IV 112th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 743 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES July 26, 2012 Mr. Barletta (for himself, Mr. Kelly, Mr. Marino, Mr. Roe of Tennessee, Mr. Rahall, Mr. Critz, Mr. Meehan, Mr. Pitts, Mr. Stivers, Mr. Bachus, Mr. Rogers of Kentucky, Mrs. Capito, Mr. Dent, Mr. Thompson of Pennsylvania, Mr. Platts, Mr. Johnson of Ohio, Mr. McKinley, Mr. Shuster, Mr. Young of Alaska, Mr. Gerlach, Mr. Holden, Mr. Murphy of Pennsylvania, Mr. Doyle, Mr. Bartlett, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mr. Schilling, Mr. Fleischmann, Mr. Ryan of Ohio, Mr. Gardner, Mr. Grimm, Mr. Chabot, and Mr. Costello) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform RESOLUTION Expressing the sense of Congress that the United States Postal Service should issue a commemorative stamp 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 life and limb to fuel the Nation’s economic expansion; 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 billion tons, with an estimated 263 billion 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 25 percent of the world’s known coal reserves; Whereas the recoverable coal reserves in the United States have the energy equivalent of about 1 trillion barrels of oil, which is comparable to all of the world’s best known oil reserves; Whereas, since the energy crisis 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; Whereas coal mining provides 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 honoring the Nation’s coal miners is fitting and proper: Now, therefore, be it

That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that— (1)the Postmaster General should issue a commemorative postage stamp honoring the Nation’s coal miners; and (2)such stamp should— (A)be issued in the denomination used for first-class mail up to 1 ounce in weight; (B)bear such illustration or design as the Postmaster General determines; and (C)be placed on sale at such time and for such period as the Postmaster General determines.