Huntsman, who has been at the mine site for the past eight days, said he has been assured by MSHA administrator Richard Stickler that the state "would be a full participant" in the investigation.

"Clearly we want to learn from this to become better, smarter and safer. We will pull out all stops to make sure we learn something significant in the aftermath," Huntsman said. Huntsman said he would likely follow the model used in the Sago mine disaster in which West Virginia Gov. Joe Machin appointed former MSHA administrator J. Davitt McAteer to represent the state during the investigation.

Huntsman said that after hearing of the Crandall Canyon disaster, one of the first calls he made was to Machin to discuss the best way to respond. The governor said he is also interested in re-asserting a state role in regulating coal mines. States played a much larger role in mine safety until those responsibilities were largely taken over by the federal government under the 1977 Mine Act.

Currently the state deals with some worker health issues and surface environmental issues, but when miners go underground their safety is solely under federal oversight.

"We're very much going to have to open up the whole question of oversight and the state's role going forward," Huntsman said. "That's certainly an open question in my mind right now."

For now, he said, the focus remains on the rescue operations and supporting the families of the six trapped miners, and he said it has been "heartening" to see the community rally behind the families. - Robert Gehrke