Federal Agency Decisions
Workplace-safety cases from the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC), mine-safety cases from the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission (FMSHRC), and environmental appeals from the EPA's Environmental Appeals Board, each with a plain-English summary, the standards it cites, and whether it counts as precedent. More agencies are coming.
No decisions match these filters
Try fewer or different words, check the spelling, or clear the filters to browse everything.
Farmer v. Island Creek Coal Co.
Late compensation complaint allowed to proceed
Roy Farmer, a miners’ representative, filed a compensation complaint for about 275 miners who were idled after MSHA issued an imminent-danger order at Island Creek Coal’s Virginia Pocahontas No. 3 Mine. Island Creek argued that the complaint was filed after the 90-day period in Commission…
Island Creek Coal Company
Late compensation complaint allowed to proceed
Roy Farmer and other miners sought compensation after an imminent-danger order at Island Creek Coal Company's VP-3 Mine. Their complaint was filed more than six months after the order, beyond the 90-day period in Commission Rule 35. On remand, Judge Gary Melick found good cause for the late…
Local Union 2333, District 29, United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) v. Ranger Fuel Corporation
Compensation award affirmed and interest modified
The United Mine Workers sought compensation for miners idled after MSHA issued an imminent-danger withdrawal order at Ranger Fuel's underground coal mine. The Commission held that Ranger could not challenge the validity of the uncontested withdrawal order in the later compensation case, and that…
What these documents are
- The agencies: Workplace-safety cases from the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC), mine-safety cases from the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission (FMSHRC), and environmental permit and penalty appeals from the EPA's Environmental Appeals Board (EAB). Each decision page names its agency.
- Commission and Board decisions: Rulings by the agency's highest review level (the Commission at OSHRC and FMSHRC, the Environmental Appeals Board at EPA). These are citable as precedent, though a decision may have been appealed to a U.S. Court of Appeals after issuance.
- ALJ decisions: Rulings by the agency's Administrative Law Judges after a hearing. When no Commissioner directs review, an ALJ decision becomes a final order that binds the parties in that case but is not binding precedent: under 29 U.S.C. § 661(j) at OSHRC, and after the 40-day window of 30 U.S.C. § 823(d)(1) at FMSHRC.
- Why finality matters: Every page here says which kind of decision you are reading, so you know whether it is precedent you can cite or a final order that only shows how one judge ruled on one set of facts.
- Where they come from: Every page links the official public release from the deciding agency, and the full text on the page is that release. The plain-English summaries are written by Ezel.