FEDERAL MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH REVIEW COMMISSION
601 NEW JERSEY AVENUE, NW
SUITE 9500
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20001
May 1, 2008
SECRETARY OF LABOR,
MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION (MSHA) v. WARRIOR COAL, LLC |
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Docket No. KENT 2008-470 A.C. No. 15-17216-131881 Docket No. KENT 2008-471 A.C. No. 15-17216-129480 |
BEFORE: Duffy, Chairman; Jordan and Young, 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. (2000) (“Mine Act”). On January 31, 2008, the Commission received from Warrior
Coal, LLC (“Warrior”) two letters seeking to reopen penalty assessments that had become final
orders of the Commission pursuant to section 105(a) of the Mine Act, 30 U.S.C. § 815(a).
Under section 105(a) of the Mine Act, an operator who wishes to contest a proposed penalty must notify the Secretary of Labor no later than 30 days after receiving the proposed penalty assessment. If the operator fails to notify the Secretary, the proposed penalty assessment is deemed a final order of the Commission. 30 U.S.C. § 815(a).
On October 18 and November 15, 2007, the Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (“MSHA”) issued Proposed Penalty Assessment Nos. 000129480 and 000131881, respectively, to Warrior for several citations. Warrior states that on November 16, 2007, it timely sent to MSHA its contest of the proposed penalties for 17 of the citations listed in Proposed Penalty Assessment No. 000129480. The operator explains that it failed to timely contest proposed penalties listed in Proposed Assessment No. 000131881 due to the “mine Holiday shutdown” and the employment of temporary clerical help during December 2007.
As to Proposed Penalty Assessment No. 000129480, the Secretary’s response does not state whether the contest of the proposed penalties were received, but she does not oppose reopening the matter. The Secretary states that she does not oppose Warrior’s request to reopen Proposed Penalty Assessment No. 000131881.
We have held that in appropriate circumstances, we possess jurisdiction to reopen uncontested assessments that have become final Commission orders under section 105(a). Jim Walter Res., Inc., 15 FMSHRC 782, 786-89 (May 1993) (“JWR”). In evaluating requests to reopen final section 105(a) orders, the Commission has found guidance in Rule 60(b) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure under which, for example, a party could be entitled to relief from a final order of the Commission on the basis of inadvertence or mistake. See 29 C.F.R. § 2700.1(b) (“the Commission and its Judges shall be guided so far as practicable by the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure”); JWR, 15 FMSHRC at 787. We have also observed that default is a harsh remedy and that, if the defaulting party can make a showing of good cause for a failure to timely respond, the case may be reopened and appropriate proceedings on the merits permitted. See Coal Prep. Servs., Inc., 17 FMSHRC 1529, 1530 (Sept. 1995).
Having reviewed Warrior’s requests, in the interests of justice, we remand this matter to the Chief Administrative Law Judge for a determination of whether good cause exists for granting relief from the final orders. If it is determined that such relief is appropriate, this case shall proceed pursuant to the Mine Act and the Commission’s Procedural Rules, 29 C.F.R. Part 2700.
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Michael F. Duffy, Chairman
____________________________________
Mary Lu Jordan, Commissioner
____________________________________
Michael G. Young, Commissioner
Distribution:
Kevin Vaughn
Director of Safety & Training
Warrior Coal, LLC.
57 J. E. Ellis Road
Madisonville, KY 42431
W. Christian Schumann, Esq.
Office of the Solicitor
U.S. Department of Labor
1100 Wilson Blvd., Room 2220
Arlington, VA 22209-2296
Myra James
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