Blaine Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania
| Blaine Township | |
|---|---|
| Township | |
Sawhill Covered Bridge
National Register of Historic Places |
|
| Etymology: James G. Blaine | |
 Location of Blaine Township in Washington County |
|
 Location of Washington County in Pennsylvania |
|
| Country | United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Washington County |
| Area | |
| • Total | 11.9 sq mi (31 km2) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 690 |
| • Density | 58/sq mi (22/km2) |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-4) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-5) |
| Area code(s) | 724 |
Blaine Township is a township in Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 690 at the 2010 census.
The Sawhill Covered Bridge and Taylorstown Historic District are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 11.9 square miles (31 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 a native of West Brownsville in Washington County. Taylorstown is an unincorporated community within the township.
Longwall mining, a form of coal mining, 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. Fresh water sources in the region have been contaminated by mining tailings leaking toxins into drinking water sources such as aquifers and creeks.
Citizens of Blaine Township have passed restrictive ordinances in 2006, 2007, and 2008 which 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."
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