Dmitrich also said that regulators must make sure the mine safety plans are tailored to the needs of individual mines. The approval process and the modification of mine plans also needs better oversight, he added. Those modifications occur when mine operators determine that initial mine safety plans need specific changes in order to make the process of mining the coal in a particular mine safer.

Commenting on the concerns about job security voiced by Huntington residents at the last mine commission meeting, Dmitrich said, "They want to see the jobs stay there because they're high-paying jobs, between twenty and thirty bucks an hour."

He said his family has been involved in mining for generations. Despite the dangers of mining, it has provided economic security for communities like Price. But Dmitrich knows that safety concerns are paramount — he lost his father and and grandfather in coal-mining accidents.

"Accidents will happen when you have that much moving machinery and that much over-burden on you," he said, referring to the potential for mines to collapse.

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