The six state lawmakers who represent Carroll County signed a letter listing five reasons they strongly oppose the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project.

The proposed project would install a 70-mile transmission line through Carroll, Frederick and Baltimore counties. PJM, the organization responsible for operating and planning Maryland’s electric grid, has contracted the Public Service Enterprise Group to complete the $424 million project with 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.

Sens. Justin Ready and Chris West, and Dels. Eric Bouchat, April Rose, Josh Stonko and Chris Tomlinson stated in the letter that they oppose the project because it threatens the environment; would increase local energy costs but not benefit Carroll; would result in a loss of farmland and revenue for farmers; would be disruptive; and would have other unforeseen consequences.

The letter echoes feelings expressed at an Aug. 24 meeting, during which the delegation and county commissioners listened to and agreed with residents’ concerns regarding the proposed project. Many speakers at the meeting were also perturbed by the project’s land acquisition tactics, such as the possible use of eminent domain. Each of Carroll’s five commissioners have stated firm opposition to the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project.

The letter is addressed to Frederick Hoover, who was appointed by Gov. Wes Moore to chair the Maryland Public Service Commission, in a five-year term that began July 1, 2023. The reliability project is subject to approval from the Maryland Public Service Commission, in a process that includes stakeholder feedback and is subject to land use requirements, according to PSEG.

Hoover was director of the Maryland Energy Administration for more than seven years and has served as assistant people’s counsel in the Maryland Office of People’s Counsel, representing residential consumers of public utilities, before being named chair of the commission. The Annapolis resident is also on the board of directors for the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and is a member of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners. According to the Public Service Commission, Hoover was a founding board member of the Maryland League of Conservation Voters, a member of the Maryland Cybersecurity Council, and a former senior director of the National Association of State Energy Officials.

PSEG plans to apply for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity from the Maryland Public Service Commission by the end of this year, which could allow construction to begin in early 2025. According to the letter, “the timeline for the MPRP is moving at light speed with no plan to slow down.”

“We are uncomfortable with the accelerated pace in which the project is moving along,” the letter continues, “and believe more time is needed to study and understand the impacts of the MPRP.”

The project proposal also comes after the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in May adopted a rule that energy consumers will only pay for projects that benefit them, but PJM is not required to comply until next year. The letter states that the transmission line would benefit PJM’s region, especially northern Virginia, but would not benefit energy consumers in Carroll, Frederick or Baltimore Counties.

Of the 72 proposals PJM received for projects that would upgrade the energy grid, 22 would have upgraded existing infrastructure. The letter states, “PJM chose to prioritize solutions that were ‘expandable’ and ‘cost efficient’ rather than minimize disruptions to property and livelihoods.”

“We believe that PSEG should prioritize putting the transmission line underground or utilize current infrastructure footprints and corridors,” the letter continues, “rather than spoiling agricultural land and harming property owners. If PJM continues to award contracts to contractors who want to create new transmission line routes as compared to using existing rights of way, due to Maryland being an energy importer, in a short period of time our state will be buried in transmission lines from border to border.”

West has proposed replacing conductor cables on existing power lines in a process called reconductoring, as an alternative to the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project.