Van Hollen, Harris Voice Concerns with Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project, Urge Developer to Follow Community Input

Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Congressman Andy Harris (R-Md.) wrote to Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG), the corporation awarded the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project (MPRP) by PJM, the regional grid operator, to express concerns with the project’s potential impact on local communities and urge the company to be responsive to public feedback. The MPRP proposes approximately 70 miles of new high-voltage electricity transmission lines through rural areas of Baltimore, Carroll, and Frederick Counties to meet the state and region’s growing energy demands.

In their letter to PSEG’s Piedmont Project Director Jason Kalwa, the lawmakers call on the company to continue providing opportunities for the communities that could be affected by the project to offer input – and take into account that input – before submitting any proposal to the Maryland Public Service Commission. They also urge PSEG to consider strategies to minimize the need for new construction, transparently share with the public how it is evaluating different route and design alternatives, and elaborate on the specific benefits to Marylanders that the proposed power line would provide.

“We are concerned about the impact of the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project (MPRP) on Maryland farmers, rural communities, residents, and conserved lands. As PSEG weighs any plans for the MPRP, we write to urge you to take into account the public feedback PSEG has received and integrate it into any proposal to Maryland’s Public Service Commission (PSC). We also encourage PSEG to consider routes that rely on existing rights-of-way and to ensure that Marylanders are fully informed throughout the process,” the lawmakers began.

Underscoring the importance of incorporating community input, they wrote, “PSEG must meaningfully integrate public feedback it has received into any possible proposal to the PSC. In addition, we urge you to conduct additional public input sessions ahead of submitting any proposal to the PSC to ensure that communities have ample opportunity to provide feedback and inform PSEG’s analysis of environmental and socioeconomic impacts. Should the consultation process indicate that PSEG’s proposed routes impose too high a cost on Marylanders, we urge PSEG to go back to the drawing board and consider other alternatives.”

“As your company weighs various paths, we implore you to provide detailed information to the public about different route and design alternatives, how they were analyzed by the company, and an explanation for any next steps. In addition, we urge the company to elaborate on the specific benefits to Maryland that this proposed transmission line would provide. This transparency is critical to us and to the constituents that we represent across the state of Maryland,” the lawmakers concluded.

Full text of the letter is below and here.

Dear Mr. Kalwa:

We are concerned about the impact of the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project (MPRP) on Maryland farmers, rural communities, residents, and conserved lands. As PSEG weighs any plans for the MPRP, we write to urge you to take into account the public feedback PSEG has received and integrate it into any proposal to Maryland’s Public Service Commission (PSC). We also encourage PSEG to consider routes that rely on existing rights-of-way and to ensure that Marylanders are fully informed throughout the process.

Maryland has led the nation in prioritizing land use and planning policies that protect agricultural lands, open space, and forests, enabling the state to manage population growth and development pressure in a sustainable way that integrates natural resource and farmland protection. This smart growth approach has been particularly relevant in Carroll, Frederick, and Baltimore Counties, which coincide with PSEG’s MPRP study area and are also home to important agricultural, historic, and preserved lands. Consistent with state priorities, it is critical that PSEG take into account and seek to mitigate the impact on farmland, local economies, vulnerable communities, historic properties, conserved land, and sensitive ecosystems. A robust public consultation process is necessary to understand and minimize potential consequences from the MPRP or any development project proposed by any corporation. 

To that end, PSEG must meaningfully integrate public feedback it has received into any possible proposal to the PSC. In addition, we urge you to conduct additional public input sessions ahead of submitting any proposal to the PSC to ensure that communities have ample opportunity to provide feedback and inform PSEG’s analysis of environmental and socioeconomic impacts. Should the consultation process indicate that PSEG’s proposed routes impose too high a cost on Marylanders, we urge PSEG to go back to the drawing board and consider other alternatives.

One such alternative is utilizing strategies like reconductoring and grid-enhancing technologies to minimize the need for new transmission route construction. We strongly urge PSEG to consider integrating these strategies into any proposal in order to increase the capacity of existing transmission lines in existing rights-of-way, so that PSEG can mitigate impacts to communities and the environment while improving electric service.

New transmission infrastructure in Maryland is important to prevent soaring energy costs for Marylanders amidst growing energy demand in the state and the region. However, appropriate siting of these lines is critical to avoid adverse impacts to Maryland communities and the environment. That is how we best protect Marylanders’ interests in this process.

As your company weighs various paths, we implore you to provide detailed information to the public about different route and design alternatives, how they were analyzed by the company, and an explanation for any next steps. In addition, we urge the company to elaborate on the specific benefits to Maryland that this proposed transmission line would provide. This transparency is critical to us and to the constituents that we represent across the state of Maryland.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

Sincerely,