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.

13,917 decisions and counting · Latest decision August 26, 2026
8 decisions 30 C.F.R. § 75.900

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ALJ

Black Panther Mining, LLC

Belt-maintenance order vacated and two citations settled

MSHA alleged that Black Panther's maintenance chief repaired a conveyor belt without removing power and blocking the machinery against motion, an S&S and unwarrantable-failure violation of section 75.1725(c). Judge Thomas P. McCarthy credited the operator's witnesses that three circuits had been…

February 29, 2012 ·Thomas P. McCarthy ·FMSHRC
Mixed result
ALJ

Black Panther Mining, LLC

Original belt-maintenance decision later amended

MSHA alleged that Black Panther's maintenance chief repaired a conveyor belt without removing power and blocking the machinery against motion, an S&S and unwarrantable-failure violation of section 75.1725(c). Judge Thomas P. McCarthy credited the operator's witnesses that three circuits had been…

January 27, 2012 ·Thomas P. McCarthy ·FMSHRC
Mixed result
ALJ

C. W. Mining Company

Citations affirmed, modified, and vacated

C. W. Mining faced 18 citations at its Bear Canyon coal mines, including issues involving preshift examinations, electrical grounding, and electrical equipment. Judge Richard W. Manning vacated one citation, affirmed or modified the others, and assessed penalties based on the Mine Act criteria. The…

December 10, 2004 ·Richard W. Manning ·FMSHRC
Mixed result
ALJ

Basin Resources, Incorporated

42-violation decision with $32,600 assessed

Basin Resources operated the Golden Eagle underground coal mine in Colorado, which later closed. Judge Richard W. Manning denied the Secretary's motion to add Basin's parent companies as respondents because the evidence did not show that they controlled or supervised the mine's day-to-day…

April 7, 1997 ·Richard W. Manning ·FMSHRC
Mixed result
ALJ

Martin Sales & Processing

Summary default decision later vacated

Martin Sales & Processing failed to answer the Secretary's discovery requests and did not comply with orders directing it to respond. Judge George A. Koutras found the operator in default and entered summary default judgment for the Secretary on four consolidated dockets. The order directed…

March 29, 1993 ·George A. Koutras ·FMSHRC
Other
ALJ

LJ'S Coal Corporation

Multiple mine-safety violations adjudicated

LJ'S Coal Corporation faced consolidated proceedings involving roof control, accident reporting, fire suppression, dust-control planning, roadway berms, and underground electrical safety at its No. 3 and No. 4 Mines. Judge Avram Weisberger found several serious and significant-and-substantial…

August 14, 1991 ·Avram Weisberger ·FMSHRC
Mixed result
ALJ

Energy Mining Corporation and/or Utah Power & Light Company

Wilberg Mine settlement approved

These consolidated contest and civil penalty proceedings arose from the Wilberg Mine fire disaster in Utah. The ALJ approved a settlement resolving 24 alleged violations in three civil penalty dockets, reducing the outstanding total from $106,749 to a voluntary payment of $95,000. The order…

September 17, 1990 ·John J. Morris ·FMSHRC
Settled
ALJ

Anlo Energy, Inc.

Electrical violations affirmed

MSHA found that Anlo Energy’s Peacock Mine No. 1 had inadequate grounded-phase protection and inoperative ground-monitoring circuits on its main power center. Judge William Fauver found that both conditions violated the cited standards and presented serious electrical hazards, including a risk of…

December 3, 1986 ·William Fauver ·FMSHRC
Citations affirmed

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.