Ezel / Agency Decisions / KENT 84-236

Secretary of Labor (MSHA) v. Pyro Mining Company (ALJ decision, November 4, 1985)

Secretary of Labor v. Pyro Mining Company (FMSHRC KENT 84-236 and six other dockets): Total civil penalties corrected to $7,671

Decision type
ALJ decision
Dockets
KENT 84-236, KENT 85-25, KENT 85-27, KENT 85-54, KENT 85-88, KENT 85-113, KENT 85-52
Decided
November 4, 1985
Presiding judge
Gary Melick
Outcome
Modified
Precedential status
Final order, not precedent
Checked against source
2026-10-20
Official source
Read the official release (fmshrc.gov)
PDF
View Official PDF

Apply this to your situation

This order from 1985 bound only the parties to this case; it isn't precedent. Ask about your situation and see what the current MSHA standards and Commission precedent say, with citations.

Currency note: this decision dates from 1985
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.
Final ALJ decision, not Commission precedent
This amended decision became final under the 40-day rule in 30 U.S.C. § 823(d)(1) because no later Commission review appears in the official index. It binds the parties but is not Commission precedent. The full text below is from the official FMSHRC release.
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

Judge Gary Melick amended an earlier decision in seven civil penalty proceedings involving Pyro Mining Company. The amendment corrected the total civil penalties payable to $7,671. It ordered Pyro to pay that amount within 30 days. This amended decision does not identify the cited mine safety standards or explain the underlying violations.

Decision snapshot

  • Cited standards: None in this amendment.
  • Outcome: The total civil penalties were corrected to $7,671, payable within 30 days.
  • Key point: The amended decision changes the penalty total stated in the earlier decision.

Full text (FMSHRC public release)

CCASE:
SOL (MSHA) v. PYRO MINING
DDATE:
19851104
TTEXT:
~1805
Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission Office of Administrative Law Judges

SECRETARY OF LABOR,
CIVIL PENALTY PROCEEDINGS
MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH
ADMINISTRATION (MSHA),
Docket No. KENT 84-236
PETITIONER
A.C. No. 15-13881-03534
v.
Pyro No. 9 Slope
PYRO MINING COMPANY,
William Station Mine
RESPONDENT
Docket No. KENT 85-25
A.C. No. 15-13920-03525

Docket No. KENT 85-27
A.C. No. 15-13920-03527

Docket No. KENT 85-54
A.C. No. 15-13920-03530

Docket No. KENT 85-88
A.C. No. 15-13920-03536

Docket No. KENT 85-113
A.C. No. 15-13920-03543

Pyro No. 9 Wheatcroft Mine

Docket No. KENT 85-52
A.C. No. 15-14492-03504

Palco Mine

AMENDED DECISION

Appearances: Thomas A. Grooms, Esq., Office of the Solicitor, U.S. Department of Labor, Nashville, Tennessee, on behalf of Petitioner;
William Craft, Safety Manager, Pryo Mining Company, Sturgis, Kentucky, for Respondent.

Before: Judge Melick

The decision in these cases issued October 25, 1985, is hereby amended as follows:

The total amount of civil penalties to be paid is corrected to read $7,671.
~1806
Wherefore the Pyro Mining Company is ordered to pay civil penalties of $7,671 within 30 days of this decision.

Gary Melick
Administrative Law Judge

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