CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Federal regulators said Wednesday the nation's coal mines have made huge strides in safety, pointing to a dramatic reduction in the number of accidents and injuries in the nation's single largest district in southern West Virginia.

But Mine Safety and Health Administration coal administrator Kevin Stricklin said there's still a lot of work to be done, and said his agency will continue cracking down on operators with a history of safety violations.

"We're trying to pick on the bad guys," he said at theWest Virginia Coal Association's annual mining symposium in Charleston.

West Virginia's coal industry is hoping federal coal regulators will have guidelines for approving more extended-face, or deep-cut, coal mining plans as soon as spring.

West Virginia Coal Association Vice President Chris Hamilton has been advocating the use of remotely operated continuous miners with a face operation as far away as 40 feet. Though most machinery is designed to operate at that distance, Hamilton said, approval for deeper cuts have not been approved often.

Hamilton said extended cuts are safer because they require fewer moves of the mining equipment.

"Extended cut mining also prevents upwards of 50 percent of equipment moves in an underground working section, which means not only the continuous miner, but the roof bolters, the scoop operators or the shuttle cars," Hamilton said. "It's aimed at reducing the exposure a lot of the miners have to these large machines being moved around from place to place in underground working conditions."

The federal Mine Safety and Health Administration is shifting gears when it comes to mine safety.

MSHA Coal Administrator Kevin Stricklin, a guest speaker at the 39th annual West Virginia Coal Mining Symposium in Charleston Wednesday, told MetroNews the agency is shedding light above ground.

"Last year there were 12 fatalities on the surface and 9 underground. So it tells us we need to focus more on surface operators,” Stricklin said following his appearance before operators.

MSHA Chief Joe Main kicked off a new campaign on Tuesday called "Rules to Live By 3." It deals with the safety precautions and regulations that every surface miner needs to know.

After the 2006 Sago Mine disaster killed 12 miners,West Virginia public officials vowed to crack down on unsafe practices in the industry.

But in April 2010, we were reminded how much work needs to be done to improve mine safety. It was then that 29 miners died in another Mountain State disaster, at the Upper Big Branch Mine.

During his State of the State speech, Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin urged legislators to approve a new package of mine safety rules.

By Taylor Kuykendall, Reporter - email

West Virginia's coal industry is hoping federal coal regulators will have guidelines for approving more extended-face, or deep-cut, coal mining plans as soon as spring.

West Virginia Coal Association Vice President Chris Hamilton has been advocating the use of remotely operated continuous miners with a face operation as far away as 40 feet. Though most machinery is designed to operate at that distance, Hamilton said, approval for deeper cuts have not been approved often.