Rolling Thunder Mine has $150K in proposed MSHA penalties and $94K outstanding across 3 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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Fatalities
1
Total incidents
7
Years on record
2024–2026
Latest incident
Jun 2026
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2006
205
citations
29
significant & substantial
$150,467
proposed penalties
$53,654
paid to date
36% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $96,813 gap.
citations per 100 inspection hours
ⓘThis rate is recorded citations divided by MSHA inspection hours, per 100 hours. It reflects inspection effort, not mine size or production.
205 citations across 4,319 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Rolling Thunder Mine has $150K in proposed MSHA penalties and $94K outstanding across 3 contested dockets.
Penalty disposition
ⓘDifferences between proposed and paid penalties reflect both settlements and conference reductions and amounts still owed. Outstanding is the balance currently owed.
$150K
proposed penalties
$147K
current assessed
$54K
paid to date
$94K
outstanding
166 assessments are final orders; 3 contested dockets.
Of $10K in penalties contested before the Commission, $7K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2026-06-10.
Source: MSHA assessed-violations and conference/litigation data, updated weekly.
Violation severity profile
ⓘShares are computed over citations that carry the MSHA gravity and negligence coding; a small share of records are uncoded.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, updated weekly.
When citations were contested
ⓘContesting a citation before the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission is a lawful right. These figures state the public outcomes of that process, from MSHA's Contested Violations file.
4citations taken to the federal commission · 2% of citations on record
Settled
2 · 50%
Still open
2 · 50%
100%
S&S designation survived the contest
ⓘCounts a Significant & Substantial citation as surviving when a settlement or judge's decision kept the designation, or the contest was dismissed or defaulted so the citation stands as issued. Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.
of 2 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
30%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$10K proposed, $7K after decisions · industry: 39%
Source: MSHA Contested Violations file (public record), updated weekly. A dismissed or defaulted contest leaves the citation standing as issued; a vacated or withdrawn citation is removed from the violation record. Latest contest filed 2026-07-15.
Contested penalties
ⓘA reduction or dismissal at the Commission is a lawful outcome of contesting a proposed penalty. Figures are the proposed amount and the amount upheld in the docket's decision.
Largest penalties this mine contested before the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission, with the outcome on record.
MSHA sampling at Rolling Thunder Mine shows 100% of 1,503 respirable coal dust samples met the 1.5 mg/m3 standard.
Health sampling
ⓘA sample is a point in time compliance measurement, not an individual exposure history. These figures describe MSHA sampling records and do not establish causation or personal dose.
Respirable coal dust
ⓘRespirable coal dust and silica figures cover coal facilities. Dust compliance is measured against the current 1.5 mg/m3 standard; samples predating the 2014 standard are included, so compliance rates are a coarse historical signal.
Last sampled: 2026-08-20
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
1,503
samples
24.63
dust max (mg/m3)
4
over MSHA ECV
ⓘThe excessive concentration value (ECV) is MSHA's own per-sample enforcement threshold, which builds in measurement uncertainty; a sample over its ECV can trigger a citation. The count covers only samples MSHA assigned an ECV.
206 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 1,297 by the operator.
Noise
ⓘThe share counts noise samples whose measured dose exceeded the 90 dBA permissible exposure limit. It describes the sampled workplace, not what reached the miner's ear: hearing conservation programs and the hearing protection worn during the shift are recorded separately and are not reflected here.
Health sampling trend
ⓘA sample is a point in time compliance measurement, not an individual exposure history. These figures describe MSHA sampling records and do not establish causation or personal dose.
Respirable coal dust by year
ⓘRespirable coal dust and silica figures cover coal facilities. Dust compliance is measured against the current 1.5 mg/m3 standard; samples predating the 2014 standard are included, so compliance rates are a coarse historical signal.
Rolling Thunder Mine recorded 5.30 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2025.
Injury rate, 2025
ⓘThis rate is reportable injury cases per 100 full-time-equivalent workers per year, computed as 200,000 times cases divided by MSHA operator-reported employee-hours. Cases are injuries MSHA graded degree 01 through 07; accident-only events that hurt no one are excluded, and so are contractor injuries, whose hours do not attach to a single mine. Rates begin in 2000, when quarterly employment reporting starts, and are withheld below 20,000 hours in a year.
5.30
total case rate
5.30
days-away rate
1.325
fatality rate
Above average. The US coal mining average was 3.19 and the all-US-mining average was 1.97 cases per 100 workers.
In West Virginia, coal mining averaged 3.89 cases per 100 workers that year.
Year
total case rate
days-away
fatal
2025
5.30
5.30
1.325
2024
1.27
0.00
0.000
Source: injury cases from MSHA accident and injury records; employee-hours from MSHA quarterly employment reports. Rate is cases per 100 full-time-equivalent workers, operator employees only.
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
ⓘCoal production is reported quarterly and lags the current period; the most recent quarters may be incomplete.
Year
Employees
Coal produced (tons)
2026
87
318,368
2025
65
298,562
2024
67
427,100
2023
41
124,979
2007
0
2006
0
2005
0
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Rolling Thunder Mine sits in Nicholas County, West Virginia, where the Census mining category is 6.1% of county employment.
Local economic context
ⓘCounty figures come from the US Census Bureau's American Community Survey, 5-year pooled estimates, so the 2023 vintage covers 2019 through 2023. The Census category is 'mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction', which is broader than MSHA jurisdiction and includes oil and gas workers no mine employs. These figures describe the surrounding county, not this mine, and are not a factor in any specific incident.
Nicholas County, West Virginia · Population 24,446
6.1%
Mining share of county employment
$49,280
Median household income
Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 5-year estimates.
Quarterly safety rates
ⓘCitations per million reported employee-hours. Rates begin in 2000, when MSHA's quarterly employment data starts; earlier incidents are counted but cannot be rate-adjusted. Quarters under 100,000 reported hours are greyed: too few hours for a stable rate.
Citations per million employee-hours, as reported to MSHA
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2026 Q2
58,384
50
5
856.4
2026 Q1
46,636
8
2
171.5
2025 Q4
33,429
15
1
448.7
2025 Q3
39,804
19
5
477.3
2025 Q2
37,556
21
4
559.2
2025 Q1
40,130
8
0
199.4
2024 Q4
33,958
2
0
58.9
2024 Q3
37,658
22
2
584.2
Show 13 earlier quartersHide earlier quarters
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2024 Q2
42,088
26
3
617.8
2024 Q1
43,775
2
0
45.7
2023 Q4
35,913
4
0
111.4
2023 Q3
25,002
4
0
160.0
2023 Q2
4,208
0
0
0.0
2007 Q3
0
0
0
2007 Q2
0
0
0
2007 Q1
0
0
0
2006 Q4
0
0
0
2006 Q3
0
0
0
2006 Q2
0
0
0
2006 Q1
0
2
1
2005 Q4
0
0
0
Fatalities at this mine
1 recorded
November 8, 2025WV · Coalbull gang foreman, labor foreman, leadman, section foreman, shift bossFatality · INUNDATION
A water inundation occurred on the No. 1 Section in the No. 1 Face near spad 1717. Resulted in a Fatal injury. Rescue crews located the fatally injured person on 11/13/2025.
Reportable incidents
6 on file (excluding fatalities above)
2026 · 1 incident
June 2, 2026WV · Coalroof bolter, rock bolter, pinner, mobile roof support operator (mrs)HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Employee stated that they were in the #5 entry installing the last row of roof bolts, while manually bending a roof bolt, they stated that they felt a "pop" in right shoulder.
A non-injury roof fall was discovered in the intersection at the #5 crosscut on Yankee Mains (No. 5 belt) in the N0. 4 entry. The fall was approximately 20' x 20' x 10' thick.
July 24, 2025WV · Coalshuttle car operator, mantrip operator, ramcar operator, rail runner, buggy operatorPOWERED HAULAGE
EE stated that while operating the 21SC shuttle car being loaded by the continuous mining machine, the bumper of the CM came in to contact with load end of the shuttle car. When the car operator pulled away, this caused the dump in to be raised slightly then fall suddenly, jarring the car operator resulting in EE's head hitting EE's head on canopy.
Nicholas-Contura, LLC · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object
EE stated that EE had lifted the shield on the #1 battery operated 4-wheeler, the panel slipped out of EE's hand causing the panel to fall on EE's left index finger.