You might think that Richard Stickler, director of the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration, would cringe at the question. That he would construe it as criticism, and say that Utah should save its money and let MSHA do its job.

But to his credit, Stickler answered honestly, without hesitation or reservation. "The answer to the question is pretty obvious. Two eyes are better than one, two people checking is better than one, two agencies is better than one."

And that's especially true in Utah, where, from all appearances, MSHA officials have been anything but sticklers when it comes to mine safety. The Crandall Canyon coal mine in Emery County, where six dead miners are entombed and three more died during an ill-fated rescue attempt in August, is all the proof you need.

MSHA, after a cursory inspection, approved changes to the mining plan at Crandall Canyon that allowed dangerous retreat mining in the section of the works where the accident occurred. Then it botched the rescue, and allowed the mine owner to use MSHA press conferences as a stage to rail against his perceived enemies.

In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman established the Utah Mine Safety Commission. The panel has been following the MSHA investigation and conducting its own hearings to determine if the state should add a layer of protection for underground miners by establishing its own mine regulatory agency.

Stickler previously served as the director of the Pennsylvania Bureau of Deep Mine Safety, which conducts mine inspections, mine rescues and accident investigations; trains and certifies coal miners, and reviews and approves mining plans.

In Pennsylvania, Stickler said, the state and federal agencies work as a team. We'd prefer that any Utah agency work independently, conducting its own inspections and mining plan reviews, and reserving the right to close dangerous mines until they come into compliance with regulations.

Utah's path is clear. Take it from Stickler. When it comes to mine safety, redundancy is a good thing, and two agencies are better than one. It might be an expensive proposition, but you can't put a price on life.