Carroll County leaders ask Trump to stop the controversial Maryland powerline project

Carroll County leaders are seeking federal help to stop the controversial Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project.

The county's Board of Commissioners is calling on President Trump's administration to exercise its authority and prevent developer PSEG from running 70 miles of overhead transmission lines through three Maryland counties -- Baltimore, Carroll, and Frederick.

Members sent a letter to the president saying there are other options and a better path forward, which include:

• Modernize existing electric infrastructure before building new corridors.
• Co-locate energy infrastructure with existing road and rail rights-of-way and optimize existing transmission lines.
• Invest in distributed energy systems and local reliability improvements.
• Hold federal and state agencies accountable for local land-use decisions.
• Allow for short-term energy generation for data centers, including fossil fuel-based generation and small modular reactors to address immediate needs.

"We are writing you to request your help regarding a powerline project that will negatively affect the citizens we represent," the board wrote.

PSEG says the project is needed to ease congestion on the power grid.

PJM Interconnection, which operates the power grid in several northeastern states, says that without the project, the region could face blackouts and voltage collapse by June 2027.

Last month, the Carroll County Board of Commissioners filed an amicus brief in support of the landowners currently fighting the controversial Piedmont Reliability Project in court.

In the brief, the board urged the court to reverse a ruling granting the project developers access to the property owners' lands for site surveys.

Procedural schedule for review set  

In September, Maryland regulators set a procedural schedule for reviewing the Piedmont Reliability Project.

The Maryland Public Service Commission approved a timeline that extends beyond what developer PSEG requested. 

PSEG asked the commission to issue a decision by March 31, 2026, so it could finish construction and have the line in service by June 1, 2027.

Instead, the commission's schedule pushes final briefs to February 2027, giving regulators more time to examine the project's potential impact on the electric system.

PSEG permitted surveyors on properties

Last April, PSEG submitted a court filing that would force residents to allow surveyors onto their land, which led to some residents filing a court appeal.

However, in June, a federal judge granted PSEG access to 91 properties to conduct surveys. In July, the company filed another motion seeking access to 200 more properties, stating that surveys must be completed before construction can begin.

PSEG requested federal protection after crews were allegedly threatened while attempting to access private land in Carroll County. A judge ruled that surveyors would not be accompanied by U.S. Marshals while on landowners' properties.

A court filing claimed that survey crews and private security personnel faced multiple threats while trying to conduct property assessments at six locations.

What next?

PSEG must file an updated analysis and field studies by March 2, 2026. 

Public hearings will take place in each affected county during the weeks of Sept. 21 and Sept. 28, 2026, followed by evidentiary hearings from Dec. 8 through Dec. 18, 2026.

The process will conclude with final briefs due Feb. 12, 2027. PSEG may also submit an updated analysis from PJM, the regional grid operator, as part of its March 2026 filing.

Fight against the powerline project 

Residents who are in the path of the powerline project have expressed concerns and anger about potential negative environmental impacts and how the transmission lines may impede personal property.

Some residents said the powerlines would cut through family-owned farms.

A faith-based youth camp and outdoor education center in Carroll County told WJZ that the project would jeopardize the camp experience that they provide to guests, since the transmission line would go through their property.

Hereford resident Janet Stratton said her farm, which has been passed down for six generations, is in the path of the proposed transmission line. 

"I realized my childhood dream 30 years ago," Stratton said. "To have it taken away would be devastating."

When it comes to environmental concerns, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) said the project poses risks to the bay's habitat and water quality.

The CBF found that the project has the potential to damage protected forests, nutrient-rich wetlands, and sources of clean water.