A divided federal appeals court panel ruled Friday that federal mining regulators have jurisdiction over a trucking company that sometimes hauls coal.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit found in a 2-1 decision that federal law clearly allows the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) to cite violations found during truck maintenance at the company’s repair shop about a mile from a mine.
The conclusion is similar to the one the court reached in 2023, before the Supreme Court overturned a legal precedent that had given federal agencies the benefit of the doubt when the law was unclear.
“Reviewing the statute de novo and without deference, we conclude that KC Transport’s facility is a mine within the meaning of the Mine Act,” said Judge Robert Wilkins, who wrote the majority opinion for the court.
