westmoreland  achieve  long-term,  sustainable  profitability  through continued
implementation  of its exciting  growth plan. We understand  that many preferred
stockholders  would  prefer  to be  represented  by  individuals  who  own  more
preferred  shares  than we do, and we believe  the board  realignment  announced
today helps makes that possible."

Mr. Seglem added, "We applaud Messrs.  Killen and Sight for their sensitivity to
preferred  stockholders'  wishes and thank them for their outstanding service on
our Board over the past years.  Their commitment to all stockholders,  including
preferred  stockholders,  is unquestionable,  and their knowledge of the Company
and its strategies is  irreplaceable.  We deeply appreciate their willingness to
remain on the Board."

Westmoreland  Coal Company,  headquartered  in Colorado  Springs,  is the oldest
independent  coal company in the United States.  It is  implementing a strategic
plan for  expansion  and growth  through  the  acquisition  and  development  of
opportunities  in the  changing  energy  marketplace.  With over $200 million in
available tax loss carryforwards (NOLs), the Company hopes to enjoy near pre-tax
levels  of cash flow  from  profitable  operation.  In the last  several  weeks,
Westmoreland  has made  several  announcements  relative to its progress in this
regard.  On September 15, the Company  announced an agreement to acquire Montana
Power's  coal  business  for $138  million,  and on  September  28, the  Company
announced an agreement to acquire the coal operations of Knife River Corporation
for $28.8 million.  The Company's existing operations include Powder River Basin
coal mining through its 80%-owned subsidiary  Westmoreland  Resources,  Inc. and
independent  power production  through its wholly owned subsidiary  Westmoreland
Energy,  Inc.  The  Company  also  holds a 20%  interest  in  Dominion  Terminal
Associates, a coal shipping and terminal facility in Newport News, Virginia.


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             Investor and Media Contact: Diane Jones (719) 442-2600