DAVIDSONVILLE, MD – The Maryland Farm Bureau (MDFB), in partnership with the Baltimore, Carroll, and Frederick County Farm Bureaus, announced today that it has filed a crucial motion with the Public Service Commission of Maryland (PSC) demanding the outright dismissal of the proposed Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project (MPRP) transmission line application by PSEG.

The filing argues that the PSEG’s own admission that it cannot meet the project’s critical June 2027 deadline is sufficient reason to immediately halt the case, saving Maryland taxpayers and hundreds of farmers from months of needless legal and financial burdens. (Read the Full Filing)

Maryland Farmland Must Not Be the Casualty of a Failed Timeline

The proposed 67-mile transmission is slated to go through thousands of acres of productive Maryland farmland, including land preserved for agriculture in perpetuity.

“Back in 2024, we warned that the MPRP project’s unrealistic timeline threatens to take productive farmland out of use,” said Parker Welch, Executive Director of the Maryland Farm Bureau. “We urge PSC to dismiss this case and collaborate with farmers, landowners, elected officials, and stakeholders to advance energy projects that do not jeopardize Maryland’s finite farmland.”

The motion points out that PSEG has now conceded that the PSC’s necessary review process, a process designed to protect the public interest, will prevent the line from being built by the required contractual date.

Key Points Raised for Farmers and Farmland:

• Calling the Question: The Farm Bureau’s motion forces the PSC to address the non-viability of the project head-on, arguing that there is no public need to continue a proceeding for a project that has effectively failed its own timeline.
• Stopping Eminent Domain: By seeking dismissal now, the Farm Bureau aims to prevent PSEG from wasting more time and resources battling farmers in court over access for environmental surveys, a process that has already caused immense disruption.
• Protecting Finite Resources: Continuing the case would unnecessarily burden the PSC, state agencies, and hundreds of Maryland property owners who are dedicating time and money to fight a proposed line that PSEG itself admits cannot be delivered on time.

In September of 2024, Maryland Farm Bureau officially announced its opposition to the MPRP Project. In May, the Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) granted Maryland Farm Bureau’s petition to intervene in the proposed project, affirming the organization’s right to represent farmers’ interests in the proceedings.

The Maryland Farm Bureau encourages its members and all concerned citizens to continue engaging in the public comment process with the Public Service Commission to ensure the voice of agriculture remains strong. The motion to dismiss was filed along with Stop MPRP and Carroll County Government.

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