FMSHRC ALJ decision Docket CENT 93-238-M Decided June 25, 1996 Modified Judge Avram Weisberger

Blue Bayou Sand and Gravel

Blue Bayou Sand and Gravel (FMSHRC CENT 93-238-M): Remand penalty set at $1,200

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This ALJ decision was superseded by the Commission's decision in the same case. Ezel starts from the controlling decision and answers your situation under current law, with citations.

Currency note: this decision dates from 1996
The MSHA standards may have been amended, penalty amounts have been adjusted, and later Commission or court decisions may have changed the analysis since then. Treat this page as historical context, not current compliance advice. Verify the current standard before relying on any specific rule, threshold, or penalty mentioned here.
ALJ decision, later reviewed by the Commission
This decision was issued by an FMSHRC Administrative Law Judge, but it was not the final word in the case: the Commission directed review, and the Commission's decision is the one citable as precedent.
About this page: The plain-English summary and decision snapshot below were written by Ezel based on the official FMSHRC release. The full text is the agency's own release.
Read the official release (fmshrc.gov)

Plain-English summary

The Commission remanded Blue Bayou Sand and Gravel’s case after reversing the ALJ’s earlier conclusions that the violation was not significant and substantial and did not present an imminent danger. Judge Avram Weisberger found that the violation’s gravity was very high under the Commission’s decision and assessed a $1,200 civil penalty. The order required payment within 30 days.

Decision snapshot

  • Cited standard: Not identified in this remand order.
  • Outcome: The remand penalty was set at $1,200.
  • Key point: After the Commission found the violation S&S and an imminent danger, the ALJ reassessed the penalty based on the violation’s very high gravity.

Full text (FMSHRC public release)

FEDERAL MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH REVIEW COMMISSION

                OFFICE OF ADMINISTRATIVE LAW JUDGES
                        2 SKYLINE, 10th FLOOR
                         5203 LEESBURG PIKE
                    FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA 22041

                          June 25, 1996

SECRETARY OF LABOR, : CIVIL PENALTY PROCEEDING
MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH :
ADMINISTRATION (MSHA), : Docket No. CENT 93-238-M
Petitioner : A.C. No. 03-01619-05503
v. :
: Blue Bayou Sand and Gravel
BLUE BAYOU SAND AND GRAVEL, :
Respondent :

                      DECISION ON REMAND

Before: Judge Weisberger

 On June 19, 1996, the Commission issued a decision in this

matter reversing my initial conclusions that the violation at
issue was not S&S and did not present any imminent danger.
The Commission remanded Afor reassessment of the civil penalty
consistent with this decision (Docket No. CENT 93-238, June 19,
1996, slip. op. at 8).

 Consistent with the Commission=s decision that the

violation at issue was S&S and an imminent danger, I find that
the level of gravity of the of the violation is very
high. In evaluating the factors set forth in Section 110(c)
of the Act, I consider most significant the factor of gravity
due to its high level.
I find accordingly, that a penalty of $1,200 is appropriate.

                              ORDER

 It is ORDERED that, within 30 days of this decision,

Respondent shall pay a civil penalty of $1,200 for the
violation set forth in citation/order No. 4116491.

                                   Avram Weisberger
                                   Administrative Law Judge




                               1059

Page 2

Distribution:

Susan E. Long, Esq., Office of the Solicitor, U.S. Department
of Labor, 4015 Wilson Blvd., Suite 516, Arlington, VA 22203
(Certified Mail)

David J. Potter, Esq., 901 North State Line Avenue, Texarkana,
TX 75501-5268 (Certified Mail)

/ml

                          1060

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