Earlier this month Preservation Maryland joined a growing number of organizations, landowners, elected officials, conservationists, and preservationists in voicing its opposition to the proposed route of the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project (MPRP). The MPRP project, which proponents describe as a “critical system enhancement” would construct an approximately 70-mile-long high-voltage electricity transmission line across Baltimore, Carroll, and Frederick Counties. It would traverse some of the most significant historic and scenic areas in Maryland’s Piedmont region, putting heritage sites, hundreds of acres of permanently protected farmland, locally owned agritourism businesses, and thousands of acres of public-and-private conserved lands at risk.
We applaud Senator Ben Cardin who, earlier this week, spoke out publicly expressing concerns over the MPRP, requesting that the Maryland Public Service Commission take into account the consequences of the project on the State’s agricultural sector, historic heritage, and conservation goals.
“Since 2007 Senator Cardin has been a staunch ally to the preservation and conservation communities,” said Nicholas Redding, president & CEO of Preservation Maryland. “Year after year Senator Cardin has been an advocate for the Historic Tax Credit, one of our most powerful preservation tools, and a champion for the Chesapeake Bay, which is the economic, historical and cultural heart of Maryland. We are thankful, but in no way surprised, that Senator Cardin has lent his voice to this issue and the negative effect it would have on Maryland’s irreplaceable heritage.”
In his press release, Senator Cardin also addressed conservation easements, “which are predicated on the promise of permanence, enabled Maryland to become a national model for smart growth.”