Regulatory Hurdles Delay Maryland Power Line Project Due to Incomplete Application

The Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project (MPRP), a proposed 70-mile-long, 500,000-volt transmission line from Norrisville in Harford County to the Doubs substation in southern Frederick County, is facing delays due to an incomplete application. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources’ Power Plant Research Program (PPRP) has determined that the application, filed by PSEG Renewable Transmission LLC, lacks critical information required for the approval process.

In a March 26, 2025, report to the Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC), PPRP concluded that PSEG’s Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) application is administratively incomplete. The report highlights two primary deficiencies: insufficient information on alternative transmission line routes and a lack of comprehensive environmental and socioeconomic impact assessments.

PPRP found that while PSEG’s application provided adequate justification for the project’s purpose and description, it did not sufficiently explain why alternative routes were rejected. The Routing Study included in the application focused on comparing alternative routes to the selected Route H but failed to detail why other routes, which had fewer environmental impacts and paralleled existing transmission lines, were ultimately dismissed. Without this information, PPRP and other stakeholders cannot fully evaluate whether the proposed route was the best choice.

The application also lacks field-based studies needed to assess the project’s environmental and socioeconomic impacts. Required surveys, such as wetland delineations, forest stand evaluations, and sensitive species reviews, have not been conducted due to delays in obtaining access to the properties within the proposed right-of-way (ROW). PPRP emphasized that these field-based studies are essential for determining unavoidable impacts and identifying appropriate mitigation measures. The absence of this information means that PSEG’s current Environmental Review Document (ERD) is incomplete and unable to address the project’s full scope of potential impacts.

To move forward, PSEG must conduct these field-based studies and submit updated findings to PPRP, which will then revise its environmental impact assessment. Additionally, PSEG is required to provide detailed explanations of the reasons for rejecting alternative routes and include assessments of the 550-foot study corridor surrounding the proposed 150-foot ROW. These steps are necessary before the PSC can proceed with evaluating the application.

Although PPRP considers the application incomplete, it has not objected to scheduling a prehearing conference to address motions to intervene and establish a limited procedural schedule. However, the application cannot move forward until all the identified deficiencies are addressed and the required information is submitted.

Opposition to the project, led by advocacy group Stop MPRP, Inc., continues to raise concerns about the financial burden on Maryland residents, environmental risks, and the potential loss of agricultural land. However, the immediate barrier to the project’s progress is the need for PSEG to provide the missing data and studies required for a thorough evaluation by the PSC.

Article by multiple RFHC contributors, based upon information from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

Associated documents for this story are available in our Public Information Archive.

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