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.
Stillhouse Mining, LLC
Four flagrant violations yield $761,000 penalty
Stillhouse Mining intentionally shut off its main mine fan for about six hours while miners remained underground, electrical equipment stayed energized, and the company continued producing coal. MSHA cited the company for failing to withdraw miners after the fan stopped, intentionally changing…
Faith Coal Company
Multiple citation rulings affirmed, one issue remanded
Faith Coal Company operated the No. 15 Mine, an underground coal mine in Tennessee. The Commission affirmed findings involving unsupported roof, roof-control-plan violations, and sightline use, and it affirmed that the Secretary could not use a prior probation proceeding to establish the alleged…
Consolidation Coal Company
Partial settlement approved and citation transferred
Consolidation Coal Company faced 13 alleged violations at the Osage No. 3 Mine. Judge George A. Koutras approved settlements for 11 citations, then approved a settlement for Citation 3716124 after the parties agreed to delete its S&S designation and reduce the penalty from $276 to $166. The…
BethEnergy Mines, Inc.
Citation and penalty vacated, proceeding dismissed
MSHA cited BethEnergy Mines after a sudden release of methane at the face area of a longwall section, alleging violations involving ventilation and the mine's ventilation plan. The ALJ vacated the ventilation-plan citation but found a violation of the ventilation standard, and BethEnergy petitioned…
C. W. Mining Company
Mixed citation results with $1,178 in penalties
C. W. Mining operated the Bear Canyon No. 1 underground coal mine, where MSHA alleged violations involving shuttle-car arcing, a disabled methane monitor, permissibility defects, and combustible accumulations on a bobcat. Judge James A. Broderick vacated the shuttle-car citations because the…
J.C. London Coal Company, Inc.
Citations affirmed and penalties assessed after default
J.C. London Coal Company did not appear at the hearing on 18 alleged mine-safety violations and was found in default after receiving proper notice. Judge George A. Koutras found the cited violations established on the inspectors' testimony and affirmed the citations. He assessed $364 for the KENT…
Pyro Mining Company
Eight violations settled for $15,000
MSHA proposed penalties for eight alleged violations of mandatory safety standards at Pyro Mining Company’s Pyro No. 9 Slope and Palco Mine. The initial assessments totaled $16,300. The parties agreed to settlements totaling $15,000, including reduced amounts for two listed violations. Judge George…
Elk Creek Coal Corporation
Nine violations affirmed, one citation dismissed, and $1,850 assessed
MSHA charged Elk Creek Coal Corporation with ten violations involving highwall hazards, roof control, emergency communications, methane monitoring, and miner training at the No. 1 Mine. Judge Gary Melick found nine violations proven, including several significant and substantial violations, but…
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.