San Juan Coal Company (Commission decision, March 13, 2012)

Plain-English summary

A Chief ALJ approved a settlement covering two San Juan Coal citations, but the decision was mistakenly applied to the entire assessment case. San Juan Coal still intended to contest two other citations, and the Secretary agreed that those citations were not part of the settlement. The Commission granted the unopposed motion in the interest of justice. It remanded the case for proceedings on the two unresolved citations.

Decision snapshot

• Governing authority: Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977
• Outcome: The case was reopened and remanded so two citations outside the partial settlement could be litigated.
• Key point: Approval of a partial settlement does not resolve citations that the agreement did not include.

Full text (FMSHRC public release)

FEDERAL MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH REVIEW COMMISSION

601 NEW JERSEY AVENUE, NW

SUITE 9500

WASHINGTON, DC 20001

March 13, 2012

SECRETARY OF LABOR, 

MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH 

ADMINISTRATION (MSHA) 

v.

SAN JUAN COAL COMPANY

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Docket No. CENT 2009-545

A.C. No. 29-02170-188587

BEFORE: Jordan, Chairman; Duffy, Young, Cohen, and Nakamura, Commissioners

ORDER

BY THE COMMISSION:

This matter arises under the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977, 30 U.S.C.
§ 801 et seq. (2006) (“Mine Act”). On August 22, 2011, the Commission received from San Juan Coal Co. (“San Juan Coal”) a motion submitted by counsel seeking to reopen a penalty assessment proceeding and relieve it from the settlement decision entered against it.

On August 20, 2010, Chief Administrative Law Judge Lesnick issued a Decision approving a partial settlement for citation Nos. 7290226 and 7290228.

San Juan Coal asserts
that the partial settlement decision was mistakenly applied to the entire case No. 000188587. San Juan Coal further states that it maintains its desire to contest the two remaining citation Nos. 6688822 and 6688825. The Secretary does not oppose the request to reopen, and notes that the settlement agreement only encompassed citation Nos. 7290226 and 7290228.

Having reviewed San Juan Coal’s request and the Secretary’s response, in the interests of justice, we hereby grant the operator’s motion and remand this case to the Chief Administrative Law Judge for further proceedings pursuant to the Mine Act and the Commission’s Procedural Rules, 29 C.F.R. Part 2700.

/s/ Mary Lu Jordan

Mary Lu Jordan, Chairman

/s/ Michael F. Duffy                                                                                         

Michael F. Duffy, Commissioner

/s/Michael G. Young

Michael G. Young, Commissioner

/s/ Robert F. Cohen, Jr.

Robert F. Cohen, Jr., Commissioner

/s/ Patrick K. Nakamura

Patrick K. Nakamura, Commissioner

Distribution:

David C. Hales

San Juan Coal Co.

P.O. Box 561

Waterflow, NM 87421

Daniel W. Wolff, Esq.

Crowell & Moring LLP

1001 Pennsylvania Avenue N. W.

Washington, DC 20004-2595

[email protected]

Larry Ramey

Conference & Litigation Representative

U.S. Department of Labor

MSHA

P.O. Box 25367

Denver, CO 80225

[email protected]

W. Christian Schumann, Esq.

Office of the Solicitor

U.S. Department of Labor

1100 Wilson Blvd., Room 2220

Arlington, VA 22209-2296

Melanie Garris

Office of Civil Penalty Compliance

MSHA

U.S. Dept. of Labor

1100 Wilson Blvd., 25th Floor

Arlington, VA 22209-3939

Chief Administrative Law Judge Robert J. Lesnick

Federal Mine Safety & Health Review Commission

601 New Jersey Avenue, N. W., Suite 9500

Washington, D.C. 20001-2021