President Donald Trump's pick to head the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration has received a thumbs-up from a U.S. Senate committee.

Former Rhino Resource Partners LP President and CEO David Zatezalo won a 12-11 vote of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions on Oct. 18. The vote means his nomination will be reported favorably for a vote of the full U.S. Senate.

Zatezalo drew criticism from concerned lawmakers over Rhino's safety record. During a hearing Oct. 4, he assured the committee that he was not pleased about certain past safety issues and would not reduce coal mine inspections.