Reported offers to buy land from Carroll residents who live near the proposed Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project did not come from entities associated with the project, according to Public Service Enterprise Group spokesperson Bill Smith.

The proposed Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project would install a 70-mile transmission line through Carroll, Frederick and Baltimore counties. The $424 million project has a proposed date of operation of June 2027. Jason Kalwa, who manages the energy project for the PSEG, said in July that the 500,000 volt power line will provide a much-needed upgrade to the energy grid, which will benefit Carroll residents and others.

The project has drawn criticism due to its potential use of eminent domain. Critics also maintain it would harm the environment, hamper the economic productivity of Carroll farms, reduce property values, result in higher energy costs for consumers, and detract from the beauty of nature.

“We are in the process of completing the routing analysis,” Smith said in an email. “A second round of public meetings will be held in the near future and no property acquisition engagement will begin until after these meetings are completed.”

Commissioner Joe Vigliotti said at a county meeting on Sept. 5 that the offers could be a scam or an attempt to exploit the project for personal gain. Residents should not feel pressured to sell, he added.

State Sen. Justin Ready said on Sept. 6 that landowners should not panic or act out of fear when evaluating an offer.

“It’s not really illegal for somebody to send you an offer or to say they want to make an offer on your house,” Ready said, “but obviously there can be predatory practices, and we want to keep an eye on that for sure.”

Ready and Vigliotti stand with other Carroll lawmakers in opposition to the plan.

Public opposition continues

The Maryland Farm Bureau joined the citizens and groups opposed to the project in a Wednesday news release. The farm bureau is the state’s largest agricultural trade organization, comprising nearly 8,000 member families.

“Amid the rising mandates for clean energy and other legislation that competes with agriculture for land use, we believe it’s crucial to take a stand on this project in collaboration with our local county farm bureaus,” Executive Director Parker Welch said in the news release.

Maryland’s goal of reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2045 has created the need for new energy infrastructure, according to the farm bureau, and the piedmont project could affect more than 25 Maryland Farm Bureau members with an estimated 1,300 acres of farmland.

“We greatly appreciate the clear and strong opposition from the Maryland Farm Bureau,” a representative from Stop MPRP said in an email.

Stop MPRP is a community advocacy group with hundreds of members and thousands of email recipients that was formed to oppose the project, and continues to organize against the project with several events planned this month.

The group will host a webinar on Wednesday, from 7 to 8 p.m., to answer common questions about the project, inform residents about the best way to proceed if someone offers to acquire their land, and share the nonprofit’s mission of stopping the proposed project, according to a Sept. 12 email.

For more information or to register, visit: https ://stopmprp.com/events

Joanne Frederick, director of Stop MPRP, said last month that agricultural land can be hard to accurately value. She discourages anyone from signing anything that would sell or grant access to their land.

Stop MPRP will also hold its first fundraising event at Linganore Winecellars (13601 Glissans Mill Road in Mount Airy) from 2 to 7 p.m. on Sept. 28. Linganore Winecellars is i n the project’s proposed path, according to Stop MPRP. The event will feature live music and remarks from elected officials at 3 and 5 p.m. It costs $10 to attend, or $5 for those under 12 years old, with all proceeds supporting the organization’s efforts to halt the project. Linganore wine and beer and food trucks will have refreshments for purchase. A raffle will award half of ticket sales to a first-prize winner and grant a Stop MPRP gift basket to a second-prize winner.

For more information, or to register, visit: https://stopmprp.com /linganore-fundraiser