Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. named a Utah Mine Safety Commission Thursday, saying the families of the six miners trapped in the Crandall Canyon Mine had been "treated unconscionably" by mine co-owner Bob Murray.
The commission, which will be headed by Huntsman's former political opponent, Scott Matheson Jr., was created to help determine what the state's role should be in protecting coal miners.
Utah ceded mine safety to the federal government in 1977, a decision that the governor said may need to be reconsidered. But Huntsman said it will be up to federal authorities to determine what went wrong at the mine, a process that could take up to a year.
Matheson, a former U.S. attorney and University of Utah law school dean, ran as a Democratic candidate against Huntsman in the 2004 gubernatorial election. Matheson said the mine disaster "has shaken the state to its very core and has had a profound impact on all of us. It has been a great tragedy, and it's something we never want to see happen again."
He will be joined on the volunteer commission by state and local politicians — including Huntington Mayor Hilary Gordon and Price Mayor Joe Piccolo — as well as union and industry officials and former U.S. Sen. Jake Garn, a Republican.
One member of the new commission, Dennis O'Dell, who is the United Mine Workers' safety and health director, served on a similar group in West Virginia that came up with new regulations in the wake of the 2006 Sago mine disaster that left 12 dead.
The governor said the commission will hold public hearings in Huntington, Price and other communities before making what may be only the first round of recommendations to him this fall, in time to propose that the 2008 Legislature adopt new laws.
Senate Minority Leader Mike Dmitrich, D-Price, a lobbyist for the mining industry named to the commission, has said he doesn't believe the state needs to add to the federal safety regulations already in place.
But Huntsman said that "in the wake of this tragedy, I think it is an important and a fair discussion for us to be having. I don't want to guess or predetermine what the outcome may be."
The governor said he expects the public hearings will be "a very healing and cathartic aspect of the investigation." He said he has encountered miners who were afraid to talk about their working conditions.
"I told those with whom I spoke that they should not live for one second in fear," Huntsman said, promising that the miners and their families will have an opportunity to convey concerns.
Earlier Thursday, the governor expressed his dissatisfaction with the way the Crandall Canyon Mine disaster has been handled by Murray, including the mine co-owner's leading press briefings on the rescue efforts.
Huntsman was especially critical of how Murray dealt with the families of the six trapped miners.
"I'm not happy or satisfied with the way it played out," Huntsman said during the taping of his monthly press conference broadcast on KUED Channel 7. The governor said there should have been more "respect for the human dignity" of the families involved.
"These families deserve the very best. And if it means resources have to be expended on the part of the company, if it means that new technologies and methodologies need to be considered to safely reach closure for these families, then that ought to be done," he said.
Asked if Murray was responsible, Huntsman said, "I'm not going to get into the mine owner other than to say that I thought the way the families were treated was unconscionable, and they deserve better."
The governor said that he did not believe all available technologies have been used to reach the miners. "There's something out there that somebody isn't considering at this point," Huntsman said.
He said it is too soon to give up on reaching the trapped miners, although that time may come. The families "should never have their loved ones entombed in a situation like this. There should be some form of closure, and closure with dignity."
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