Blaine Township, Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia
Blaine Township is a township in Washington County
, Pennsylvania
, United States
. The population was 597 at the 2000 census.
, the township has a total area of 11.9 square miles (30.8 km²), all of it land. It is named after former United States Secretary of State
and Republican
candidate for the 1884 presidential election
, James G. Blaine
.
, has devastated the region surrounding Blaine Township. Longwall mining creates giant underground pits which has caused land to sag and homes to collapse in Washington County. Springs, wells, and creeks have dried up as aquifers have drained into cracks in the ground caused by mining activity. Duke Lake, a 62 acres (250,905.3 m²) lake in Ryerson Station State Park
, dried up after the nearby Bailey Mine extended its operations underneath the park and caused the dam to crack and release all the water. Fresh water sources in the region have
been contaminated by mining tailings
leaking toxins into drinking water sources such as aquifers and creeks.
ban coal mining, require businesses to publicly disclose activities, and assert
that corporations do not have constitutional rights as 'persons' to sue
a municipality for passing laws that would hurt corporate interests.
The township's Corporate Rights Ordinance of 2006 states, "This illegitimate bestowal of civil and political rights upon corporations
prevents the administration of laws within Blaine Township and usurps basic human and constitutional rights guaranteed to the people of Blaine Township."
Town supervisors, including Board Spokesman Michael Vacca, say they want to establish a principle of local self-government that will inspire other communities.
The three lawsuits include Range Resources, a natural gas company which is asking the courts to invalidate the township's policy that all businesses must disclose their activities; Penn Ridge Coal LL and Allegheny Pittsburgh Coal Co. claim that Blaine's laws violate their corporate rights to mine coal in the township. The latter two companies are asking Judge Donetta Ambrose of the Western District of
Pennsylvania to declare Blaine's ordinances invalid and unenforceable.
Tom Linzey of the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF) is Blaine Township's lawyer. CELDF has been working for free to empower local communities across to the country, including assisting Spokane, Washington to put on the 2009 ballot a city Bill of Rights which includes the rights to have access to good health care, clean water, and a clean environment.
of 2000, there were 597 people, 217 households, and 172 families residing in the township. The population density
was 50.4 people per square mile (19.5/km²). There were 223 housing units at an average density of 18.8/sq mi (7.3/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 98.32% White, 0.17% Asian, 0.17% from other races
, and 1.34% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.34% of the population.
There were 217 households out of which 39.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.9% were married couples
living together, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.3% were non-families. 19.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.16.
In the township the population was spread out with 28.1% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 28.3% from 45 to 64, and 9.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 103.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.5 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $37,941, and the median income for a family was $39,926. Males had a median income of $32,115 versus $18,750 for females. The per capita income
for the township was $15,167. About 5.1% of families and 6.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.0% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.
Washington County, Pennsylvania
-Government and politics:As of November 2008, there are 152,534 registered voters in Washington County .* Democratic: 89,027 * Republican: 49,025 * Other Parties: 14,482...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 597 at the 2000 census.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the township has a total area of 11.9 square miles (30.8 km²), all of it land. It is named after former United States Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
and Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
candidate for the 1884 presidential election
United States presidential election, 1884
The United States presidential election of 1884 saw the first election of a Democrat as President of the United States since the election of 1856. New York Governor Grover Cleveland narrowly defeated Republican former United States Senator James G. Blaine of Maine to break the longest losing streak...
, James G. Blaine
James G. Blaine
James Gillespie Blaine was a U.S. Representative, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, U.S. Senator from Maine, two-time Secretary of State...
.
Regional coal mining
Longwall mining, a form of coal miningCoal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
, has devastated the region surrounding Blaine Township. Longwall mining creates giant underground pits which has caused land to sag and homes to collapse in Washington County. Springs, wells, and creeks have dried up as aquifers have drained into cracks in the ground caused by mining activity. Duke Lake, a 62 acres (250,905.3 m²) lake in Ryerson Station State Park
Ryerson Station State Park
Ryerson Station State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Richhill Township, Greene County, Pennsylvania in the United States. It was previously home to Ronald J. Duke Lake, a artificial lake on the North Fork of the Dunkard Fork of Wheeling Creek, that was constructed in 1960, but drained in...
, dried up after the nearby Bailey Mine extended its operations underneath the park and caused the dam to crack and release all the water. Fresh water sources in the region have
been contaminated by mining tailings
Tailings
Tailings, also called mine dumps, slimes, tails, leach residue, or slickens, are the materials left over after the process of separating the valuable fraction from the uneconomic fraction of an ore...
leaking toxins into drinking water sources such as aquifers and creeks.
Blaine Township ordinances
Citizens of Blaine Township have passed restrictive ordinances in 2006, 2007, and 2008 whichban coal mining, require businesses to publicly disclose activities, and assert
that corporations do not have constitutional rights as 'persons' to sue
a municipality for passing laws that would hurt corporate interests.
The township's Corporate Rights Ordinance of 2006 states, "This illegitimate bestowal of civil and political rights upon corporations
Corporate personhood
Corporate personhood is the status conferred upon corporations under the law, which allows corporations to have rights and responsibilities similar to those of a natural person. There is a question about which subset of rights that are afforded to natural persons should also be afforded to...
prevents the administration of laws within Blaine Township and usurps basic human and constitutional rights guaranteed to the people of Blaine Township."
Town supervisors, including Board Spokesman Michael Vacca, say they want to establish a principle of local self-government that will inspire other communities.
Lawsuits
Currently, Blaine Township is in the midst of three legal battles. Citizens across the nation hope these lawsuits may ultimately determine that municipalities have the right to control corporate activities within their boundaries.The three lawsuits include Range Resources, a natural gas company which is asking the courts to invalidate the township's policy that all businesses must disclose their activities; Penn Ridge Coal LL and Allegheny Pittsburgh Coal Co. claim that Blaine's laws violate their corporate rights to mine coal in the township. The latter two companies are asking Judge Donetta Ambrose of the Western District of
Pennsylvania to declare Blaine's ordinances invalid and unenforceable.
Tom Linzey of the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF) is Blaine Township's lawyer. CELDF has been working for free to empower local communities across to the country, including assisting Spokane, Washington to put on the 2009 ballot a city Bill of Rights which includes the rights to have access to good health care, clean water, and a clean environment.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 597 people, 217 households, and 172 families residing in the township. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 50.4 people per square mile (19.5/km²). There were 223 housing units at an average density of 18.8/sq mi (7.3/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 98.32% White, 0.17% Asian, 0.17% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.34% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.34% of the population.
There were 217 households out of which 39.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.9% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.3% were non-families. 19.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.16.
In the township the population was spread out with 28.1% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 28.3% from 45 to 64, and 9.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 103.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.5 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $37,941, and the median income for a family was $39,926. Males had a median income of $32,115 versus $18,750 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the township was $15,167. About 5.1% of families and 6.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.0% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.