PRICE — The fallout from 170 mine layoffs continued to rain down on Emery and Carbon counties Tuesday as the shock of unemployment began to sink in.
Some have started to blame Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. for the closure of Tower Mine, which is owned by Bob Murray. Murray independently chose to temporarily close Tower Mine for his own safety inspections. But some have said the governor is partly to blame for the financial strain on miners who lost their jobs Sunday because Huntsman recently formed the Utah Mine Safety Commission to monitor Utah's mines.
An online petition to keep the mines of Carbon and Emery counties open received 113 signatures Tuesday night from some who are angry with the seemingly political eye that has been turned to the counties' mines.
"The recent tragedy at Crandall Canyon Mine has opened the eyes of the world to our great community," the petition says. "However, we are now faced with the reality that our mining industry may be terminated due to Congress, politicians and others who feel that they are looking out for our best interests. Contrary to their beliefs, we feel that our coal mining industry is safe and should continue to operate."
Miner Gabriel Hunt, who volunteered as a rescue worker in the Crandall Canyon Mine and transferred to another Utah mine when the layoffs were announced, agrees with the petition.
"Before Aug. 9, state and federal politicians were not overly concerned about deep mining in eastern Utah," Hunt said in a statement to the Deseret Morning News. "Now everything has changed and hoards of coal miners from our communities are getting laid off.... The last thing that a coal miner wants to do is put his life and his family's livelihood at risk. We know there are risks associated with coal mining, but we, in good conscience, wouldn't be in there if we thought those risks were overly unsafe."
The petition, which has no name attached to it, asks local leaders to keep their communities alive. The mayors of Helper, Huntington and Price are one step ahead of the petition, however, and say they are already thinking of how their communities will be impacted and how they can help.
Price Mayor Joe Piccolo said his city might be willing to help miners with utility bills while they are laid off, as the city currently does with members of the armed forces who serve a tour of duty.
"I think we'll step up to the plate," Piccolo said. "Our community needs a positive stroke about this time. Coal extraction is vital to our community, and it always has been. We need to preserve those jobs and make sure (miners) have a safe environment to work in, but we need to preserve those jobs."
Helper Mayor Mike Dalpiaz and Huntington Mayor Hilary Gordon said the mine closure could have a devastating effect on both Emery and Carbon counties, but it's too soon to know how deep the financial impact will go.
"If it's a month (the length of the mine closure), I'm supportive of it," Gordon said. "Our lives are geared around the dollar, and we have to have dollars to survive. When you live from payday to payday and then you're without for a month, that's tough.... If (the mine closure) is in exchange for the safety of the guys at the mine, then I'd say that's a good exchange — but it's still hard for the families that are laid off."
Representatives from the Utah Department of Workforce Services have planned — with the prompting of the governor's office — to hold orientations for miners who have now filed for unemployment. The sessions will include information about unemployment insurance and job training, according to Department of Workforce Services spokesman Kurt Stewart.
"There are lots of other jobs where (miners) can use those skill sets" they use in mining, Stewart said.
Both training sessions will be on Thursday. One will take place at 10 a.m. at the Price Employment Center. The second will start at 1:30 p.m. at the Emery County Employment Center in Castle Dale.
Contributing: Josh Loftin
E-mail: achoate@desnews.com