Deadline extended to file petitions to intervene in Piedmont powerline project

From 10 route alternatives for the 70-mile Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project, contractor PSEG has proposed an adjusted version of Route H. Regional electrical grid operator PJM hired PSEG to build transmission lines though Baltimore, Carroll and Frederick counties that it says are needed to ensure reliability. Note: Right-of-way widths are not shown to scale. Sources: PSEG, OpenStreetMap Staff

The Maryland Public Service Commission has extended the deadline to file a “petition to intervene” in the controversial Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project, a proposed 70-mile high-voltage transmission powerline through Carroll, Frederick and Baltimore counties.

The Public Service Commission extended the deadline from Feb. 17 to Feb. 24.

Tori Leonard, director of communications, stated in an email that the commission received requests to extend the deadline.

“Some noted the deadline fell on a holiday, and also members of the public pointed out the complexities involved in this case and needing more time to review the application documents,” she said.

Petitions to intervene should be sent to the commission’s executive secretary, Andrew S. Johnston, William Donald Schaefer Tower, 6 St. Paul St., 16th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202. Case number 9773 should be included.

A petition to intervene with the Maryland Public Service Commission allows individuals or entities to become a formal participant in the legal process, meaning they can present evidence and seek to influence the final decision.

The Public Service Enterprise Group has been contracted by PJM, the organization that operates and plans Maryland’s electric grid, to build the $424 million power line. However, the Maryland Public Service Commission, the state agency that regulates public utilities, has the authority to make the final decision on whether the project will be built through Baltimore, Frederick and Carroll counties.

The commission is expected to hold public hearings allowing those who filed petitions to comment on the project. The commission has the authority under the Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity statute to make the final decision.

A Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity provides authority to construct or modify a new generating station or high-voltage transmission lines. That means the Public Service Enterprise Group must apply for the certificate to begin construction of the power line.

As of Thursday, more than 180 petitions to intervene have been filed.

Maryland Public Service Commission has listed the names of property owners, elected officials, county representatives and nonprofits that submitted a petition to intervene. It goes on for 22 pages.

The list includes Carroll County Government, the Office of the County Attorney for Frederick County, Sierra Club, former Maryland Sen. David Brinkley, Baltimore County, residential developers and the Maryland Farm Bureau, in partnership with the Frederick County Farm Bureau, Carroll County Farm Bureau and Baltimore County Farm Bureau.

In Carroll County, Baugher’s Farm, 1015 Baugher Road in Westminster, is listed. Dwight Baugher, president of Baugher Enterprises, Inc. lives on the farm property. The MPRP line will pass over the farm’s pond, which is 800 feet from Baugher’s front porch, the petition states.

“The lucrative agrotourism businesses of Baugher Enterprises have become an integral part of Carroll County economics,” the petition states. “Now, however, the fate of the farm’s businesses is being jeopardized by the MPRP powerline.”

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