At the federal level.

Mining Comanies are going to abide by those regulations.

They must also abide by state regulations.

Are you saying that States have the ability to over-ride the federal Government rules and establish contrary Mining Safety rules and then tax the citizens heavily in order to provide their own oversight agencies that might or would conflict with the federal government agencies?

They certainly do.

Which regulations would the companies abide by; the Federal rules that are favorable to them or the state rules that cost them money?

If the state regulations are more strict, they would have to abide by the state regulations, just as automobile makers who sell cars in California must abide by our more strict fuel and emissions standards.

And virtually every state which has mining has mining safety regulations.

So this notion that because the Feds aren't doing their job (and I don't know that they aren't) that safety is now almost non-existent in new mining operations is just plain nonsense and apparently little more than partisan politics.

se