branch mine were neither excessive in number, nor particularly significant. people may be wondering why this mine was even operating. >> i think the reason it was operating is that all the people who are very knowledgeable of mining whether they be with the federal government, the state golf or massey had concluded that the mine was safe to operate and these violations and the efforts on the ventilation are efforts to improve it. >> reporter: but the man in charge of keeping america's coal mines and coal miners safe, kevin stricklin, doesn't see much room for argument. is this a mine that needed to clean up its act? >> we think all mines need to clean up their acts. but the number of violations issued here and some of the significance of them, it gave the indication that the mine operator would have been better suited to comply with the regulations rather than us finding them. >> reporter: it is an emotional issue in this one industry land. safety is a huge concern. but massey mines provide thousands of jobs and pour money into the local community.