Well let me address the point of your post here. The mining industry is very labor intensive/dangerous and it's importance to the economy of this country is very high. I can't quote the exact figure but it is substantial the amount of energy we get from coal. I could look it up but I know you know.
The potential damage to property and lives in the event of an explosion or disaster is significant to say the least and the amount of resources needed to extricate and process coal is a significant figure of our GNP.
Those factors alone should be indicative of why the federal government is deeply involved in the regulation of the whole coal mining and energy supply infrastructure.
Then there is the issue of national security; during the energy crisis of the 70's the fact that we rely on coal to a great extent for our energy needs prompted many new legislative initiatives.
But as a simple logical explanation the federal government is deeply involved in every industry that is deemed of importance to our economy and security. Steel/coal/transportation/oil/electrical generating capacity/ you see.
Then from personal experience I can tell you that when lives are at stake; when a mistake or faulty process can kill people as it does pretty regularly in the coal industry; we take it very seriously. I would fax you a report on a train accident where a guy was killed due to a violation of the automatic block signal rules. The report is over 500 pages and it includes stuff all the way back to what the Engineer got on his SAT's. No shit. It's a different outlook when you are the guy in the white bronco they are rushing to the nearest emergency room for a drug test after an accident.
My point? They take the loss of life seriously enough to require that safe practices be monitored and controlled on the federal level so as to provide for oversight and uniformity of code.
One solid mine explosion could take out a town. There is not enough money in most state tax coffers to provide the kind and amount of oversight needed for these industries and they must be monitored by an agency that answers to the highest authority for the reasons I cite.
Thats the best answer I can offer. I am sure a good attorny who deals with the National Transportation Safety Board; or the Secretary of State could provide a much more complete answer. This is only my experience and small knowledge of how this stuff works.
On a personal level; would you really want to be in some coal mine 400 feet underground in a state where you know they have no resources to fund the agencies required to insure your safety? I mean they require by law that a mine safety inspector be onsight during all operations.So lets say it was a nuclear facility; would you want the local town councilman running the agency for safety of plant operations; Homer Simpson?
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