Frederick County Executive Jessica Fitzwater announced the county has plans to try to block New Jersey-based PSEG’s application to build the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project (MPRP). According to Fitzwater, “while the law is clear that Frederick County does not have the authority to stop MPRP ourselves, we have worked closely with our partners on the County Council to amplify our residents’ voices and advocate against the project. Tuesday’s announcement was the latest action we’ve taken to make sure company officials and state regulators know we do not want this project in our community.”
We applaud Frederick County’s stance and advocacy on this issue. The MPRP project, which proponents described as a “critical system enhancement” would construct a 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 irreplaceable 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. When the project was first announced, Preservation Maryland publicly voiced its opposition of the plan that would affect Maryland’s historic resources and conserved lands, and created a series of maps depicting the route’s impact.
Related: Watch Preservation Maryland’s CEO Nicholas Redding speak out against the project on CBS
The Maryland Public Service Commission, which will review PSEG’s application to build MPRP, will hold a public hearings (date to be announced) in each county, which will provide another forum for residents to be heard in the process.