Efforts to Stop MPRP Power Lines Across Northern Maryland
To recap, a power company from New Jersey, the Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG), came to Maryland with the intent to construct a 70 mile, 500,000-volt electric transmission line called the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project (MPRP). The plan involves the possibility of exercising eminent domain laws to take private land from farms and businesses across Baltimore, Carroll and Frederick counties for the new constructions. The stated purpose of the project is to increase power to promote development of data centers in Virginia and the DC metropolitan area. This would be at the expense of Baltimore and Carroll county residents who have nothing to gain. This project is being fast-tracked for completion by 2027, bypassing the long-term planning typically required by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) Order 1920. This rushed timeline raises serious concerns about transparency and the project’s actual necessity.
Current Status…
The leading resource for updates and information about the status of the Project and grassroots resistance is the website www.stopmprp.com created by Joanne Frederick. According to Frederick, “The company awarded the contract to build the proposed MPRP submitted their permit application (called the Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity or CPCN) with the Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) on December 31, 2024. The PSC will hold a scheduling conference to set the timeline for the proceedings to consider this application. We expect the proceedings could take a year or more. There will be opportunities for all concerned to submit written comments and there will be meetings in each of three counties where residents will have the opportunity to speak about their concerns.” The PSC recently announced that the deadline to submit a petition to intervene is February 17, 2025. More in-depth information is available here.
The Baltimore County Council unanimously opposes the proposed MPRP and the consumer division of the PSC has come out raising serious questions about the project. In addition, Governor Moore has questioned the value of the Project to Marylanders. In an open letter to Governor Moore, Ms. Frederick thanked the Governor and invited him to work with the grassroots coalition, stating:
“Your questioning of the MPRP’s benefit to Maryland is both valid and necessary. This project prioritizes the interests of big tech at the expense of Maryland’s residents. It threatens forests, farmland, businesses, homes, and conserved resources to meet the energy demands of data centers— not because it is the most reliable, efficient, or beneficial solution, but because it is the quickest way for PJM to service their new data center customers. Adding to this injustice, Marylanders will bear the higher energy costs to subsidize some of the wealthiest corporations in the world.”
Visit here for more ways to participate in this cause.
15-minute video: Unyielding Ground – The Fight Against the MPRP