A resolution honoring the 29 coal miners who perished in the explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine in Montcoal, West Virginia, on April 5, 2010, and remembering all those who have lost their lives while mining for the resources on which the United States relies.

Whereas West Virginia coal miners and their predecessors not only have a strong commitment to providing a good living for their families, but also take a deep and patriotic pride in the fact that their work and the energy they produce has made the United States strong and free;

Whereas coal mining has been, and remains, an important part of the economy of the United States;

Whereas coal accounts for nearly 1/2 of the electricity produced in the United States;

Whereas coal has been commercially mined in what is now the State of West Virginia since 1810;

Whereas since 1810, West Virginia miners and their families have sacrificed greatly to mine the coal that powers the economy of the United States;

Whereas, on April 5, 2010, 29 heroic and patriotic West Virginia miners tragically lost their lives in an explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine in Montcoal, West Virginia;

Whereas a search and rescue effort was launched immediately following the explosion that involved dozens of courageous volunteers, first responders, and mine rescue teams who fearlessly risked their lives to rescue survivors and find lost miners;

Whereas Carl Pee Wee Acord, Jason Matthew Atkins, Christopher Lee Bell, Sr., Gregory Steven Brock, Kenneth A. Chapman, Sr., Robert Eugene Clark, Cory Davis, Charles Timothy Davis, Michael Lee Elswick, William Ildon Griffith, Steven J. Smiley Harrah, Edward Dean Jones, Richard Keith Lane, William Roosevelt Lynch, Joe Marcum, Ronald Lee Maynor, Nicolas D. McCroskey, James Eddie Mooney, Adam K. Morgan, Rex Lane Mullins, Joshua Scott Napper, Howard Boone Payne, Jr., Dillard Earl Dewey Persinger, Joel R. Jody Price, Gary Wayne Quarles, Deward Allan Scott, Grover Dale Skeens, Benny Ray Willingham, and Ricky L. Workman perished in the explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine;

Whereas the terrible tragedy broke the hearts of the people of the United States;

Whereas since the beginning of 2010, 77 miners of coal and other resources have lost their lives on the job, and thousands more have been injured or diagnosed with occupational illnesses, such as Black Lung disease;

Whereas the families of the deceased continue to suffer, as do those miners who have become seriously injured or ill; and

Whereas Congress has long recognized the need to protect the safety and health of miners: Now, therefore, be it