IV 

110TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. CON. RES. 285 

Expressing the sense of the Congress that a postage stamp should be issued 

honoring the Nation’s coal miners. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 29, 2008 

Mr. KANJORSKI (for himself, Mrs. CAPITO, Mr. WILSON of Ohio, Mr. 

ALTMIRE, Mr. MURTHA, Mr. CARNEY, Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania, Mr. CHANDLER, Mr. PETERSON of Pennsylvania, Mr. GEORGE

MILLER of California, Mr. HOLDEN, Mr. GERLACH, Mr. SHIMKUS, Mr. 

SHUSTER, Mr. WOLF, and Mr. SPACE) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and 

Government Reform 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the Congress that a postage stamp 

should be issued honoring the Nation’s coal miners. 

Whereas the Nation is greatly indebted to coal miners for the 

difficult and dangerous work they perform to provide the 

fuel needed to operate the Nation’s industries and to provide energy to homes and businesses; 

Whereas millions of workers have toiled in the Nation’s coal 

mines over the last century, risking both life and limb to 

fuel the Nation’s economic expansion; 


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•HCON 285 IH 

Whereas during the last century, over 100,000 coal miners 

have been killed in mining accidents in the Nation’s coal 

mines; 

Whereas thousands of coal miners have contracted black lung 

disease as a direct result of their toil in the Nation’s coal 

mines; 

Whereas coal provides 50 percent of the Nation’s electricity 

and is an essential fuel for industries such as steel, cement, chemicals, food, and paper; 

Whereas the United States has a demonstrated coal reserve 

of more than 491,000,000,000 tons, with an estimated 

263,000,000,000 tons of recoverable reserves which, at 

current production rates, represents about 275 years of 

recoverable coal reserves; 

Whereas these coal reserves represent about 95 percent of all 

fossil fuel reserves in the United States, and about one 

fourth of the world’s known coal reserves; 

Whereas the recoverable coal reserves in the United States 

have the energy equivalent of about 1,000,000,000,000 

barrels of oil, which is comparable to all of the world’s 

known oil reserves; 

Whereas since the energy crises of the 1970s, United States 

dependence on foreign oil has grown substantially, with 

imported oil accounting for 39 percent of all oil consumed 

in 1973 and about 60 percent today; 

Whereas energy security is an integral component of the Nation’s economy and national security; 

Whereas coal mining continues to be the economic engine for 

many communities, providing jobs to areas with little economic diversity; 


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•HCON 285 IH 

Whereas coal mining provides economic benefits far beyond 

its direct revenues, including billions of dollars in economic output and household earnings and hundreds of 

thousands of jobs in other industries; and 

Whereas issuing a postage stamp to honor the Nation’s coal 

miners is fitting and proper: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 

2 concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that— 

3 (1) the United States Postal Service should 

4 issue a stamp honoring the Nation’s coal miners; 

5 and 

6 (2) the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee 

7 should recommend to the Postmaster General that 

8 such a stamp be issued. 

Æ 


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