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.
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Apex Minerals, Inc.
Water-outburst citation vacated
Apex Minerals contested a citation issued after a water outburst from old mine workings near its Apex No. 1 Mine. The ALJ found that the outburst occurred in Eastern Mine No. 7, outside Apex's sealed mining area, and that Apex had no physical connection or legal responsibility for that mine after…
Mid-Continent Resources, Inc.
Mine closure citations affirmed, penalties assessed
Mid-Continent Resources, Inc. operated the Coal Basin and Bear Creek Mines. MSHA alleged that the company failed to seal an inactive mine and failed to file a revised mine map after the mines were permanently closed. Judge John J. Morris found that the mines were abandoned because they were no…
Anlo Energy, Inc.
Mine-closure citations affirmed with $40 penalty
Anlo Energy's Peacock Mine No. 1 had been idle or abandoned for more than 90 days while the company was in bankruptcy. The company did not appear at the hearing, and Judge George A. Koutras found it in default. He affirmed citations for failing to file a mine map and failing to seal the mine…
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 When no Commissioner directs review, an ALJ decision becomes a final order that binds the parties in that case but is not binding precedent: under 29 U.S.C. § 661(j) at OSHRC, and after the 40-day window of 30 U.S.C. § 823(d)(1) at FMSHRC.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.