Mining is a difficult job, and a valuable asset to the community, so more resources should be assigned to miners in Kentucky. Mining has always been part of Kentucky's culture, dating back to the early 19th century, supplying the state with electricity over the years. Without miners, that wouldn't have been possible. 

The Kentucky Mining Board, which consisted of various individuals with experience in the coal mining industry, was abolished a few years ago. The board was responsible for Kentucky coal miners' training and all proposed safety regulations, ensuring that miners were protected. However, after years of service, the board was scraped by a bill passed by the legislature in 2017. One of the reasons for its abolishment was the duplication of responsibilities performed by other agencies. The Kentucky state government's move has raised concerns among about 6000 professional coal miners in Kentucky.

Because it saves the state 30,000 dollars a year, we are not soliciting the Kentucky Mining Board's return. However, we are interested in the government giving more resources to Kentucky miners. Even though the bill that sponsored the scraping of the Kentucky mining board was lauded as a good move by some individuals, it featured some controversial new rules regarding the safety of miners. 

Some new rules include reducing what was once required to be six state mine safety inspections to just three in a given period. The bill also reduces appropriate mine electrical inspections from the standard two to one, raising questions about whether the Kentucky government cares about its miners.

Since the Kentucky mining board has been abolished, the legislature recruited a group of people with previous experience in the coal industry to review coal miner training and regulations that will affect coal miner safety. These recruits must complete a 40-hour coal mining training class and have at least eight years of law practice in Kentucky with a license. However, there is a vast difference between having 40 years of experience in an industry and a 40-hour training class.

In light of this, it's apparent that the Kentucky government is only interested in reducing the number of resources given to the Kentucky mining industry. More resources should be given to Kentucky miners, ensuring that they're appropriately trained and have an enhanced safety system to prevent fatal accidents.