BALTIMORE — An appeal was filed in court claiming PSEG Renewable Transmission, a private New Jersey company, was wrongly granted access to conduct surveys on private property.
These surveys are related to the proposed Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project, a power line route that is 150 feet wide and 67 miles long, spanning from Ballenger Creek Pike in Frederick County to Parkton in Baltimore County.
Back in June, a federal judge granted the company access to 117 properties across three Maryland counties.
A judge allowed the company's contractors onto properties of landowners who had previously refund them access.
The recently filed appeal highlights several areas of concern. One issue pointed out in the appeal was that PSEG is on a shortened timeline.
PSEG faces a June 1, 2027 deadline but the Maryland Public Service Commission won't decide on the project until spring 2027 at the earliest, making the timeline impossible to meet.
Earlier this month, a federal judge denied the company's request to have U.S. Marshals accompany their agents while conducting surveys for the project.
"[T]he Court concludes that the circumstances—at least at present—do not warrant sending U.S. Marshals to accompany PSEG and its agents to those Respondents' properties," Judge Adam Abelson wrote in an order published on Sept. 2.
However, PSEG can make another request for U.S. Marshals' help in the future if the issues persist.
PSEG has encountered "threats of physical violence, obstruction and intimidation tactics," lawyers from the group wrote in federal court documents filed on August 15.
The appeal also mentions how the project will serve data centers in Northern Virginia, but not Maryland residents.
"It is, in effect, a long "extension cord" from the Pennsylvania line through Maryland to serve the power needs of existing or future data centers in Norther Virginia," the appeal says.
This raises concerns about how Maryland will benefit.
To read the 99-page appeal click below.
