FEDERAL MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH REVIEW COMMISSION
601 NEW JERSEY AVENUE, NW
SUITE 9500
WASHINGTON, DC 20001
February 27, 2012
SECRETARY OF LABOR, MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION (MSHA)
v.
FARRELL-COOPER MINING COMPANY |
: : : : : : : : |
Docket No. CENT 2009-834 A.C. No. 34-01728-193433 |
BEFORE: Jordan, Chairman; Duffy, Young, Cohen, and Nakamura, Commissioners
ORDER
BY THE COMMISSION:
This matter arises under the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977, 30 U.S.C. § 801 et seq. (2006) (“Mine Act”). On June 27, 2011, the Commission received from Farrell-Cooper Mining Company (“Farrell-Cooper”) a motion seeking to reopen a penalty assessment proceeding and relieve it from the order of default entered against it.
On December 2, 2010, Chief Judge Lesnick issued an Order to Show Cause which by its terms became an Order of Default if the operator did not file an answer within 30 days. This Order to Show Cause was issued in response to Farrell-Cooper’s failure to answer the Secretary’s April 28, 2010 Petition for Assessment of Civil Penalty.
Farrell-Cooper asserts that it filed a timely response to the Show Cause Order on December 28, 2010. The Secretary does not oppose the request to reopen, and notes that the Denver Regional Solicitor’s Office received the answer on January 10, 2011. Moreover, MSHA states that its records show that the operator sent a check dated May 19, 2011, in response to a delinquency notice mailed on May 11, 2011.
Having reviewed Farrell-Cooper’s request and the Secretary’s response, in the interest of justice, we conclude that Farrell-Cooper was not in default under the terms of the Show Cause Order, as it timely complied with the Order. Accordingly, this case is remanded to the Chief Administrative Law Judge for further proceedings pursuant to the Mine Act and the Commission’s Procedural Rules, 29 C.F.R. Part 2700.
/s/ Mary Lu Jordan
Mary Lu Jordan, Chairman
/s/ Michael F. Duffy
Michael F. Duffy, Commissioner
/s/Michael G. Young
Michael G. Young, Commissioner
/s/ Robert F. Cohen, Jr.
Robert F. Cohen, Jr., Commissioner
/s/ Patrick K. Nakamura
Patrick K. Nakamura, Commissioner
Distribution:
Gary Geralds
Mining Development Services
30181 West CR 1253 D Road
Stigler, OK 74462
Sarah White, Esq.
Office of the Solicitor
U.S. Department of Labor
1999 Broadway, Suite 800
Denver, CO 80202-5708
W. Christian Schumann, Esq.
Office of the Solicitor
U.S. Department of Labor
1100 Wilson Blvd., Room 2220
Arlington, VA 22209-2296
Melanie Garris
Office of Civil Penalty Compliance
MSHA
U.S. Dept. Of Labor
1100 Wilson Blvd., 25th Floor
Arlington, VA 22209-3939
Chief Administrative Law Judge Robert J. Lesnick
Federal Mine Safety & Health Review Commission
601 New Jersey Avenue, N. W., Suite 9500
Washington, D.C. 20001-2021