As the debate over the proposed 70-mile transmission line continues, Del. Nino Mangione has presented the “Protect Maryland Farm Lands Act” in the General Assembly House Economic Matters Committee.

“This bill is very simple,” Mangione, a Baltimore County Republican, said Thursday. “It provides for the protection of Maryland’s farmland if it is taken in a condemnation proceeding, otherwise known as eminent domain.

“Regretfully, some of the most productive farmland in Maryland is under threat by an out-of-state company that wants to destroy our farming communities and their enterprises with unneeded powerlines.”

Mangione said the bill adds a 350% premium on the highest appraised value of farmland or agricultural land taken during the eminent domain process.

“We owe it to our farming community and the people who work in the farming industry to provide these protections,” he said.

If the Maryland Public Service Commission approves the nearly 70-mile transmission line, known as the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project, the project developer could get permission to acquire property rights through eminent domain.

Jason Kalwa, project director for the developer, Public Service Enterprise Group, has previously said it plans to negotiate with property owners and would only use eminent domain as a last resort.

“We absolutely want to negotiate with property owners and we’re willing to engage with them on a really deep level and not just say take it or leave it,” Kalwa said.

Shortly after the proposed route of the transmission line was announced, Kalwa was asked how big the budget to negotiate with homeowners was. He responded, “I am not prepared to disclose the specific amount, but what I will say, if market value says a certain amount, we are certainly willing to pay that amount.”

The bill’s fiscal note acknowledges that, “If the bill affects the overall cost of acquiring property rights in order for the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project to cross lands that are actively used for farm or agricultural purposes, it presumably increases costs of the project.” Ultimately, the cost of the project will be passed on to ratepayers.

But for property owners and farmers worried their livelihoods could be affected due to lost land, crops and income, say they welcome Mangione’s bill for more compensation.

“Once farmland is used for projects like these, we won’t get it back,” property owner Brandon Hill said.

Other bills presented in the House Economic Matters Committee were related to more transparency for utility companies and the way they vote on regional energy projects and policies, as well as the impact of data centers.

In a Senate committee hearing, Baltimore County Sen. Benjamin Brooks also presented legislation to prevent privately owned land that is in an agricultural or conversation easement from being taken in the eminent domain process.

Have a news tip? Contact Jessica Babb at jlmitchell@sbgtv.com.