EXHIBIT 31.1
CERTIFICATION
I, Keith E. Alessi, certify that:
| |
1. |
|
I have reviewed this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of
Westmoreland Coal Company; |
| |
2. |
|
Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any
untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary
to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such
statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by
this report; |
| |
3. |
|
Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other
financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material
respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the
registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report; |
| |
4. |
|
The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are
responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and
procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and
internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules
13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have: |
| |
a) |
|
Designed such disclosure controls and
procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be
designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information
relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries,
is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly
during the period in which this report is being prepared; |
| |
b) |
|
Designed such internal control over financial
reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to
be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance
regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation
of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with
generally accepted accounting principles; |
| |
c) |
|
Evaluated the effectiveness of the
registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this
report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure
controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this
report based on such evaluation; and |
| |
d) |
|
Disclosed in this report any change in the
registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred
during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s
fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has
materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the
registrant’s internal control over financial reporting. |
| |
5. |
|
The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have
disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over
financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of
the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent
functions): |
| |
a) |
|
All significant deficiencies and material
weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over
financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect
the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report
financial information; and |
| |
b) |
|
Any fraud, whether or not material, that
involves management or other employees who have a significant role in
the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting. |
| |
|
|
|
|
| Date: August 5, 2011 |
/s/ Keith E. Alessi
|
|
| |
Name: |
Keith E. Alessi |
|
| |
Title: |
Chief Executive Officer and President |
|
