(a) The commissioner may adopt the regulations and issue the orders considered necessary to carry out the purposes of this chapter, and the regulations shall have the force and effect of law. Regulations and orders authorized by this chapter shall be consistent with its purposes and may include but are not limited to regulations and orders pertaining to and supplementing the subject matter contained in this chapter. The commissioner, in adopting coal mining safety regulations, shall, as nearly as is practicable, conform to the federal regulations applicable to bituminous coal and lignite mine safety.
(b) All regulations and orders authorized by this chapter shall be adopted in accordance with AS 44.62 (Administrative Procedure Act.