Latest news with #MarylandPiedmontReliabilityProject
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Piedmont power line company fights for land access in Baltimore court
The Edward A. Garmatz United States Courthouse in Baltimore. (Photo by Christine Condon/ Maryland Matters) The contentious debate over a 67-mile power transmission line proposed for Central Maryland reached a Baltimore courtroom on Monday, with three hours of arguments on eminent domain. PSEG, the New Jersey-based power company building the line, sued more than 100 landowners along the proposed route of the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project, who it said were refusing access to company representatives for environmental surveys. The company asked U.S. District Adam Abelson to issue an order allowing it to conduct the surveys — including boundary studies, wetland delineations and forest evaluations — where property owners had refused. It has said that it needs the surveys for its proceeding before the Maryland Public Service Commission, which will determine whether the construction of the line — planned to run through parts of Baltimore, Carroll and Frederick counties — can go forward. But the property owners, represented by five different attorneys Monday, argue that the company can't exercise eminent domain rights until it has earned its certificate from the PSC, and that entering properties for surveys constitutes a 'taking' under eminent domain law. Kurt Fischer, an attorney representing PSEG, said that 'narrow' interpretation of the law would set the power line up for failure from the start. 'It simply is untenable to try to say that all these conditions have to be satisfied before you can take surveys,' Fischer said. People power vs. electric power in feud over proposed transmission project Fischer said the company has authority for the land surveys because it has secured a 'designated entity agreement' with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, making it an entity that could conceivably earn the power of eminent domain from the Maryland PSC. Therefore, state law entitles it to complete the survey work. But the landowners' attorneys pointed to a provision in state law granting survey access to corporations 'having the power of eminent domain.' ''Having the power' means you have it right now,' said David Wyand, an attorney representing dozens of landowners. He argued that in order to gain access to the properties to survey ahead of the PSC's decision, the company would need to go to the Maryland General Assembly for a law change. 'They don't want to go to the legislature for a fix,' Wyand said. 'This should be a political solution — not a court solution.' There could be more lawsuits to come. Fischer said that the 117 landowners named in the suit were 'prioritized' because their properties likely host 'flora and fauna' that can only be studied at particular times. But other landowners have refused access, and they could also face similar legal action, he said. At times, Monday's arguments also reached beyond eminent domain and into the state's complex energy picture. Attorneys for the landowners argued that there is wiggle room in a directive from the regional transmission grid, calling for the power line to be in service by June 2027, in part because the grid has reached agreement to keep two Maryland coal-fired power plants running through May 2029, meaning power needs will be met until then. 'The predictions about disaster are not reality,' said Harris Eisenstein, who represents the same set of landowners as Wyand. Because the deadline can be adjusted, the power company failed to show that it would suffer irreparable harm if it didn't get the order from the judge. If the project has to be scrapped for reasons outside PSEG's control, the company can also recoup its costs by appealing to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Eisenstein argued. 'They have an economic safety net,' Eisenstein said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE But PSEG attorneys said reimbursement isn't a guarantee. FERC can determine that costs weren't 'prudent,' and nix repayment. The agency also only reimburses 50% of any costs incurred by developers before it approves a start theto project, said PSEG attorney Kenneth Thompson. 'There's a guaranteed loss here,' Thompson said. The order proposed by PSEG didn't set many limitations on its access to properties, allowing any access up until the Public Service Commission issues its ruling, so long as the company gives 24 hours notice. At least one respondent took issue with that proposal Monday. Attorney Jennifer Wazenski was representing the owners of River Valley Ranch, a youth camp and retreat center that hosts 'the most vulnerable children' for activities including horseback riding, she said. The owners would take issue with characterizing 'any entry by strangers as non-invasive,' Wazenski said. But PSEG attorney Emily Wilson said the order is 'a proposed order for a reason' and told Abelson that the company would be amenable to the court requiring a conference between attorneys to find acceptable times for surveys. 'It is not the company's intention to have unfettered access to these properties,' Wilson said. Wilson that the assessments mostly involve surveyors walking around the properties with tablets in hand, taking note of particular features. For the wetlands surveys, surveyors would take soil samples about 4 inches into the ground, before returning the sampled material 'immediately.' As demand for AI rises, so do power-thirsty data centers The surveys will take 'in the space of hours,' Wilson said, rather than 'days and days.' If there were damage associated with the surveys, the landowners could seek relief in court, but Thompson said PSEG would endeavor to remedy the problem so that landowners wouldn't have to take that step. 'They want a good relationship with these folks. They don't want to be in a World War III fight,' Thompson said. Attorneys for the landowners have asked Abelson to dismiss the case altogether. Barring that, he ought to allow three to four months of discovery, followed by an evidentiary hearing in the fall, Eisenstein said. 'That's what this case deserves,' Eisenstein said. 'It's an important case.' Discovery would let the landowner's attorneys take depositions from key personnel at PSEG, they said, to answer 'unanswered questions' about the line's route, and whether PSEG would face an 'irreparable harm' if it did not get the surveys completed. Otherwise, Abelson would be granting a preliminary injunction that would essentially decide the entire case right at the beginning, Eisenstein said. 'The toothpaste is out of the tube,' Eisenstein said. 'That's the end of the case.'
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Power Struggle: Residents worry about environmental impacts, losing their homes if MPRP is built
This story is part of an occasional series about the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project (MPRP), a proposed 500,000-volt transmission line to cross three counties, and its potential impacts on people living and working in Frederick County. The project is being developed by the Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG). Jay and Alicia Weinrich live in a log house off Black Ankle Road in Mount Airy, nestled in trees and tranquility, at the end of a narrow, steep driveway on top of a hill. Jay is originally from Howard County, and Alicia is from Carroll County. The couple bought their property in Frederick County in 2003 with the intention of building the home they'd live in for the rest of their lives. With the help of family and friends for more than a year and a half, the couple constructed their house from the ground up, touching all the logs that make the home and staining everything in the basement. The Weinrichs officially moved into the house in 2005. It's where they raised their son, who has moved away. Alicia said they chose this property because it's "kind of in the middle of nowhere." The stars come out at night because the sky is clear, and the view is beautiful, filled with trees and, in the summer, hay when farmers are working the land. She said deer run across their property and cross over the driveway, drinking from a nearby stream filled with trout. The couple also sees and hears bald eagles frequently. "This was really our dream — he wanted a log cabin, and I just wanted to have some peace and quiet," she said. The MPRP could shatter that dream entirely. MPRP- Jay and Alicia Weinrich Jay, left, and Alicia Weinrich stand for a portrait at their home in Mount Airy on April 30. In the early 2000s, the couple constructed their log house with the help of their family and friends. Now, the final route of the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project (MPRP) would cut through their property. If the MPRP is built, the Weinrichs don't know what they'll do, and they're hoping the project doesn't move forward. Residents like the Weinrichs, as well as farmers and other property owners, are fighting a staunch battle against the project. More than 170 petitions to intervene were submitted to Maryland for an application PSEG submitted for a certificate to build the project. A petition to intervene is a request to become a formal party in a case and be able to actively participate in the legal process and influence the outcome of a project. Additionally, a nonprofit called Stop MPRP formed after the project was announced. Its mission is to advocate for people impacted by the project and stop it entirely, and it's a resource many opponents of the MPRP turn to. The Weinrichs submitted a petition to intervene on Feb. 10. They've never had anyone approach them asking for a right-of-way to build something through the property. If the MPRP is built, Alicia said, it'll be placed right over the Weinrichs' fence next to their home, cross over their chicken coop and the driveway, and hang over the trout stream at the bottom of the hill the house is on. What is the MPRP? The MPRP is slated to be nearly 70 miles long and would go through northern Baltimore County, the middle of Carroll County and parts of Frederick County, ending at the Doubs substation. The project is meant to help meet anticipated power demands on the regional power grid operated by PJM Interconnection, which coordinates the movement of electricity in 13 states — including all of Maryland — and Washington, D.C. As part of developing the project, PSEG has applied to the state for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity, which would allow the company to build the transmission line should its application be approved. In addition to the hundreds of properties in the route's path, there are 58 parcels that PSEG added to its application as possible places for access roads, which the company would use while constructing the MPRP. PSEG spokesperson Bill Smith said that it's possible for the MPRP route to be adjusted or changed during the application process. Smith said that PSEG has "engaged with residents and property owners to address their concerns regarding agriculture, safety and property values" since the MPRP was announced and will continue to do so. He also said PSEG does not have eminent domain rights — a governmental power to seize private property for public use with just compensation — without its certificate application being approved. On April 15, PSEG filed a request for a court order to gain temporary access to properties on or along the MPRP route to conduct environmental and field studies as part of its certificate application. MPRP route and county outlines Alicia said she estimates 50% of the trees on her property will be cut down for the project. The stream will get too hot, killing all the trout. "I'll be able to stand there at my kitchen sink and see the top post holding wires," she said. "And then, to top it off, that beautiful view that I have — this will all be gone because they're taking out all of my trees." The couple said when PSEG first proposed multiple routes for the MPRP, there were three in the general area of their home. Only one of those routes — the one that was ultimately picked — cut through the Weinrichs' property. The couple attended one of PSEG's public information sessions it held after the final MPRP route was announced. Jay said he also sent letters to many Maryland elected officials sharing the couple's story. Jay said he feels like all the discussion about the project is about the farms people are losing, but not about anyone else. MPRP- Jay and Alicia Weinrich Alicia, left, and Jay Weinrich pose together outside at their home in Mount Airy on March 20. The Weinrichs moved into the log house in 2005 after building it with the help of family and friends. Now, they are worried how the MPRP will affect their property and the environment around them. "There was very little discussion about those of us that just have a home on five acres. It was all about farmland," he said. "I felt like we were kind of the forgotten ones." For Alicia, the MPRP poses a unique health risk. She has a spinal cord stimulator, a medical device that sends low-level electric pulses into her spinal cord to relieve pain. When she goes to a doctor's office and cautery tools are used to stop bleeding, she has to turn the stimulator off because otherwise, it'll start shocking her. It could also turn off improperly and may not come back on. If one tool can cause that, she wonders what would happen if she were living under a 500,000-volt transmission line. "What's that going to do to my back? Is it going to shut my spinal cord stimulator off completely? I just don't know," Alicia said. The Weinrichs don't know what they'll do if the MPRP is built. Right now, they're just hoping it doesn't move forward at all — they've told people who asked to enter the property to evaluate it to not come. Just the thought of having the transmission line on the property, Alicia said, "makes me want to just run." MPRP- Jay and Alicia Weinrich Shown through a window, Alicia and Jay Weinrich stand for a portrait with their dogs at their home in Mount Airy on April 30. In the early 2000s, the couple constructed their log house with the help of their family and friends. Now, the final route of the MPRP would cut through their property. If the MPRP is built, the Weinrichs don't know what they'll do, and they're hoping the project doesn't move forward. MPRP- Jay and Alicia Weinrich Jay, left, and Alicia Weinrich pose together with DeDe inside their home in Mount Airy on March 20. The Weinrichs moved into the log house in 2005 after building it with the help of family and friends. Now, they are worried how the MPRP will affect their property and the environment around them. Margie and Steve Schroeder Margie and Steve Schroeder live on and own a 25-acre parcel of land off Ijamsville Road. Their home has a room with windows for walls where the sunlight spills in and the couple can look out at a sprawling field. MPRP- Steve and Margie Schroeder Margie, left, and Steve Schroeder pose together in the sun room of their home on March 27. They built the house's sun room as an add-on to the home to get a better view of the outdoors. This year marks their 50th year living in the home. All of the routes PSEG proposed for the MPRP cut through the Schroeders' property. The property was originally a 220-acre parcel where the first settler of Ijamsville, Plummer Ijams, built a plantation, according to the Schroeders. Over time, the parcel has been divided up, and several of the Schroeders' family members — like their daughter, nephew and grandchildren — live on other pieces of the land. Margie said her father bought the entire property in 1950. He was a lawyer working in Washington, D.C., but he always had wanted to run a farm. When she was a child, she did chores on her family's dairy farm, and the family also owned horses and hunted foxes. Margie met Steve while attending college in North Carolina, and when the couple moved to Frederick County after Steve finished dental school, Margie's father gave them the land where their house now stands. This year marks their 50th year living there. The couple's nephew, Josh Nicodemus, owns the family farm to the west of their home, and their daughter and grandchildren live in another house built on a giant parcel. Margie's sister also lives in a tenant house on the land. Since the family lives so close to each other, it's common for the grandchildren to walk over to see the Schroeders. They love to sled on the field when it's blanketed in snow in the winter. If the MPRP gets built, the route would put the line over the Schroeders' pool and into the woods, requiring trees to be removed for the right-of-way. MPRP- Steve and Margie Schroeder Cousins James Duncan, 14, left, and Sawyer Smith, 11, play in the pool at Margie and Steve Schroeder's home on April 30. If the MPRP is built, the line would go over the Schroeders' pool and into the woods. All of the routes PSEG presented for the MPRP would've gone through the Schroeders' property. Margie said the couple's worst case scenario is that they could lose their house. Even if the power line is put farther out toward the field next to the home, it would divide the acreage and separate the Schroeders from the rest of their family. The consequences of the MPRP on the family range in severity. Margie said her daughter won't feel comfortable walking over to the Schroeders' house if she and her grandchildren will go under a power line. Nicodemus may not want to farm anymore. Margie said the MPRP would cut the field in half and prevent him from using a chunk of the land. Margie said the MPRP wouldn't devastate their livelihood the way it could hurt people with farms along the MPRP route, but it would still notably impact her and her husband. Over the past several decades, many developers have approached the Schroeders to buy the field by the house. Margie said the couple would never sell the land unless there was a "catastrophic event" where they needed those funds. She doesn't think they would be able to move, because their property value would tank and nobody would want to buy it. Margie and Steve built the house's sun room as an add-on to the original building specifically so they could see the nature that they've enjoyed for so long. They are concerned there could be a point in the future when eminent domain rights are used to obtain their land. "We wish that they would actively pursue other ways to power the data centers and think about the impact on the residents," Margie said. "... I know other people have had horrible things done for progress and for the public good and eminent domain. I know it's been used other places, but it's when it affects you, you think, 'Oh my God, how can I live in the United States of America?'" MPRP- Steve and Margie Schroeder Margie Schroeder, left, sits next to her sister Victoria Nicodemus at the Schroeders' household on April 30. The Schroeders' 25-acre parcel of land is part of a larger parcel of land that is divided among several of the Schroeders' family members. Victoria lives across the field on the parcel. Since the family members live close together, it is common for them to walk across the field to the Schroeders' home. But, if the MPRP is built, Margie said family members wouldn't feel comfortable walking under the power lines. MPRP- Steve and Margie Schroeder Cousins Sawyer Smith, 11, and James Duncan, 14, drive through a field behind Margie and Steve Schroeder's home on April 30. Several of the Schroeders' family members live by the field and own parts of the parcel of land. Margie said that if the MPRP is put farther out in the field, it would divide the acreage and separate the Schroeders from the family. Betsy and Mike McFarland Betsy and Mike McFarland's house in Adamstown overlooks Bennett Creek, a tributary to the Monocacy River, and they can hear the frequent chitter and songs of wildlife outside their windows. Betsy McFarland can list many different animals she's seen since she and her husband moved to Frederick County almost 20 years ago from Rockville. Those animals include a black bear, bald eagles, reptiles, frogs, a snapping turtle and wild turkeys. She remembers watching the snapping turtle's eggs hatch, and the newborns headed down to Bennett Creek. McFarland said the couple wanted to be somewhere rural, since they both love animals and nature. The house is tucked away at the very end of a road, and in the summer time, "you feel like you're in the middle of the jungle." "As we settled in, I was like 'This is the house I'll die in.' I'm so happy to be here. I love this place," she said. "Now, of course, it's all threatened." MPRP- Betsy and Mike McFarland Shown through the reflection of a mirror, Betsy McFarland looks out of a window where a Stop MPRP sign stands outside at the McFarlands' home in Adamstown on April 7. The Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project (MPRP) would cut through the middle of Betsy and Mike McFarland's property. If the project is built, Betsy doesn't think she and her husband would want to stay in their home. The MPRP would cut through the middle of the McFarlands' property. They own nearly three acres of land, and a quarter acre of what they own is on the other side of Bennett Creek. McFarland said a power line tower would be built west of their property, and power lines would go past the couple's back patio and over the creek. Like other residences in wooded areas along the project route, trees would have to be cut down so the power lines can be built. For the McFarlands, the right-of-way is supposed to go between their house and Bennett Creek. If the project is built, McFarland doesn't think she and her husband would want to stay in their home. "It's really thrown our plans into a loop. We were planning to stay here through retirement," she said. "Now, we're really wondering what's going to happen, and we've put everything on hold." The McFarlands have ignored attempts from PSEG to contact them, including an offer of $1,000 from the company if the couple agreed to give PSEG permission to survey the property. MPRP- Betsy and Mike McFarland A document sent to Betsy and Mike McFarland is shown at the McFarlands' home in Adamstown on April 7. The MPRP would cut through the middle of their property. This document from the Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) offers $1,000 for a temporary right-of-entry to the property. McFarland said she wanted to live somewhere that was safe from development. Since part of this property is designated as a floodplain by the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency, she thought it was safe. She's worried about how the MPRP will impact the environment and the rich wildlife. It "seems insane" that a company could come in, take down trees and build power lines through an environmentally sensitive area, she said. Additionally, she said, the county government's discussions about how to regulate the data center industry and development are intertwined with the MPRP. She said she recognizes the need for data centers and creating support for that industry — but there are other solutions available to power those facilities that isn't building a transmission line across Maryland. "Anybody who says this is just for, 'Oh, we gotta stop rolling blackouts,' whatever, I don't buy it for a second," she said. "... There's a lot of different ways this could be done. They're just pushing their way because it's best for that company, and that also makes me livid." McFarland is the chair of Stop MPRP's advocacy and outreach committee and shared the potential consequences to her home in the nonprofit's short documentary, "Unyielding Ground: The Fight Against the MPRP." She's also submitted a petition to intervene and has attended public meetings in all three counties. "There's only so many mountains you'll die on, but for me, this is one of them, and I'm going to fight this as much as I have to because I care about it," McFarland said. "I care about Frederick County, not just my own house." MPRP- Betsy and Mike McFarland Betsy and Mike McFarland stand outside at their home in Adamstown, which overlooks Bennett Creek, on April 7. The MPRP would cut through the middle of the McFarlands' property. Betsy is worried how the MPRP will impact the environment and the wildlife.
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Power Struggle: MPRP makes local farmers worried about their safety, continuation of operations
This story is the first of an occasional series about the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project (MPRP), a proposed 500,000-volt transmission line to cross three counties, and its potential impacts on people living and working in Frederick County. The project is being developed by the Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG). When Nancy Gardetto and her husband, Chuck, met in 2005, they both were in the Washington, D.C., area. She was working in law enforcement, and he was doing electrical engineering for the government. Something they had in common was a dream to own a farm. Gardetto mentioned on her online dating profile that she grew up on a farm in New York. Her family had a five-acre farm, and her job growing up was milking and raising the goats, while her brother raised the pigs. She said that's why her husband originally messaged her through the dating site — he always wanted to have a farm, too, but had never really told anyone. "Ever since the moment we met, the thing was that we wanted to have a farm someday," Gardetto said. The couple purchased about 40 acres in Hanover in Anne Arundel County and started Copper Penny Farm, named after each of their dogs. Gardetto said they started raising pigs because they do well in the woods, and their property was in a wooded area. Copper Penny Farm- MPRP Nancy Gardetto drives a utility vehicle near cattle at Copper Penny Farm in Adamstown on Feb. 26. Power lines are shown in the background. When buying the farm, Nancy and her husband, Chuck, carefully considered the aspects of their farming operations and living situation with the existing power lines on the property. With the proposed Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project, a 500,000-volt transmission line that would run through their front yard, the Gardettos are unsure how they would operate their farm. They also started raising chicken, sheep and cattle — but the space just wasn't big enough, and they wanted to focus more on grass-based farming and selling beef and lamb. So, in 2019, the Gardettos — now with two sons who help on the farm — moved the operation to Adamstown in Frederick County where they could significantly expand the business. For example, instead of having three or four cattle at a time, the farm now has a herd of at least 100 and breeds livestock. Copper Penny Farm delivers its products and also has a farm store for customers to come in to buy items. Gardetto said the farm still delivers to Anne Arundel County — because they had a great customer base — and to local residents in Frederick County. The Gardettos' property already has power lines running over it, which they knew about and considered when buying this property. The power lines run over a field and can be seen from the family's house. Gardetto said they can farm under the power lines, but they can't use metal waterers because if the air is humid, the electricity will go down and electrify the water tank and the water in it. Their animals will get shocked when they try to drink. She also said the power lines electrify the fencing underneath, even though it isn't electric fencing, because it contains metal. Gardetto said the family decided they could still live in the home because the power lines were far away enough from them. But now, another power line — the MPRP — is proposed to go between the existing power line and the Gardettos' home, running across their front yard. "We did not agree to that when we bought this place," Gardetto said in an interview in February. "The idea that they [the developers] could come in and just do it because it's for the good of all is infuriating." What is the MPRP? The MPRP is slated to be nearly 70 miles long and would go through northern Baltimore County, the middle of Carroll County and parts of Frederick County, ending at the Doubs substation. The project is meant to help meet anticipated power demands on the regional power grid operated by PJM Interconnection, which coordinates the movement of electricity in 13 states — including all of Maryland — and Washington, D.C. As part of developing the project, PSEG has applied to the state for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity, which would allow the company to build the transmission line should its application be approved. In addition to the hundreds of properties in the route's path, there are 58 parcels that PSEG added to its application as possible places for access roads, which the company would use while constructing the MPRP. PSEG spokesperson Bill Smith said that it's possible for the MPRP route to be adjusted or changed during the application process. Smith said that PSEG has "engaged with residents and property owners to address their concerns regarding agriculture, safety and property values" since the MPRP was announced and will continue to do so. He also said PSEG does not have eminent domain rights — a governmental power to seize private property for public use with just compensation — without its certificate application being approved. On April 15, PSEG filed a request for a court order to gain temporary access to properties on or along the MPRP route to conduct environmental and field studies as part of its certificate application. MPRP route and county outlines Copper Penny Farm- MPRP Documents relating to the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project (MPRP) are shown in the Gardettos' house at Copper Penny Farm in Adamstown on Feb. 21. The MPRP is proposed to cut across their front yard. Gardetto is one of hundreds of residents fighting against the development of the MPRP being proposed by New Jersey-based energy company PSEG. More than 170 petitions to intervene were submitted to the state for PSEG's application for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity. A petition to intervene is a request to become a formal party in a case and be able to actively participate in the legal process and influence the outcome of a project. Gardetto is one of the many who submitted a petition to intervene. If the transmission line is built, Gardetto said, she can't imagine living in her current home. She doesn't know if it'd be safe for her family to live there, with power lines greeting them at the door, so they'd probably have to move — but having the MPRP so close to the home would probably deter buyers. Gardetto also said it would double the problems the farm has had with electricity, like animals getting shocked. She doesn't know if she's up to move Copper Penny Farm to a new location, either, after already doing it once six years ago. "To pick it up and do it all over again, I don't know that we would do that. I think that we would have to change our business model or just stop farming," Gardetto said. "I just don't know." Copper Penny Farm- MPRP Nancy Gardetto feeds Jim at Copper Penny Farm in Adamstown on Feb. 26. Copper Penny Farm- MPRP Sheep stand in a field as existing power lines are shown nearby at Copper Penny Farm, owned by the Gardetto family, in Adamstown on Feb. 26. Nancy Gardetto said farming is possible with the existing lines on their farm, but they cannot use metal waterers due to the proximity to the existing power lines and its potential to shock animals when the air is humid. Gardetto said the MPRP would double the problems the farm has had with electricity. Copper Penny Farm- MPRP Pigs wait for food at Copper Penny Farm in Adamstown on Feb. 26. Autumn Springs Farm in Mount Airy Tammy Naill-Waddell said her father had a dream to have his own farm and water source, which led him to buy the property where Autumn Springs Farm is in Mount Airy. The property runs from Talbot Run Road to Black Ankle Road and has a long, winding dirt path leading up to the house where two of Naill-Waddell's brothers live. She said the family is incredibly private, and part of why they like the property is because it's hard for other people to access. Near the entrance to the farm, there's a creek running past a blue barn and out toward a field. Autumn Springs Farm- MPRP Tammy Naill-Waddell pauses for a moment with Snap at Autumn Springs Farm on Feb. 18. Tammy said the family's farm is their sanctuary and the MPRP is a threat to the family's safe space. Naill-Waddell used to breed horses. Although she doesn't do it anymore, she still takes care of horses on the property, who roam around together in the fields and will stop to drink at the creek. Naill-Waddell said her father wanted to buy a property that he could put houses on and somewhere that was big enough that, if anything ever happened to her or any of her four brothers, they always had a place to come back to. "This is our sanctuary, our zone," she said. She said the MPRP is a threat to the family's safe space. Naill-Waddell, who submitted a petition to intervene, said the transmission line would cross two creeks on the property and go over the hill between those creeks. It'd be hanging over the driveway. She said that part of the property is part of a floodplain designated by the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency, and there has been flooding in the past. If the MPRP is built, trees that "hold the hill" will need to be removed — increasing the risk of significant erosion. "Any time that you remove trees and change the ecosystem and the environment around the base of those trees, it changes everything," she said. "Flooding gets worse because they're no longer being stopped." But what's even more pressing for Naill-Waddell and her family is keeping her brother, Lee Naill, safe. Naill is one of the brothers living at Autumn Springs Farm. In 1992, while working on a bridge as a construction worker, he was shocked by power lines running alongside the bridge. He fell from the crane he was operating and was shocked by 50,000 volts from a power surge going through the transmission line. He had to get both of his arms amputated. Autumn Springs Farm- MPRP Tammy Naill-Waddell and her brother Lee Naill stand together while posing at Autumn Springs Farm on Feb. 18. Lee was shocked with 50,000 volts from power lines while working on a bridge as a construction worker. He had to get both of his arms amputated. The MPRP route is proposed to go above their driveway and Tammy said Lee would be scared to drive underneath if it is built. Naill-Waddell said her brother would be scared to leave the house and drive under the MPRP, if it gets built. She said it'd be like making her brother drive with a gun to his head — and she and her family will do whatever they can to protect him and keep the property that was intended to be their refuge. She refuses to give PSEG the permission for any of the land, such as the right-of-way needed to construct the transmission line. "If people come in, they're going to be politely asked to leave," she said. "You're coming on my property and there's no trespassing signs there — I'm going to be calling the cops and having you [charged] with trespassing and solicitation." Naill said that before his accident happened, he heard the hum of electricity running through the power line. "I don't ever want to hear that again," he said. Autumn Springs Farm- MPRP Tammy Naill-Waddell unfurls a flag reading 'Stop MPRP Come and Take It' at Autumn Springs Farm on Feb. 18. She said she refuses to give the Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) the permission to use any of the land, such as the right-of-way needed to construct the MPRP. Autumn Springs Farm- MPRP Tammy Naill-Waddell stands by horses at Autumn Springs Farm on Feb. 18. Tammy said that part of the property is floodplain designated by the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency and flooding has occurred before. If the trees surrounding the property are cut down for the MPRP, it would increase the risk of significant erosion. Gaver Farm in Mount Airy Lisa and Michael Gaver started selling Christmas trees at Gaver Farm in 1984, the year after they got married. Lisa Gaver said her husband started planting these trees when he was 17 as one last project to do with his grandfather who was dying from lung cancer. She said Gaver Farm started off just selling those trees and traditional crops and dairy products — but over the last 40 years, as their family has grown, so has their farm into a sprawling agritourism operation. Over the past several decades, Gaver Farm has expanded to host an annual Fall Fun Fest, where residents can hop on a hay ride to the farm's pumpkin patch, explore a corn maze, meet animals at a farm petting zoo and learn about agriculture through educational activities. Gaver Farm - MPRP Lisa Gaver, left, looks at her husband Mike Gaver in one of the fields at Gaver Farm on March 31. The 40-acre field is one of the areas that would be affected by the MPRP. Lisa Gaver said that different crops are 'constantly rotated' through the field and that it is instrumental to the farm. Gaver said the farm was the first one in Frederick County to plant dwarf apple trees, leading to a pick-your-own-apples orchard that's been expanded four times since 2010. She said her son and daughter, despite having gone off to college and getting other degrees, came back to Gaver Farm with their respective spouses because they wanted to help keep the business moving forward. "We've been doing this a long time. We consider ourselves innovators in original ag tourism — there certainly wasn't a name for it when we had opened that first year for Christmas trees," she said. "... Each part of our farm supports the other parts of the farm, and I believe that a lot of people don't really understand." The MPRP is proposed to cut through a 40-acre field on Gaver Farm that is instrumental to the business — Gaver said the field is "constantly rotated" for the farm's customer base, and different crops are planted on the field depending on what the farm needs. Customers go onto that field to look at pumpkins or Christmas trees, or to explore the farm's sunflower field. Gaver said the route PSEG chose was the only one, out of all the 10 possibilities, that goes through the farm. "Maybe the part no one talks about is the emotional and physical stress that can come from an out-of-state corporation taking your land for a power line for another out-of-state corporation that has nothing to do with your state," she said. The MPRP could "devastate our ability, our business," Gaver said. The transmission line would come over I-70 and go across the left side of the farm when viewing it from across the parking lot. Then, the line would go into the woods — requiring trees to be cut down to make room for the right-of-way — and a tower would be placed at the top of a hill, where the farm has placed its deer fence gates. Gaver said the eight-foot deer fence is necessary to grow any specialty crops, such as apple trees. She said for the specialty crops, there are multiple people in the field every week. In 2020, the farm added a path through the field so people could walk, if they didn't want to go on the hay ride. Gaver Farm - MPRP Mike Gaver walks near the deer fence at Gaver Farm on March 31. With the MPRP cutting through the woods on the property, Gaver said this could affect the deer fence used to protect specialty crops, like apple trees. The top of the hill is where people get on the hay ride, as well as where the farm's employee station is. To have the MPRP go over the field would pose a safety issue to the farm's customers and employees walking under the line or riding vehicles underneath. She also said the deer fence would have to be moved. Although PSEG told her at a public meeting the company would pay losses her business suffers, she said, her concerns go beyond just paying for one crop. "You're taking the ability to ever have a crop there," she said. Gaver Farm posted on social media last year about the MPRP and how it would devastate their operations, and thousands of people responded to posts, with hundreds sending letters in support of the farm to PSEG and the Maryland Public Service Commission. Gaver said when her farm got a letter in October that the property was on the route, she responded saying Gaver Farm wasn't interested in chatting with a PSEG land agent about providing any of the property for a right-of-way. Right now, Gaver said, the farm is operating like no project is looming over their heads. That's all they can do right now. "The hardest part for us is that we've built up this business and taken our entire life doing so and that someone else can just walk in and act like nothing you do matters," she said. Gaver Farm - MPRP Dark clouds roll in over the horizon near some of the farm's attractions, shown on the right, while Lisa Gaver sits on the back on a utility vehicle as her husband Mike Gaver drives at Gaver Farm on March 31. Over the last 40 years, the farm has grown into a sprawling agritourism spot. According to Lisa, the MPRP would affect the farm's operations.
CBS News
17-04-2025
- General
- CBS News
Surveyors for controversial Maryland electrical grid project want access to residents' properties
Residents in multiple Maryland counties may soon be forced by court order to allow surveyors onto their land. The developer behind the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project (MPRP) filed for court-ordered access to these properties. This means the courts will now decide whether or not they will be able to move forward with this part of the MPRP project. The Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project (MPRP) has become controversial among many Maryland residents . "The trees we see here, the trees that are under threat, are the trees that my great-grandfather planted here," said Joanne Frederick, president of STOP MPRP and a Maryland landowner. "This farm is also protected by conservation, and this farm is also protected by conservation and preservation easements and all to keep the legacy and protect the environment." PSEG Renewable Transmission, a New Jersey-based company, applied for a permit to begin the construction of 70 miles of overhead 500,000-volt power lines connecting an existing transmission line through parts of Baltimore, Carroll, and Frederick counties . "This is certainly a David versus Goliath situation," Frederick said. On Tuesday, PSEG filed a court order for Temporary Right to Entry to take environmental surveys of 91 (parcels) properties for the project. This controversial task would run high-voltage lines through Frederick, Carroll, and Baltimore counties on land owned by people like Frederick. However, before the project can move forward, the company explained that they must finish environmental surveys on landowners' properties. In order to do this, they have to receive temporary right of entry from landowners. "If the judge rules in PSEG's favor, we'll be standing on edge even more for months and months and months, never knowing really if today's the day that someone's going to knock on your door," Frederick said. Frederick explained that the project would destroy several acres of her property and her neighbors. In November 2024 , WJZ reported that the Chesapeake Bay Foundation said the project posed several risks to Maryland's habitat and water quality, damaging protected forests, nutrient-rich wetlands, and sources of clean water. "It's certainly an escalation, and it feels like a threat. It feels like a threat to people's safety and security and enjoyment of their homes," Frederick said. A spokesperson for PSEG said that the project is essential to support Maryland's growing electric needs and that the current electrical system is overloaded. According to PSEG, the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project is a needed infrastructure project that will both help maintain the reliability of the electric system in Maryland and put downward pressure on the cost of electricity by increasing the supply entering the state. The company explained that Maryland currently imports 40% of the energy it consumes from elsewhere. This means electricity must be brought in via transmission lines that move power from other states. PSEG did issue a statement a week before the court filing, stating that they would seek court orders to allow surveyors the right of entry to certain properties where property owners have not voluntarily allowed access. "PSEG is also willing to have discussions with landowners regarding compensation for the Right of Entry. To reiterate, this is not an easement and does not grant permanent property rights or construction rights or obligate the landowner to grant an easement," a PSEG spokesperson wrote in a statement to WJZ. The statement continued, "Because we would prefer to avoid having to take court action, we have decided to make one more public effort to request property owners to allow MPRP to conduct surveys on their property. PSEG is also willing to have discussions with landowners regarding compensation for the Right of Entry. To reiterate, this is not an easement and does not grant permanent property rights or construction rights or obligate the landowner to grant an easement." According to PSEG, to date, the current filing impacts 91 parcels in the initial filing, and there will be additional filings over the next few months. "This should not only be PSEG's narrative or and it should not only be PJM's narrative," said Frederick. "This line is not needed. Virginia may need more power for the data centers that they choose to build in Virginia, but that is not Maryland's problem, and we shouldn't be forced to pay the price." Frederick said the individual landowners listed on the filing are meeting with attorneys to support those listed and the others are expected to come.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Piedmont power line company heads to court, as landowners refuse access for property surveys
Opponents of the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project, a proposed power transmission line through Central Maryland, protested last summer in Frederick, outside an unrelated conference on the data center industry. (File photo by Josh Kurtz/Maryland Matters) More than 100 property owners in Central Maryland have refused to let power company PSEG onto their land to survey for the proposed Piedmont power line project, the company said in a legal filing Tuesday. In a 53-page filing with the U.S. District Court for Maryland — at least 14 pages of which is a listing of defendants — the New Jersey-based company is seeking an order that would let it access the properties with a minimum of 24 hours notice, and prohibit the property owners from interfering. In its filing, the company said that despite 'numerous real and bona fide efforts' to obtain consent from landowners, each has refused. 'Despite our efforts to engage with property owners and even offer reasonable compensation, we have been unable to gain voluntary access from a sufficient number of property owners that will allow us to conduct these environmental surveys,' PSEG said in an April 9 public statement, which also warned that lawsuits could be coming. The company said it had offered financial compensation to landowners who allowed temporary access for the 'noninvasive environmental surveys.' But it said in the filing that an 'organized and funded opposition, led by STOP MPRP, Inc.' has 'urged property owners to refuse the Company access.' The group was convened last year, after community members first learned of the power line project, known as the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project — and grew concerned that the 67-mile power transmission line would destroy tracts of rural land in Baltimore, Carroll and Frederick counties. The all-volunteer organization is funded entirely by donations and membership payments, said Joanne Frederick, a co-founder and president of the board of directors. As demand for AI rises, so do power-thirsty data centers 'People have the right to say no when someone wants to come on their land,' Frederick said. 'And as an organization, we made people aware of their rights to say no.' Frederick called Tuesday's court filing from PSEG 'another attack' on local landowners, who were startled to learn of PSEG's plans for the line, and the possibility that it could use eminent domain to acquire land. 'PSEG wants to come onto peoples' properties to do surveys, so they can use that information to strengthen their application to then later come and take our land,' Frederick said. 'Do we, as landowners, have to make it easier for someone to take our land?' STOP MPRP said Wednesday evening that it had retained legal counsel 'to advise our organization on the best course of action to support our members and affected landowners,' and it urged Gov. Wes Moore (D) to issue a public statement in support of the landowners. Frederick said distrust for PSEG abounds in the community, and some residents are concerned that the surveys could do damage to their properties — or that the data gathered could be distorted to suit PSEG's needs. PSEG is completing the surveying — including forest, wetland and sensitive species assessments — as part of its application before the Maryland Public Service Commission for the power line, filed in December. The commission, which regulates utilities in the state, must issue a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity before the project can go forward. Only after PSC approval could the company seek to use eminent domain. In a prior public statement, the company called it an 'option of last resort,' adding that it would only be used 'to maintain reliable electric infrastructure for all Marylanders.' The transmission line was commissioned by PJM Interconnection, the electric grid operator serving Maryland and 12 other states, as well as Washington, DC. It would connect a Baltimore Gas & Electric right-of-way in northern Baltimore County to the Doubs Substation in Frederick County. PJM has said that it commissioned the Piedmont line, along with other transmission projects, to account for increased energy demand, including from power-hungry data centers like the ones in Northern Virginia, and the loss of energy supply thanks to retiring fossil fuel generators. In its legal filing, PSEG said it is obligated, under an agreement with PJM, to bring the power line into service by June 2027, and to do so, it must begin construction by January 2026. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE If the court does not grant access for the surveying, PSEG would be forced to redraw the power line route, and resubmit its application with the Maryland PSC, the company said. But a different route may not change the outcome, because of the significant community pushback, PSEG said. 'Based on public comments and correspondence the Company has received to date, it is likely that the Company would encounter additional opposition with any alternative proposed line,' reads the lawsuit. 'This, in turn, would likely put the Company in exactly the same position in which it finds itself now: seeking Court intervention.' So far, PSEG has paid nearly $1.6 million to siting and environmental consultants, and $1.3 million to a real estate firm helping contact relevant property owners, according to the company's lawsuit. Resubmitting an application would likely require the company to incur those fees all over again, and jeopardize the project's timeline, the suit stated. Frederick said that PSEG is essentially 'asking landowners to either give up and just allow this to happen, or hire what could be very costly attorneys to protect their own land rights,' adding that the impacted property owners include elderly individuals, and some who have never been involved in legal proceedings before. 'We're standing together. People are resolute. I do not believe that this latest foray will suddenly cause people to just give up,' Frederick said. Frederick, who lives on a farm property impacted by the route, said she is one of the landowners who was sued earlier this week. If the power line is constructed, she said that she stands to lose about 5 acres of forest on her property, which contains conservation and forest buffer easements. She purchased the property in 2020. It was a one-time dairy farm, once owned by her great-grandparents, that was sold out of the family in 2004 and fell into disrepair. For the past five years, Frederick said she has been working to restore the farm and her family's legacy. But PSEG's project threatens to upend that, she said. That's why she has thrown herself into the opposition effort, she said. 'It has been all-consuming,' Frederick said.
