Big River Mining, LLC Settlement Agreement (ALJ decision, March 31, 2011)

Plain-English summary

Big River Mining and the Secretary submitted a comprehensive settlement covering 32 contest and civil-penalty dockets at the Broad Run mine. The agreement reduced total assessed penalties from $1,341,410 to $979,230, a reduction of $362,180, with the individual docket amounts listed in the decision. Judge Jerold Feldman found the settlement appropriate under the Mine Act's penalty criteria, ordered payment within 30 days, and dismissed the proceedings upon timely payment.

Decision snapshot

• Governing provision: 30 U.S.C. § 820(i)
• Outcome: The 32-docket settlement was approved for total penalties of $979,230.
• Key point: A comprehensive settlement may resolve related contest and penalty cases when the record supports the docket-specific amounts under the statutory penalty criteria.

Full text (FMSHRC public release)

FMSRHC ALJ DECISION

FEDERAL MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH REVIEW COMMISSION

OFFICE OF ADMINISTRATIVE LAW JUDGES

601 NEW JERSEY AVENUE, NW, SUITE 9500

WASHINGTON, DC 20001

March 31, 2011

BIG RIVER MINING, LLC

Contestant

v.

SECRETARY OF LABOR,

MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH

ADMINISTRATION (MSHA),

Respondent

SECRETARY OF LABOR,

MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH

ADMINISTRATION (MSHA),

Petitioner,

v.

BIG RIVER MINING, LLC.,

Respondent

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CONTEST PROCEEDING

Docket No. WEVA 2008-1627-R
Order No. 6606120; 07/09/2008

Docket No. WEVA 2009-1408-R
Citation No. 8014667; 04/13/2009

Docket No. WEVA 2009-1409-R
Citation No. 8014669; 04/15/2009

Docket No. WEVA 2009-1410-R
Citation No. 8014670; 04/16/2009

Docket No. WEVA 2009-1417-R
Citation No. 8016683; 04/29/2009

Docket No. WEVA 2009-1418-R
Citation No. 8016684; 04/29/2009

Docket No. WEVA 2009-1867-R
Citation No. 8019935; 07/22/2009

Docket No. WEVA 2009-1868-R
Citation No. 6606537; 07/22/2009

Docket No. WEVA 2009-1869-R
Citation No. 8019938; 07/22/2009

Docket No. WEVA 2009-1870-R
Citation No. 8019939; 07/22/2009

Broad Run
Mine ID 46-09136

CIVIL PENALTY PROCEEDING

Docket No. WEVA 2009-652
A.C. No. 46-09136-170809-01

Docket No. WEVA 2009-892
A.C. No. 46-09136-176268

Docket No. WEVA 2009-893
A.C. No. 46-09136-176268

Docket No. WEVA 2009-1105
A.C. No. 46-09136-178779-02

Docket No. WEVA 2009-1301
A.C. No. 46-09136-181460

Docket No. WEVA 2009-1302
A.C. No. 46-09136-181460

Docket No. WEVA 2009-1604
A.C. No. 46-09136-187355

Docket No. WEVA 2009-1669
A.C. No. 46-09136-184534

Docket No. WEVA 2009-1742
A.C. No. 46-09136-190394

Docket No. WEVA 2009-1989
A.C. No. 46-09136-196188

Docket No. WEVA 2009-1990
A.C. No. 46-09136-196188

Docket No. WEVA 2010-191
A.C. No. 46-09136-199569-01

Docket No. WEVA 2010-192
A.C. No. 46-09136-199569-02

Docket No. WEVA 2010-355
A.C. No. 46-09136-202456

Docket No. WEVA 2010-473
A.C. No. 46-09136-205265

Docket No. WEVA 2010-558
A.C. No. 46-09136-207865-01

Docket No. WEVA 2010-559
A.C. No. 46-09136-207865

Docket No. WEVA 2010-677
A.C. No. 46-09136-210733

Mine: Broad Run

DECISION APPROVING SETTLEMENT

Before: Judge Feldman

These captioned proceedings are before me based upon a petition for assessment of civil penalty filed pursuant to section 105(d) of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (the Act). The Secretary has filed a motion to approve a comprehensive settlement agreement and to dismiss the 32 above captioned dockets. A reduction in total civil penalty from $1,341,410.00 to $979,230.00 is proposed.

The specific settlement terms are as noted in the comprehensive settlement agreement appended to the electronic version of this decision approving settlement, and posted online at the Commission’s website: http://www.fmshrc.gov. The above captioned contest dockets have been resolved by the terms of the comprehensive settlement agreement. The proposed and agreed upon civil penalties for each docket are as follows:

Docket No.

Originally Assessed Penalty

Proposed Settlement

WEVA 2009-1

$57,333.00

$45,263.00

WEVA 2009-358

$119,411.00

$85,831.00

WEVA 2009-376

$40,250.00

$34,723.00

WEVA 2009-377

$1,156.00

$1,156.00

WEVA 2009-652

$16,961.00

$16,961.00

WEVA 2009-892

$4,000.00

$4,000.00

WEVA 2009-893

$18,682.00

$18,682.00

WEVA 2009-1105

$38,759.00

$38,759.00

WEVA 2009-1301

$27,333.00

$27,333.00

WEVA 2009-1302

$65,699.00

$65,699.00

WEVA 2009-1604

$10,402.00

$10,402.00

WEVA 2009-1669

$12,718.00

$12,718.00

WEVA 2009-1742

$2,824.00

$2,824.00

WEVA 2009-1989

$50,694.00

$25,478.00

WEVA 2009-1990

$92,570.00

$74,115.00

WEVA 2010-191

$101,522.00

$78,538.00

WEVA 2010-192

$140,651.00

$95,820.00

WEVA 2010-355

$17,926.00

$17,926.00

WEVA 2010-473

$94,291.00

$67,978.00

WEVA 2010-558

$263,643.00

$135,675.00

WEVA 2010-559

$146,573.00

$101,337.00

WEVA 2010-677

$18,012.00

$18,012.00

TOTAL

$1,341,410.00

$979,230.00

I have considered the representations and documentation submitted in these matters and I conclude that the proffered settlement is appropriate under the criteria set forth in Section 110(i) of the Act, 30 U.S.C. § 820(i). WHEREFORE, the motion for approval of settlement IS GRANTED, and pursuant to the parties’ agreement, Big River Mining, LLC IS ORDERED to pay the $979,230.00 civil penalty within 30 days of this order in satisfaction of the 32 dockets at issue.

Upon receipt of timely payment, the captioned contest and civil penalty proceedings ARE DISMISSED.

Jerold Feldman

Administrative Law Judge

Distribution:  

David M. Jaklevic, Esq., Office of the Solicitor, U.S. Department of Labor,

170 S. Independence Mall West, The Curtis Center, Suite 630 East, Philadelphia, PA 19106-3306

Curtis Capehart, Esq., Dinsmore & Shohl, LLP, P.O. Box 11887, 900 Lee Street, #600,

Charleston, WV 25399

/jel