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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Martin County Coal Corporation
Two impoundment-plan violations vacated on remand
After a 2000 slurry breakthrough, MSHA alleged that Martin County Coal violated its approved impoundment sealing plan in two ways. On remand from the Commission, Judge Michael E. Zielinski found that the company effectively covered the seepage barrier with settled fine refuse as the plan required…
Martin County Coal Corporation and Geo/Environmental Associates
Impoundment violations remanded in part
This consolidated case arose from a slurry spill and breakthrough at Martin County Coal's Big Branch Slurry Impoundment. The Commission vacated and remanded findings involving the impoundment sealing plan, reporting of water-flow changes, and the related negligence, S&S, unwarrantable-failure, and…
Martin County Coal Corporation
Impoundment citations partly sustained
Martin County Coal and its engineering consultant GEO/Environmental Associates were cited after the Big Branch refuse impoundment failed and released waste-laden water in October 2000. Judge Irwin Schroeder found that Martin County failed to report unusual South Mains Portal flow changes, that…
Martin County Coal Corporation and Geo/Environmental Associates
Citations vacated after slurry-impoundment case
Martin County Coal Corporation and Geo/Environmental Associates faced citations concerning an approved slurry-impoundment plan and a weekly inspection report at the Big Branch impoundment. The Secretary alleged that the operator failed to redirect slurry as required by the approved plan 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.