Spring Creek Coal Co. v. McLean Ex Rel. McLean , 881 F.3d 1211 ( 2018 )


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  •                                                                                   FILED
    United States Court of Appeals
    PUBLISH                                Tenth Circuit
    UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS                        February 5, 2018
    Elisabeth A. Shumaker
    FOR THE TENTH CIRCUIT                              Clerk of Court
    _________________________________
    SPRING CREEK COAL COMPANY,
    Petitioner,
    v.                                                           No. 17-9515
    SUSAN McLEAN, o/b/o of Bradford
    McLean, deceased; DIRECTOR, OFFICE
    OF WORKERS’ COMPENSATION
    PROGRAMS, UNITED STATES
    DEPARTMENT OF LABOR,
    Respondents.
    _________________________________
    ON PETITION FOR REVIEW OF A DECISION AND ORDER
    OF THE BENEFITS REVIEW BOARD
    UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
    (No. BRB 16-0108 BLA)
    _________________________________
    William S. Mattingly, Jackson Kelly PLLC, Lexington, Kentucky, appearing for
    Petitioner.
    Sean G. Bajkowski , Counsel for Appellate Litigation (Nicholas C. Geale, Acting
    Solicitor of Labor, Maia S. Fisher, Associate Solicitor, and Rita A. Roppolo, Attorney,
    with him on the brief), United States Department of Labor, Washington, DC, appearing
    for Respondent, Director, Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs, United States
    Department of Labor.
    Jared L. Bramwell, Kelly & Bramwell, P.C., Draper, Utah, appearing for Respondent
    Susan McLean.
    _________________________________
    Before BRISCOE, LUCERO, and BACHARACH, Circuit Judges.
    _________________________________
    BRISCOE, Circuit Judge.
    _________________________________
    Spring Creek Coal Company (Spring Creek) petitions for review of a decision
    by the Department of Labor (DOL) awarding survivors’ benefits to Susan McLean
    under the Black Lung Benefits Act (BLBA), 30 U.S.C. §§ 901-944. The DOL
    concluded that Bradford McLean, Mrs. McLean’s deceased husband, became
    disabled and died from his exposure to coal dust during the course of his employment
    at Spring Creek’s surface coal mine. Exercising jurisdiction pursuant to 33 U.S.C.
    § 921(c) and 30 U.S.C. § 932(a), we deny Spring Creek’s petition.1
    I
    Factual background
    Bradford McLean was born in Sheridan, Wyoming, on November 23, 1943. In
    October 1977, Mr. McLean began working for Wyoming-based Big Horn Coal
    Company (Big Horn). During his time with Big Horn, Mr. McLean worked as a shop
    laborer, plant laborer, utility oiler, drill helper, drill operator, and truck driver. In the
    summer of 1986, Mr. McLean left his employment with Big Horn and began working
    for Montana-based Spring Creek. At Spring Creek, Mr. McLean worked as a utility
    1
    Shortly after Spring Creek filed its petition, the clerk of this court directed
    the parties to address the matter of this court’s jurisdiction in light of the fact that Mr.
    McLean last worked at a coal mine in Montana. The parties unanimously assert, and
    we agree, that we have jurisdiction over Spring Creek’s petition because, even
    though Mr. McLean’s place of last exposure to coal mine dust was in Montana, he
    also was exposed to coal mine dust when he worked in Wyoming. See Consolidation
    Coal Co. v. Chubb, 
    741 F.2d 968
    , 970-71 (7th Cir. 1984) (holding that jurisdiction is
    proper in any jurisdiction where a coal miner was employed because pneumoconiosis
    “is caused by extensive, extended exposure to coal dust, and it is impossible to say
    that any one exposure caused the disease.”).
    2
    person, an assistant driller/shooter, and a driller shooter. It is undisputed that all of
    Mr. McLean’s work occurred above ground in open pit coal mines.
    In approximately 2001, Mr. McLean for the first time “noted running out of
    breath with heavy physical exertion.” Joint App. at 10. Mr. McLean did not
    immediately seek a medical evaluation of his condition, and instead waited until
    approximately 2003 to discuss the matter with his primary care physician. “[B]y
    2006 he was unable to complete the requirements of employment and eventually was
    unable to complete activities of daily living . . . .” 
    Id. at 21.
    In 2006, Mr. McLean
    was referred to Dr. Robert Merchant, a pulmonologist in Billings, Montana.
    According to Mr. McLean, he was told by Dr. Merchant “that only 29% of his lungs
    were working” and Dr. Merchant diagnosed him as suffering from chronic
    obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). 
    Id. at 10.
    Mr. McLean stopped working in or around coal mines on March 31, 2006, at
    the advice of his doctor. On September 28, 2006, Mr. McLain was approved for
    long-term disability. At that time, Dr. Merchant concluded that Mr. McLain was
    suffering from “severe lung disease from a combination of tobacco use and coal mine
    dust exposures.” 
    Id. at 9.
    Dr. Merchant further concluded that Mr. McLain was
    “severe[ly] impair[ed]” and “totally disabled.” 
    Id. On October
    1, 2008, Mr. McLean
    transferred from long-term disability to retirement.
    In addition to his exposure to coal dust during his employment, two other
    factors potentially contributed to his COPD. First, Mr. McLean’s childhood home
    lacked electricity and, therefore, “food was cooked on a wood or coal burning stove.”
    3
    
    Id. at 21.
    “Such an activity is associated with a very high risk for the development of
    chronic obstructive pulmonary disease . . . .” 
    Id. Second, Mr.
    McLean smoked for
    most of his adult life. More specifically, between the ages of twenty and sixty-four,
    he smoked approximately 1.5 packs of cigarettes per day. He ultimately quit
    smoking in May of 2008.
    Procedural background
    a) The submission and initial processing of the claim
    On September 7, 2010, Mr. McLean submitted a claim for benefits under the
    BLBA. Mr. McLean died on June 11, 2011, while his claim for benefits was
    pending. Mr. McLean’s wife, Susan McLean, succeeded him as the claimant.
    The DOL’s “District Director approved the claim, because the evidence
    established the elements of entitlement that Mr. . . . McLean had [coal worker’s
    pneumoconiosis] and was totally disabled due to pneumoconiosis.” 
    Id. at 242.
    On July 21, 2011, Spring Creek requested a hearing before an administrative
    law judge (ALJ). Consequently, the case was referred to the Office of Administrative
    Law Judges for a formal hearing. The case was assigned to a specific ALJ on June
    27, 2013. On September 23, 2013, the ALJ held an evidentiary hearing in Denver,
    Colorado. Both Mrs. McLean and her son testified about Mr. McLean’s experiences
    as a coal miner. Spring Creek presented its own witnesses who testified about the
    working conditions at the mine where Mr. McLean was employed.
    4
    b) The ALJ’s decision and order
    On October 6, 2015, the ALJ issued a decision and order awarding benefits to
    Mrs. McLean under the BLBA. In doing so, the ALJ first found “that for at least 15
    years of his coal-mine employment at Spring Creek . . . , Mr. McLean worked in dust
    conditions substantially similar to those found in underground mining.” 
    Id. at 247.
    The ALJ explained that “[e]ven though Mr. McLean worked inside a cab with an
    attached dust collector, he was regularly exposed to coal dust when he worked for
    Spring Creek.” 
    Id. “Furthermore,” the
    ALJ noted, “Mr. McLean’s wife’s and son’s
    testimony of his daily appearance after work suggest[ed] Mr. McLean was regularly
    exposed to dust.” 
    Id. As for
    the evidence submitted by Spring Creek regarding the
    dust exposure that Mr. McLean likely encountered during his employment,2 the ALJ
    concluded that it was “insufficient to show that Mr. McLean was not regularly
    exposed to coal mine dust.” 
    Id. The ALJ
    therefore concluded that “the first
    condition necessary to invoke the [applicable statutory and regulatory] presumption
    of total disability due to pneumoconiosis” had been met. 
    Id. The ALJ
    in turn noted
    that “[t]he parties stipulated that [Mr. McLean] had a totally disabling pulmonary or
    respiratory impairment.” 
    Id. at 247-48.
    Thus, the ALJ concluded that Mrs. McLean
    “ha[d] established the applicability of the rebuttable presumption that [Mr. McLean]
    was totally disabled due to pneumoconiosis.” 
    Id. at 248.
    2
    Spring Creek’s witnesses reported that approximately twenty-three dust
    samples were taken at the driller position over a twenty-year period and that those
    samples showed the dust levels to be lower than the maximum limit established by
    the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA).
    5
    To rebut this presumption, the ALJ noted, Spring Creek was required to show
    either (1) that Mr. McLean “did not have any form of pneumoconiosis under the
    pertinent statutory and regulatory standards,” i.e., that he did not suffer from either
    “clinical pneumoconiosis” or “legal pneumoconiosis,”3 or (2) “that ‘his respiratory or
    pulmonary impairment did not arise out of, or in connection with, employment in a
    coal mine.’” 
    Id. (quoting 30
    U.S.C. § 921(c)(4)). Addressing the evidence in the
    record, the ALJ found “that the x-ray evidence and Dr. [Peter] Tuteur’s medical
    opinion establish[ed] that [Mr. McLean] did not have clinical pneumoconiosis.” 
    Id. at 251.
    And, “[t]here being no evidence to the contrary,” the ALJ “f[ou]nd that
    [Spring Creek] . . . disproved the existence of clinical pneumoconiosis pursuant to
    Section 718.305(d)(1)(i)(B).” 
    Id. As for
    legal pneumoconiosis, however, the ALJ
    found “that the medical opinion evidence [offered by Spring Creek][wa]s insufficient
    to disprove the existence of legal pneumoconiosis.” 
    Id. More specifically,
    the ALJ
    found that “[t]here [wa]s simply no well-reasoned, documented opinion, consistent
    with the regulatory standards and their scientific bases, establishing that [Mr.
    McLean] did not suffer from legal pneumoconiosis.” 
    Id. at 258.
    Thus, the ALJ
    concluded that Spring Creek “failed to establish by a preponderance of the credible
    medical evidence that [Mr. McLean] d[id] not suffer from pneumoconiosis.” 
    Id. at 259.
    3
    As the ALJ noted, ““[c]linical pneumoconiosis consists of those diseases
    recognized by the medical community as pneumoconiosis such as coal workers’
    pneumoconiosis or silicosis” while “[l]egal pneumoconiosis is defined as ‘any
    chronic lung disease or impairment and its sequelae arising out of coal mine
    employment.’” Aplt. App. at 248 (quoting 20 C.F.R. § 718.201(a)(2)).
    6
    The ALJ in turn found that Spring Creek “ha[d] failed to rebut the presumption
    that [Mr. McLean] was totally disabled due to legal pneumoconiosis.” 
    Id. Consequently, the
    ALJ concluded that Mrs. McLean “[wa]s entitled to benefits under
    the Act.” 
    Id. at 260.
    Because it was unclear from the record when Mr. McLean
    “became totally disabled due to pneumoconiosis,” the ALJ ordered that “benefits
    sh[ould] commence from September 2010, the month in which [Mr. McLean] filed
    the claim.” 
    Id. c) The
    Board’s decision and order
    Spring Creek appealed the ALJ’s decision to the DOL’s Benefits Review
    Board (the Board). Spring Creek asserted two general arguments: (1) that the ALJ
    “erred in finding that [Mr. McLean] established at least fifteen years of qualifying
    coal mine employment,” and in turn erred in finding that Mr. McLean “invoked the
    Section 411(c)(4) presumption”; and (2) that the ALJ “erred in finding that [Spring
    Creek] did not rebut the presumption.” 
    Id. at 264.
    On February 16, 2017, the Board
    issued a written decision and order rejecting Spring Creek’s arguments and affirming
    the ALJ’s decision. In doing so, the Board first rejected Spring Creek’s argument
    that the ALJ “applied an incorrect standard” in deciding to credit Mr. McLean “with
    at least fifteen years of qualifying coal mine employment.” 
    Id. at 267.
    The ALJ, the
    Board noted, “applied the correct standard, requiring claimant to establish that [Mr.
    McLean’s] surface coal mine employment regularly exposed him to coal-mine dust.”
    
    Id. The Board
    in turn rejected Spring Creek’s argument that the ALJ “erred in
    finding the evidence established that [Mr. McLean] was regularly exposed to coal-
    7
    mine dust while working at his surface coal mine employment.” 
    Id. at 268.
    Thus,
    the Board in turn affirmed the ALJ’s “determination that claimant invoked the
    rebuttable presumption of total disability due to pneumoconiosis at Section
    411(c)(4).” 
    Id. Finally, the
    Board rejected Spring Creek’s argument that the ALJ
    “erred in finding that [Spring Creek] failed to establish that [Mr. McLean] did not
    have legal pneumoconiosis.” 
    Id. at 269.
    In doing so, the Board concluded that the
    ALJ “permissibly discredited the opinions of [Spring Creek’s experts] Drs. [Robert]
    Farney and [Peter] Tuteur, the only opinions supportive of a finding that [Mr.
    McLean] did not suffer from legal pneumoconiosis.” 
    Id. at 270.
    Accordingly, the
    Board affirmed the ALJ’s decision and order awarding benefits to Mrs. McLean.
    II
    Spring Creek now petitions for review of the Board’s decision and order.
    “Once the Board makes a merits determination, the [BLBA] allows for only ‘limited’
    judicial review to determine ‘whether substantial evidence supports the factual
    findings of the ALJ and whether the legal conclusions of the [Board] and ALJ are
    rational and consistent with applicable law.’” Westmoreland Coal Co. v. Stallard,
    
    876 F.3d 663
    , 668 (4th Cir. 2017) (quoting Hobet Mining, LLC v. Epling, 
    783 F.3d 498
    , 504 (4th Cir. 2015)). As a result, “we review the ALJ’s factual findings for
    ‘substantial evidence’ . . . and the Board’s legal conclusions de novo.” 
    Id. Further, “we
    do not reweigh the evidence, but instead ask if, based on the record as a whole,
    substantial evidence is present to support the ALJ’s decision.” Antelope Coal
    Co./Rio Tinto Energy Am. v. Goodin, 
    743 F.3d 1331
    , 1341 (10th Cir. 2014). “‘[T]he
    8
    task of weighing conflicting medical evidence is within the sole province of the
    ALJ.’” 
    Id. (quoting Hansen
    v. Dir., OWCP, 
    984 F.2d 364
    , 368 (10th Cir. 1993)
    (alteration in original)).
    a) The BLBA and its statutory and regulatory framework
    The stated purpose of the BLBA is “to provide benefits . . . to coal miners who
    are totally disabled due to pneumoconiosis [(black lung disease)] and to the surviving
    dependents of miners whose death was due to such disease.” 30 U.S.C. § 901(a).
    Pneumoconiosis, according to DOL regulations implementing the BLBA, is “a
    chronic dust disease of the lung and its sequelae, including respiratory and
    pulmonary impairments, arising out of coal mine employment.” 20 C.F.R.
    § 718.201(a). “This definition includes both medical, or ‘clinical’, pneumoconiosis
    and statutory, or ‘legal’, pneumoconiosis.” 
    Id. Clinical pneumoconiosis
    “consists
    of” a number of “diseases recognized by the medical community as pneumoconiosis”
    that are “characterized by permanent deposition of substantial amounts of particulate
    matter in the lungs and the fibrotic reaction of the lung tissue to that deposition
    caused by dust exposure in coal mine employment.” 
    Id. § 718.201(a)(1).
    Legal
    pneumoconiosis “includes any chronic lung disease or impairment and its sequelae
    arising out of coal mine employment.” 
    Id. § 718.201(a)(2).
    To establish entitlement to benefits under the BLBA, a claimant must
    demonstrate that: (1) he is a miner as defined in the applicable regulation; (2) he has
    pneumoconiosis (either form); (3) the pneumoconiosis arose out of coal mine
    9
    employment; (4) he is totally disabled; and (5) the pneumoconiosis contributes to the
    total disability. 20 C.F.R. § 725.202(d).
    The BLBA adopts several presumptions that apply for purposes of determining
    whether a miner is totally disabled due to pneumoconiosis and whether the death of a
    miner was due to pneumoconiosis. See 30 U.S.C. § 921(c)(1)-(5). One of those
    presumptions, the fifteen-year presumption, is central to the outcome in this case and
    states:
    [I]f a miner was employed for fifteen years or more in one
    or more underground coal mines, and if there is a chest
    roentgenogram submitted in connection with such miner’s,
    his widow’s, his child’s, his parent’s, his brother’s, his
    sister’s, or his dependent’s claim under this subchapter and
    it is interpreted as negative with respect to the
    requirements of paragraph (3) of this subsection, and if
    other evidence demonstrates the existence of a totally
    disabling respiratory or pulmonary impairment, then there
    shall be a rebuttable presumption that such miner is totally
    disabled due to pneumoconiosis, that his death was due to
    pneumoconiosis, or that at the time of his death he was
    totally disabled by pneumoconiosis. In the case of a living
    miner, a wife’s affidavit may not be used by itself to
    establish the presumption. The Secretary shall not apply
    all or a portion of the requirement of this paragraph that
    the miner work in an underground mine where he
    determines that conditions of a miner’s employment in a
    coal mine other than an underground mine were
    substantially similar to conditions in an underground mine.
    The Secretary may rebut such presumption only by
    establishing that (A) such miner does not, or did not, have
    pneumoconiosis, or that (B) his respiratory or pulmonary
    impairment did not arise out of, or in connection with,
    employment in a coal mine.
    10
    30 U.S.C. § 921(c)(4).4
    The fifteen-year presumption outlined in § 921(c)(4) “was [first] created in
    1972” and later “repealed in 1981.” Consolidation Coal Co. v. Dir., Office of
    Workers’ Comp. Programs, 
    864 F.3d 1142
    , 1145 (10th Cir. 2017). “In 2010,
    however, Congress revived the presumption as to all claims filed after January 1,
    2005, and pending on or after March 23, 2010.” 
    Id. Following Congress’s
    revival of the fifteen-year presumption, the DOL, at
    Congress’s express direction, revised and adopted a regulation, 20 C.F.R. § 718.305,
    providing further guidance on the implementation of the presumption.5 Subsection
    (b) of the regulation addresses when and how the statutory presumption may be
    invoked by a claimant and provides, in pertinent part:
    (1) The claimant may invoke the presumption by
    establishing that—
    (i) The miner engaged in coal-mine employment for fifteen
    years, either in one or more underground coal mines, or in
    coal mines other than underground mines in conditions
    4
    Subsection 921(c)(3), which is referred to in subsection 921(c)(4), provides,
    in essence, that a miner suffering from a chronic dust disease of the lung shall be
    entitled to an irrebuttable presumption that he is totally disabled due to
    pneumoconiosis if chest x-ray opacities indicate the presence of complicated
    pneumoconiosis. 30 U.S.C. § 921(c)(3); see Usery v. Turner Elkhorn Mining Co.,
    
    428 U.S. 1
    , 7 (1976) (noting that “pneumoconiosis is customarily classified as
    ‘simple’ or ‘complicated’”). In this case, it is undisputed that Mr. McLean had
    simple, rather than complicated, pneumoconiosis.
    5
    In 30 U.S.C. § 921(b), Congress expressly directed the Secretary to adopt
    regulations “prescrib[ing] standards for determining . . . whether a miner is totally
    disabled due to pneumoconiosis and for determining whether the death of a miner
    was due to pneumoconiosis.”
    11
    substantially similar to those in underground mines, or in
    any combination thereof; and
    (ii) The miner or survivor cannot establish entitlement
    under § 718.304 by means of chest x-ray evidence; and
    (iii) The miner has, or had at the time of his death, a totally
    disabling respiratory or pulmonary impairment established
    pursuant to § 718.204, except that § 718.204(d) does not
    apply.
    (2) The conditions in a mine other than an underground
    mine will be considered “substantially similar” to those in
    an underground mine if the claimant demonstrates that the
    miner was regularly exposed to coal-mine dust while
    working there.
    20 C.F.R. § 718.305(b) (emphasis added).
    Subsection (d) of the regulation, entitled “Rebuttal,” in turn acknowledges that
    a party opposing a miner’s claim “may rebut the presumption” and states, in pertinent
    part:
    (2) Survivor’s claim. In a claim filed by a survivor, the
    party opposing entitlement may rebut the presumption
    by—
    (i) Establishing both that the miner did not have:
    (A) Legal pneumoconiosis as defined in § 718.201(a)(2);
    and
    (B) Clinical pneumoconiosis as defined in § 718.201(a)(1),
    arising out of coal mine employment (see § 718.203); or
    (ii) Establishing that no part of the miner’s death was
    caused by pneumoconiosis as defined in § 718.201.
    12
    20 C.F.R. § 718.305(d)(2).6
    b) Spring Creek’s challenge to the regulation
    Spring Creek challenges the legitimacy of 20 C.F.R. § 718.305(b)(2).
    According to Spring Creek, the “regularly exposed to coal-mine dust” standard
    adopted in that part of the regulation for assessing claims of above-ground coal
    miners, such as Mr. McLean, fails to satisfy the statutory standard that is outlined in
    30 U.S.C. § 921(c)(4), i.e., that “conditions of a miner’s employment in a coal mine
    other than an underground mine were substantially similar to conditions in an
    underground mine.” Simply put, Spring Creek contends the regulation’s “regularly
    exposed to coal-mine dust” standard does not equate to the statute’s standard which
    requires a showing of conditions “substantially similar” to those in an underground
    mine. Spring Creek argues that an above-ground mining position is not
    “substantially similar” to an underground mining position merely because a miner in
    an above-ground position is “regularly” exposed to coal mine dust. Aplt. Br. at 25.
    Indeed, Spring Creek argues, “[a] ‘regular exposure to dust’ standard eliminates any
    inquiry into whether the quantity of dust exposure was ‘substantially similar’ or if the
    dust exposure essentially resembled underground mining without being identical.”
    
    Id. Thus, Spring
    Creek argues, the DOL’s “§ 718.305(b)(2) regulation provides a
    definition different from the statute by looking only for regular dust exposure to find
    work in conditions other than an underground mine sufficient to invoke the 15-year
    6
    Although the “regulation went into effect on October 25, 2013, it applies to
    all claims covered by the statutory amendment.” Consolidation Coal 
    Co., 864 F.3d at 1145
    (citation omitted).
    13
    presumption.” 
    Id. at 26.
    Spring Creek also argues that, even though the regulation
    allows operators to introduce dust sampling and other information to attempt to rebut
    the presumption, the regulation provides “no guidance” as to “how the introduction
    of such technical data is relevant or may be used in analyzing the ‘inherently
    anecdotal’ lay evidence” that will inevitably be introduced by a claimant. 
    Id. at 29.
    Spring Creek’s arguments, however, are undercut by our prior decision in
    Antelope Coal. In that case, we dealt with a BLBA claim and, in doing so, had to
    decide as a threshold matter whether the revised versions of 20 C.F.R.
    §§ 718.305(b)(2) and (d)(1) applied to the case since they became effective after the
    claim was filed. We held that the revised subsections did in fact “apply because they
    do not change existing law and are substantially consistent with prior regulations and
    agency 
    practices.” 743 F.3d at 1342
    . With respect to § 718.305(b)(2) in particular,
    we noted that it “addresses when a surface miner’s working conditions are
    substantially similar to underground mining working conditions.” 
    Id. Further, we
    noted that the Seventh Circuit was “[t]he only circuit to address this issue” and it
    “has long held that surface miners do not need to provide evidence of underground
    mining conditions to compare with their own working conditions.” 
    Id. (citing decisions
    from the Seventh Circuit). “These [Seventh Circuit] decisions,” we held,
    “validate the [DOL]’s longstanding position that consistently dusty working
    conditions are sufficiently similar to underground mining conditions.”7 
    Id. And, we
    7
    The ALJ in this case also relied on Seventh Circuit case law in expressly
    noting: “Courts have found that, for the § 718.305 presumption to be applicable to
    14
    held, “[t]he revised regulation,” i.e., § 718.305(b)(2), “codifies that interpretation by
    making regular exposure to coal mine dust the standard to determine substantial
    similarity of surface working conditions to those in underground mines.” 
    Id. Spring Creek
    acknowledges Antelope Coal in its opening brief, but attempts to
    distinguish it as a factual matter. According to Spring Creek, Antelope Coal “was
    more tenuous that [sic] the Board suggests and driven by the facts presented.” Aplt.
    Br. at 34. In particular, Spring Creek asserts that in Antelope Creek “there was no
    evidence to consider but for the miner’s testimony about his exposure to dust at
    above-ground mines.” 
    Id. Further, Spring
    Creek argues that “[t]here was no
    § 718.305(b)(2) to consult at the time of [the] hearing” in Antelope Creek “as it was
    not published until September 25, 2013.” 
    Id. Lastly, Spring
    Creek asserts that in
    Antelope Creek “there was no scientific information to measure similarity and guide
    the fact finder’s analysis.” 
    Id. at 35.
    We reject Spring Creek’s arguments. To begin with, it is immaterial whether
    or not the employer in Antelope Creek presented evidence—scientific or otherwise—
    to rebut the miner’s testimony. The important point, for purposes of the instant
    appeal, is Antelope Creek’s discussion of the miner’s burden that is outlined in
    § 718.305(b)(2). And, in turn, Spring Creek is incorrect in suggesting that
    non-underground employment, a claimant carries the burden of establishing
    comparability of dust conditions to employment in an underground mine.” Joint
    App. at 245 (citing Dir., OWCP v. Midland Coal Co., 
    855 F.2d 509
    , 512 (7th Cir.
    1988)).
    15
    § 718.305(b)(2) was somehow inapplicable in Antelope Creek simply because it had
    not been published at the time of the October 20, 2010 evidentiary hearing before the
    ALJ. Indeed, the court in Antelope Creek expressly held that § 718.305(b)(2) was
    applicable to the miner’s 
    claim. 743 F.3d at 1341-42
    . Thus, contrary to Spring
    Creek’s assertions, we conclude that Antelope Creek is directly on point and
    effectively rebuts Spring Creek’s challenge to the standard outlined in
    § 718.305(b)(2).
    Moreover, Spring Creek’s position is also undercut by the various Seventh
    Circuit decisions that we referred to in Antelope Coal. Most notably, in Dir.,
    Workers’ Comp. Programs, U.S. Dep’t of Labor v. Midland Coal Co., 
    855 F.2d 509
    (7th Cir. 1988), the Seventh Circuit addressed “the question whether a surface miner,
    in order to qualify for the presumption of § [921(c)(4)], bears the burden of
    producing evidence of conditions prevailing in an underground mine.” 
    Id. at 511.
    In
    answering this question in the negative, the Seventh Circuit analyzed the language of
    § 921(c)(4) and could “discern no plain meaning of [its] requirement of ‘substantial
    similarity.’” 
    Id. “Instead,” the
    Seventh Circuit stated, “immediately apparent is the
    fact that the [BLBA] does not specify whether a claimant must establish similarity to
    a particular underground mine, a hypothetical underground mine, the best, worst, or
    an average underground mine.” 
    Id. Turning to
    the legislative history of the BLBA,
    the Seventh Circuit found “it somewhat ambiguous,” but was “persuaded” that it
    “establish[ed] that Congress, at the very least, was aware that underground mines are
    dusty and that exposure to coal dust causes pneumoconiosis.” 
    Id. at 512.
    The
    16
    Seventh Circuit in turn held that “[t]his supports the conclusion that Congress
    focused specifically on dust conditions in enacting the ‘substantial similarity’
    provision.” 
    Id. Ultimately, the
    Seventh Circuit held that “in order to qualify for the
    presumption of [§ 921(c)(4)], a surface miner must only establish that he was
    exposed to sufficient coal dust in his surface mine employment.” 
    Id. “It is
    then the
    function of the ALJ,” the Seventh Circuit held, “based on his expertise and, we would
    expect, certain appropriate objective factors (such as whether the surface miner was
    employed near the tipple—where conditions are apparently known to be very dusty—
    or further away from the tipple), to compare the surface mining conditions
    established by the evidence to conditions known to prevail in underground mines.”
    
    Id. at 512-13
    (footnote omitted).
    Importantly, the DOL expressly relied on the Seventh Circuit’s decision in
    Midland Coal when it revised and adopted the current and reinstated version of
    § 718.305(b)(2) in 2013. In discussing the regulation, the DOL stated, in pertinent
    part:
    The final rule’s revised language clarifies the
    Department’s intent about how the substantial similarity
    analysis should be conducted. The final rule
    acknowledges, as the Seventh Circuit recognized in
    Midland Coal, a fundamental premise underlying the
    BLBA, as demonstrated by the legislative history, i.e., that
    “underground mines are dusty.” Midland 
    Coal, 855 F.2d at 512
    . Given that legislative fact, it is unnecessary for a
    claimant to prove anything about dust conditions existing
    at an underground mine for purposes of invoking the 15-
    year presumption. Instead, the claimant need only focus
    on developing evidence addressing the dust conditions
    prevailing at the non-underground mine or mines at which
    17
    the miner worked. The objective of this evidence is to
    show that the miner’s duties regularly exposed him to coal
    mine dust, and thus that the miner’s work conditions
    approximated those at an underground mine. The term
    “regularly” has been added to clarify that a demonstration
    of sporadic or incidental exposure is not sufficient to meet
    the claimant’s burden. The fact-finder simply evaluates
    the evidence presented, and determines whether it credibly
    establishes that the miner’s non-underground mine
    working conditions regularly exposed him to coal mine
    dust. If that fact is established to the fact-finder’s
    satisfaction, the claimant has met his burden of showing
    substantial similarity. And if the periods of regular
    exposure in non-underground mine employment (combined
    with any underground mine employment) total 15 years or
    more, the claimant will be entitled to invoke the
    presumption if a total respiratory or pulmonary disability is
    also established. This procedure will also alleviate one
    commenter’s concern that some administrative law judges
    may not be knowledgeable about conditions in
    underground mines.
    To the extent the comments urge the Department to adopt
    technical comparability criteria, such as requiring a
    claimant to produce scientific evidence specifically
    quantifying the miner’s exposure to coal mine dust during
    non-underground mining, the Department rejects the
    suggestion. Benefit claimants, who must bear the burden
    of proving substantial similarity to invoke the
    presumption, generally do not control this type of technical
    information about the mines in which the miner worked.
    See generally 
    Usery, 428 U.S. at 29
    (noting that “showing
    of the degree of dust concentration to which a miner was
    exposed [is] a historical fact difficult for the miner to
    prove.”). Instead, the coal mine operators control dust-
    sampling and similar information about their mines. While
    this information is publicly available from the Mine Safety
    and Health Administration for some mines, it may not be
    relevant or available in any particular case. Dust sampling
    in non-underground mines is done on a designated-position
    basis (e.g., bulldozer operator, driller). See generally 30
    CFR 71.201 et seq. Thus, the results may not be relevant
    to miners doing other jobs and certainly would not be an
    18
    adequate basis for the Department to adopt an exposure
    rule for all non-underground miners.
    Instead, the Department believes the standard should be
    one that may be satisfied by lay evidence addressing the
    individual miner’s experiences. Congress enacted the
    Section 411(c)(4) presumption to assist miners and their
    survivors in establishing entitlement to benefits, and also
    permitted certain claimants to prove entitlement by lay
    evidence. 30 U.S.C. 923(b). Putting insurmountable
    hurdles in claimants’ paths does not comport with that
    intent. Moreover, because a claimant’s dust exposure
    evidence will be inherently anecdotal, it would serve no
    purpose for the Department to develop an objective, and
    therefore dissimilar, benchmark of underground mine
    conditions for comparison purposes. The legislative fact
    that underground coal mines are dusty is fully sufficient
    for this purpose. Of course, nothing would preclude a coal
    mine operator from introducing evidence—including any
    technical data within its control—showing that the
    particular miner was not regularly exposed to coal mine
    dust during his non-underground coal mine employment.
    Regulations Implementing the Byrd Amendments to the Black Lung Benefits Act:
    Determining Coal Miners’ and Survivors’ Entitlement to Benefits, 78 Fed. Reg.
    59102, 59104-59105 (Sept. 25, 2013). As these comments make clear, the DOL
    clearly considered and rejected the same argument that Spring Creek is asserting in
    this case.
    Of course, we are not bound by the DOL’s determination that its own
    regulation is consistent with the BLBA. But we must defer to the DOL’s reasonable
    interpretation of the BLBA. See Chevron, U.S.A., Inc. v. Nat. Res. Def. Council,
    Inc., 
    467 U.S. 837
    , 842-45 (1984); Andersen v. Dir., Office of Workers’ Comp.
    Programs, 
    455 F.3d 1102
    , 1103 (10th Cir. 2006) (noting that courts must give
    19
    “considerable weight” to the DOL’s interpretation of the BLBA). And the DOL’s
    explanation reasonably and persuasively indicates why the standard adopted in
    § 718.305(b)(2) is consistent with § 921(c)(4)’s “substantial similarity” standard.
    Moreover, the DOL’s explanation undercuts Spring Creek’s argument on appeal that
    “[a] ‘regular exposure to dust’ standard eliminates any inquiry into whether the
    quantity of dust exposure was ‘substantially similar’ or if the dust exposure
    essentially resembled underground mining without being identical.” As the DOL
    notes, that is precisely what an ALJ must do in analyzing an above-ground miner’s
    claim to the presumption, i.e., the ALJ must, based upon the evidence presented by
    the miner and the coal company, determine how much coal dust the miner was
    exposed to during his/her career and decide whether that exposure was substantially
    similar to what a miner would have been exposed to in an underground mine.
    Finally, and relatedly, it is simply unclear what Spring Creek would have an ALJ do
    in assessing an above-ground miner’s claim. Really all that an ALJ can do is
    precisely what the DOL indicates they must do: “simply evaluate[] the evidence
    presented, and determine[] whether it credibly establishes that the miner’s non-
    underground mine working conditions regularly exposed him to coal mine dust.” 78
    Fed. Reg. 59,105 (Sept. 25, 2013).
    Thus, in sum, we reject Spring Creek’s challenge to the legitimacy of
    § 718.305(b)(2).
    20
    c) Did the ALJ err in his analysis of the medical opinions?
    Spring Creek also argues that the case must be remanded because the ALJ
    “err[ed] in his analysis of the medical opinions” that were offered at the evidentiary
    hearing. Aplt. Br. at 45. In support, Spring Creek first asserts that “if the 15-year
    presumption is inapplicable” (as it argues in its first issue), “the ALJ must be
    instructed to reweigh the evidence for proof pneumoconiosis and [whether]
    pneumoconiosis significantly caused disability rather than determining if the
    evidence disproves legal pneumoconiosis and disproves disability due to
    pneumoconiosis.” 
    Id. For the
    reasons outlined above, however, we conclude that the
    ALJ properly applied the 15-year presumption. Consequently, we reject Spring
    Creek’s argument that the case must be remanded.
    Additionally, Spring Creek argues that “the ALJ’s use of the Preamble [to the
    DOL’s regulations] is flawed.” 
    Id. “The Preamble,”
    Spring Creek asserts,
    “explained why the [DOL] found coal mine dust can cause COPD in some instances”
    and “its purpose was not to establish that coal mine dust is the cause of all COPD in
    all coal miners.” 
    Id. at 45-46.
    Spring Creek in turn argues that “[t]he Preamble, the
    regulations, and the case law recognize that miners can have COPD that is not due to
    coal mine dust exposure.” 
    Id. at 46.
    Spring Creek argues that the ALJ in this case,
    however, essentially treated the “Preamble standards” as standing “for the
    proposition that any disabled miner with COPD has legal pneumoconiosis.” 
    Id. at 52.
    “Such a reading of the regulation,” Spring Creek argues, “flies in the face of the
    definition of legal pneumoconiosis, as well as portions of the preamble.” 
    Id. Spring 21
    Creek also argues that the ALJ effectively fashioned, based upon the Preamble,
    “rule[s] of law that physicians are unable to use parameters of pulmonary function
    studies to determine disease causation” and “that decrements in the FEV1/FVC ratio
    are always due to coal dust.” 
    Id. at 46
    (emphasis in original).
    Spring Creek is mistaken. “As revised in 2000, the [DOL] regulations are
    preceded by an extensive Preamble that ‘sets forth the medical and scientific
    premises relied on by the [DOL] in coming to [its medical] conclusions in [crafting]
    its regulations.’” Westmoreland 
    Coal, 876 F.3d at 667
    (quoting Harman Mining Co.
    v. Dir., Office of Workers’ Comp. Programs, 
    678 F.3d 305
    , 314 (4th Cir. 2012)).
    These conclusions, which are “[t]he product of notice-and-comment rulemaking,”
    must be accorded “substantial deference” by this court. 
    Id. Consequently, courts
    have “repeatedly held that ALJs may look to the Preamble in weighing medical
    opinions addressing the cause of a claimant’s disabling lung disease.” 
    Id. In this
    case, the ALJ, after concluding that Mr. McLean was entitled to the
    statutory/regulatory presumption of pneumoconiosis, in turn analyzed the medical
    evidence to determine whether Spring Creek had rebutted that presumption. The ALJ
    first concluded that, in light of the x-ray evidence in the record, there was no
    evidence that Mr. McLean suffered from clinical pneumoconiosis and thus “f[ou]nd
    that [Spring Creek] ha[d] disproved the existence of clinical pneumoconiosis.” Aplt.
    App. at 251. The ALJ then examined the “medical opinion evidence” and concluded
    that it was “insufficient to disprove the existence of legal pneumoconiosis.” 
    Id. 22 In
    reaching this conclusion, the ALJ first noted that Dr. Eva Gottschall, who
    actually examined Mr. McLean for the DOL prior to Mr. McLean’s death, “opined
    that [his] coal dust exposure during 29 years of employment in open pit coal mines in
    Wyoming and Montana and his 66 pack-year smoking history [we]re ‘substantially
    contributing factors to his COPD/emphysema, resulting in lung function
    abnormalities and oxygen requirements.’” 
    Id. at 252.
    Dr. Gottschall “stated that
    above-ground strip mining was a ‘substantial contributor’ to the disabling
    impairment.” 
    Id. She “diagnosed
    legal pneumoconiosis based on Mr. McLean’s
    smoking history and his coal mine dust exposure.” 
    Id. The ALJ
    concluded that Dr.
    Gottschall’s conclusions and diagnosis were “supported by the underlying data,”
    “well-reasoned,” and “entitled to full probative weight.” 
    Id. The ALJ
    in turn rejected the opinions of Drs. Farney and Tuteur, both of
    whom were offered by Spring Creek. Dr. Farney, who did not examine Mr. McLean
    and instead reviewed only the medical records, “found that Mr. McLean’s chronic
    tobacco smoke exposure was the overwhelming cause of his emphysema and severe
    obstructive airway disease and that the probability that coal dust had any etiologic
    role was miniscule.” 
    Id. at 253.
    Dr. Farney stated in his deposition “that Mr.
    McLean’s COPD, due to emphysema, [wa]s one hundred percent related to his
    tobacco smoke exposure and that it d[id] not have anything to do with coal-dust
    exposure.” 
    Id. at 254.
    Dr. Farney also “stated that Mr. McLean’s FEV1 levels would
    not typically be associated with occupational exposure to coal mine dust as a surface
    miner.” 
    Id. 23 Dr.
    Tuteur, who likewise did not examine Mr. McLean and instead reviewed
    only the medical records, “opined that Mr. McLean’s respiratory disease was caused
    by chronic inhalation of tobacco smoke, not coal mine dust.” 
    Id. at 255.
    Dr. Tuteur
    “cited to studies discussing that exposure to coal mine dust is insignificant when
    considering the cause of an average of FEV1 loss.” 
    Id. “Since Mr.
    McLean was a
    cigarette smoking coal miner with advanced [COPD], dominantly emphysema, Dr.
    Tuteur concluded that the etiology of the COPD was chronic inhalation of tobacco
    smoke not coal mine dust.” 
    Id. The ALJ
    concluded that “the opinions by Drs. Farney and Tuteur [we]re not
    consistent with the scientific evidence accepted by the [DOL].” 
    Id. at 256.
    The ALJ
    explained that “the prevailing view of the medical community as expressed by the
    [DOL] in the Preamble to its regulations is that the effects of cigarette smoke and
    coal dust on [COPD] and chronic bronchitis are additive” and “that dust-induced
    emphysema and smoke-induced emphysema occur through similar mechanisms.” 
    Id. Also, the
    ALJ noted, the DOL “cited with approval the National Institute of
    Occupational Safety and Health (‘NIOSH’) findings ‘that coal miners have an
    increased risk of developing COPD’ and that ‘COPD may be detected from
    decrements in certain measures of lung function, especially FEV1 and the ratio of
    FEV1/FVC.’” 
    Id. (quoting 65
    Fed. Reg. 79,943 (Dec. 20, 2000)). “Both Drs. Farney
    and Tuteur,” the ALJ noted, “expressed views contrary to these positions.” 
    Id. The ALJ
    also noted that “Drs. Farney and Tuteur” failed to “explain[] why
    coal mine dust could not have been a contributing or aggravating factor.” 
    Id. at 257.
    24
    More specifically, the ALJ concluded that “neither physician explain[ed] or
    adequately support[ed] his opinion, that the Miner’s coal mine dust exposure did not
    contribute to his respiratory disability, with the science underlying the Preamble,
    which stands for the proposition that coal mine dust exposure, even in the absence of
    clinical pneumoconiosis, may contribute to an obstructive impairment reflected in a
    reduced FEV1 and FEV1/FVC ratio in an additive fashion with smoking.” 
    Id. The ALJ
    in turn noted that “under the regulations, coal mine dust need only make a
    substantial or significant contribution to an impairment or condition for the condition
    to constitute legal pneumoconiosis, and it does not need to be the most significant
    cause or factor.” 
    Id. In Mr.
    McLean’s case, the ALJ noted, Spring Creek’s “experts
    have failed to explain why coal mine dust could not have contributed to or
    substantially aggravated his condition, even if it was primarily due to cigarette
    smoking.” 
    Id. Thus, in
    sum, the ALJ’s findings and decision in this case were case-specific
    and confined to the specific flaws in the testimony of Drs. Farney and Tuteur. The
    ALJ did not, as Spring Creek argues in its appeal, interpret the Preamble standards as
    indicating “that any disabled miner with COPD has legal pneumoconiosis.” Aplt. Br.
    at 52. Instead, the ALJ simply recognized, as he was required to do by the Preamble,
    (1) “that the effects of cigarette smoke and coal dust on [COPD] and chronic
    bronchitis are additive,” (2) “that dust-induced emphysema and smoke-induced
    emphysema occur through similar mechanisms,” (3) “that coal miners have an
    increased risk of developing COPD,” and (4) “that COPD may be detected from
    25
    decrements in certain measures of lung function, especially FEV1and the ratio of
    FEV1/FVC.” Aplt. App. at 256 (internal quotations omitted). Nor did the ALJ, as
    Spring Creek now asserts, fashion new rules “that physicians are unable to use
    parameters of pulmonary function studies to determine disease causation” or “that the
    Preamble posits that decrements in the FEV1/FVC ratio are always due to coal dust.”
    Aplt. Br. at 46 (emphasis in original). Instead, the ALJ simply noted that neither Dr.
    Farney nor Dr. Tuteur explained why decrements in Mr. McLean’s FEV1/FVC ratio
    were caused solely by his smoking and not at all from his work-related exposure to
    coal dust. In short, the ALJ, properly taking into account the medical conclusions
    adopted by the DOL in the Preamble (as he was required to do), simply and correctly
    pointed out the flaws in the opinions of Drs. Farney and Tuteur, i.e., their absolute
    failure to explain why coal dust exposure could not have contributed in some
    measure to Mr. McLean’s COPD.
    Spring Creek criticizes the ALJ’s reliance on the testimony from Dr. William
    Houser, who testified that Mr. McLean did suffer from legal pneumoconiosis.
    According to Spring Creek, Dr. Houser’s ultimate conclusion should have been
    “discredit[ed]” because it “was not consistent with the facts of this case.” Aplt. Br. at
    51. But Spring Creek mischaracterizes “the facts of this case” in making that
    argument. In particular, Spring Creek asserts that Mr. McLean experienced “minimal
    dust exposure.” 
    Id. But that
    is clearly contrary to the findings of the ALJ.
    Moreover, Spring Creek’s arguments ignore the medical conclusions in the Preamble,
    26
    particularly the conclusion that the effects of cigarette smoking and coal dust
    exposure are additive—a conclusion that its own doctors effectively ignored.
    Finally, Spring Creek makes a passing reference to the ALJ “confus[ing] the
    disability causation definition with legal pneumoconiosis and the burden incumbent
    to establish its absence with the ‘rule out’ standard for determining disability is due
    to coal dust exposure.” Aplt. Br. at 52. But, contrary to Spring Creek’s arguments,
    the ALJ did not require its physician-experts to “rule out” the possibility that Mr.
    McLean’s coal dust exposure contributed to his COPD. Instead, the ALJ simply took
    those physicians to task for failing to support their proffered opinions that that was
    the case. In other words, it was Drs. Farney and Tuteur who opined that coal dust
    exposure played no role in Mr. McLean’s COPD, and the ALJ found those opinions
    lacking in evidentiary support. The ALJ’s approach to this opinion evidence was not
    improper.
    Thus, we conclude that the ALJ did not err in his analysis of the proffered
    medical opinions, and that there is no need to remand this case for further
    proceedings.
    III
    The petition for review is DENIED.
    27