FEDERAL MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH REVIEW COMMISSION

 

1331 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE, NW, SUITE 520N

WASHINGTON, D.C.  20004-1710

 

 

SECRETARY OF LABOR,                               :   

    MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH                    :    Docket Nos.  LAKE 2007-171, et al.1

    ADMINISTRATION (MSHA)                    :

                                                                             :

                        v.                                                  :

                                                                             :

THE AMERICAN COAL COMPANY             :               

 

BEFORE:  Jordan, Chairman; Young, Cohen, Nakamura, and Althen, Commissioners

 

ORDER

 

BY THE COMMISSION:

 

These captioned proceedings arising under the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977, 30 U.S.C. § 801 et seq. (2012) (“Mine Act”), are before the Commission pursuant to the granting of The American Coal Company’s petition for discretionary review.2  Subsequent to our granting of review, we stayed briefing pending further order by the Commission.

 

            On March 31, 2015, American filed an unopposed motion to dismiss its appeal of these proceedings and represented that it has agreed to pay penalties “consistent with [Judge] Manning’s October 24, 2011 Decision Approving Settlement, October 24, 2011 Decision, and November 9, 2011 Decision Approving Settlement.”  Mot. at 1.  American indicated in its motion that it agreed “to amicably resolve any issues that remain regarding the safeguard-related violations in these matters.”  Id.  Upon consideration of the motion, the Commission dismisses the review of these cases and remands the proceedings to the Administrative Law Judge for further proceedings, as appropriate, with respect to “any issues that remain regarding the safeguard-related violations in these matters.”  Id.

 

 

/s/ Mary Lu Jordan

                                                                                    Mary Lu Jordan, Chairman

 

 

                                                                                    /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 

 

 

                                                                                    /s/ William I. Althen

                                                                                    William I. Althen, Commissioner      

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Appendix

 

Docket Nos.

                       

                        LAKE 2007-215-R

                        LAKE 2007-216-R

                       LAKE 2007-172

                       LAKE 2007-202

                        LAKE 2007-205

                        LAKE 2008-004

                        LAKE 2008-037

                        LAKE 2008-080

                        LAKE 2008-082

                        LAKE 2008-120

                        LAKE 2008-139

                        LAKE 2008-140

                        LAKE 2008-141

                        LAKE 2008-143

                        LAKE 2008-231

                        LAKE 2008-232

                        LAKE 2008-234

                        LAKE 2008-235

                        LAKE 2008-239

                        LAKE 2008-526-A

                        LAKE 2008-528

                        LAKE 2008-529

                        LAKE 2008-531

                        LAKE 2008-582

                        LAKE 2008-583

                        LAKE 2008-584

                        LAKE 2008-585

                        LAKE 2008-624

                        LAKE 2008-625

                        LAKE 2008-626        

                        LAKE 2009-007

                        LAKE 2009-008

                        LAKE 2009-206

                        LAKE 2009-445

                        LAKE 2009-546


1  The additional docket numbers at issue are set forth in the attached Appendix.

2  Commissioner Cohen notes that these proceedings involve decisions approving settlement of more than 70 citations.  The parties moved for approval of settlement of the citations during a conference call with the Judge.  33 FMSHRC 2574, 2593-94 (Oct. 2011) (ALJ); Unpublished Order at 2 n.1 (Oct. 2011); Unpublished Order at 2 (Nov. 2011).  “The written motion [for settlement] consists of a spreadsheet setting forth the terms of the settlement reached by the parties.”  Unpublished Order at 2 n.1 (Oct. 2011); see also Unpublished Order at 2 (Nov. 2011).  That spreadsheet lists the originally proposed penalty and the agreed upon amended penalty for each citation.  Overall, the penalties were reduced by 46.7%, from $362,515 to $193,330.  The spreadsheet indicates that every one of the penalties was reduced.  The only justification for the reductions noted on the spreadsheet was that one of the citations, Citation No. 6683836 in Docket No. LAKE 2009-546, was “modif[ied] to Permanently Disabling.”  No justification at all was provided for the reduction of the other penalties.

 

            The Judge’s reasons for accepting the proposed settlement do not appear in the record.  Perhaps they were set forth during the conference call.  Unfortunately, no transcript was made of the conference call, and so the Commission has no basis for knowing the Judge’s consideration in accepting the settlement.