PRINTER'S NO. 678
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No.
665
Session of
2019
INTRODUCED BY MURT, KNOWLES, PICKETT, MILLARD, CALTAGIRONE,
HILL-EVANS AND GOODMAN, MARCH 1, 2019
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, MARCH 1, 2019
AN ACT
Establishing an official rock of the Commonwealth.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Short title.
This act shall be known and may be cited as the Official Rock
Act.
Section 2. Declaration of policy.
The General Assembly finds and declares as follows:
(1) The production of anthracite coal has historically
been a major industry and source of employment in this
Commonwealth.
(2) Anthracite played a major role in the
industrialization of this Commonwealth and the United States.
(3) It is estimated that 16 billion tons of coal lie
within the anthracite seams in northeastern Pennsylvania,
with a recoverable amount being classified at approximately 7
billion tons.
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(4) Connecticut settlers in the Wyoming Valley
discovered the anthracite coal seams in 1762.
(5) In 1775, mining of anthracite started in
northeastern Pennsylvania in Pittston.
(6) The first industrial use of anthracite, for heating
and drawing iron in the making of nails, was recorded in
1788.
(7) Anthracite was discovered in the Schuylkill region
in 1790 and in the Lehigh region in 1792.
(8) The first recorded anthracite coal company, the
Lehigh Coal Mining Company, sent the first significant
shipments of anthracite out of the coal field region in 1820.
(9) The Pennsylvania Department of Mines was established
in 1869, with the nation's first stringent mine safety laws
to follow in 1870.
(10) In 1959, the Knox Mine disaster ended deep coal
mining in the northern anthracite fields in this
Commonwealth.
(11) The anthracite ranges cover 500 square miles in
Dauphin, Schuylkill, Northumberland, Columbia, Carbon,
Luzerne, Lackawanna, Wayne and Susquehanna counties.
(12) Anthracite, historically referred to as stone coal,
is one of this Commonwealth's most significant natural
resources.
(13) In 1971, to help preserve and share the rich
history of Pennsylvania anthracite, the Pennsylvania
Historical and Museum Commission created the Anthracite
Museum Complex, consisting of three museums, the Pennsylvania
Anthracite Heritage Museum, the Eckley Miners' Village and
the Museum of Anthracite Mining, and one historical site, the
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Scranton Iron Furnaces.
Section 3. Designation.
Anthracite, also referred to as hard coal, is designated as
the official rock of the Commonwealth.
Section 4. Effective date.
This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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