Reps. Spade, Accavitti, Adamini, Anderson, Brown, Caswell, Daniels, DeRossett, Drolet, Ehardt, Elkins, Farrah, Garfield, Gillard, Gleason, Jamnick, Lipsey, Minore, Murphy, Paletko, Richardville, Sak, Sheltrown, Smith, Stallworth, Stewart, Vagnozzi, Waters and Zelenko offered the following resolution:

            House Resolution No. 18.

            A resolution memorializing the United States Postal Service and the Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee to issue a commemorative postal stamp to depict coal miners.

            Whereas, Coal was first discovered in Michigan in 1835.  Coal mining was a significant industry in this state until the last deep coal mine closed in 1952.  Portions of 32 counties in central lower Michigan are included in Michigan’s coal basin with an estimated 300 million tons of reserves still in existence and available for mining; and

            Whereas, Pioneers first began extracting bituminous coal near Jackson and used it as fuel to power locomotives and large factory engines following the Civil War.  Larger operations opened in the late 1880s in Bay and Saginaw Counties and by the 1900s were producing almost 800,000 tons of coal; and

            Whereas, Coal mining in Michigan reached its peak in 1907, producing 2 million tons in that one year, compared to 3.4 million tons during the entire previous century.  When Michigan’s last coal mine, located in Saginaw County, closed in 1952, the state’s mines had produced approximately 46 million tons of coal.  While an open-pit mine operated briefly in Ingham County in the mid-1970s, falling prices had brought an end to mining in the state; and

            Whereas, Early mining operations in Michigan saw workers overcome incredible difficulties to bring coal to the surface.  They frequently had to stand in pools of water, breathe rank air, and use lard lamps to see what they were doing.  Often, miners had to lie on their bellies in wet mud while chipping away at the seams of coal; and

            Whereas, Our entire nation could never repay coal miners for the difficult and dangerous job they performed so that we could operate our industries and heat our homes; and

            Whereas, It would be proper and fitting for our nation to recognize coal miners, both past and present, for their contributions to this nation; now, therefore, be it

            Resolved by the House of Representatives, That the members of this legislative body memorialize the United States Postal Service and the Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee to issue a commemorative postal stamp to depict our coal miners; and be it further

            Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the United States Postal Service, members of the Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and the Michigan congressional delegation.