THIS IS HEARTBREAKING BECAUSE I BUILT THIS FARM WITH MY OWN TWO HANDS. HUNDREDS OF CARROLL COUNTY RESIDENTS SHOWED UP AT THIS SENIOR CENTER IN WESTMINSTER TODAY TO ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT THE MARYLAND PIEDMONT RELIABILITY PROJECT. I’VE BEEN FOLLOWING IT FOR ABOUT A MONTH, BUT THE MAP AND THEIR PATH WASN’T LAID OUT UNTIL SUNDAY. THE FIRST MEETING IS ON TUESDAY. THAT’S REALLY RIDICULOUS. IT IS A 500,000 VOLT OVERHEAD TRANSMISSION LINE. IT’S BEING BUILT BY A NEW JERSEY FIRM CALLED SEG FOR PJM, WHICH OPERATES OUR REGION’S POWER GRID IN ORDER TO MEET INCREASING DEMAND FOR ELECTRICITY, COMPANY OFFICIALS SAY, DUE IN PART TO DATA CENTERS, THERE ARE TEN POSSIBLE ROUTES, ALL OF THEM START IN NORTHERN BALTIMORE COUNTY, CONTINUE THROUGH CARROLL AND END IN FREDERICK. SOME OF THEM CUT ACROSS STATE PARKS, CONSERVATION AREAS, FARMLAND AND PRIVATE PROPERTY. IT’S ALL IMPORTANT. RATHER THAN ASKING THEM, ASKING US TO THROW OUR NEIGHBORS UNDER THE BUS AND SAY IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD, NOT IN MINE. THEY SHOULD BE FOCUSED ON USING EXISTING RIGHT OF WAYS. RESIDENTS HERE TODAY QUESTIONED WHY THE PROJECT CAN’T USE THE PATH OF EXISTING POWER LINES, AND VERY MUCH LIKE YOU WOULDN’T BUILD A 95 ON A TOP OF 95. AND QUITE FRANKLY, YOU PROBABLY WOULDN’T HAVE ENOUGH ROOM. EXCUSE ME. IN ALL FAIRNESS, WE DO EXPAND THE HIGHWAY, THEY EXPAND LANES, THEY ADD LANES, THEY ADD EXIT. CORRECT. BUT YOU WOULDN’T YOU WOULDN’T. YOU PROBABLY WOULDN’T BE ABLE TO DOUBLE THAT HIGHWAY IN THAT AREA. YOU PROBABLY HAVE TO BUILD A NEW ONE. HE ALSO SAID THIS NEW TRANSMISSION LINE IS JUST TOO BIG. BUT HE COULDN’T QUANTIFY THAT SIZE COMPARED TO THE SIZE OF THE EXISTING. THE EXISTING TRANSMISSION LINE AREA. OTHER PEOPLE POINTED OUT IF IT’S BUILT NEXT TO IT, THEY COULD SHARE AT LEAST ONE OF THE EASEMENTS. IT WOULD NEED. THOSE ARE SOME OF THE QUESTIONS PEOPLE WERE ASKING THE SPOKESPERSON ALSO SAID THEY WANTED TO BE ABLE TO FOLLOW EXISTING LINES. THEY SAID THEY DON’T WANT TO CUT NEW PATHS, BUT THAT’S APPARENTLY WHAT COMPANY OFFICIALS AND THEIR CONSULTANTS HAVE DECIDED TO DO. HE SAID. THE COMPANY PICKED THE TEN PROPOSED ROUTES THE COMPANY DECIDED TO PUT THE MAP OUT JUST FOUR DAYS AGO, AND THE COMPANY WILL DECIDE THE FINAL ROUTE THAT SELECTED. REPORTING LI
Hundreds of Carroll County residents concerned over proposed electrical line attend meeting
Updated: 10:34 PM EDT Jul 11, 2024
More than 200 Carroll County residents attended an informational meeting on the proposed electrical grid that would span parts of northern Maryland.The Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project is a 500,000-volt transmission line that utility officials said is needed to meet increased electricity needs due, in part, to data centers.There are 10 possible routes, all of which start in northern Baltimore County, pass through Carroll County and end up in Frederick County.”I’ve been following it for about a month, but the map and their path wasn’t laid out until Sunday. The first meeting was on Tuesday. That’s really ridiculous,” said Jeremy Myers, with the Kings Tree Farm.Some proposed alignments cut across state parks, conservation areas, farmland and private property.”This line is going to go through my second pasture and will ruin the beauty and the landscaping of my farm,” said Jeanine Holtsberg, with Hope Floats Equestrian. “This is heartbreaking because I built this farm with my own two hands.”PJM, which operates the region’s power grid, awarded the project to the New Jersey-based Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG), a regulated infrastructure company.Thursday marked the third and final day of public information sessions for the project. The first meeting was held Tuesday in Baltimore County, where it was met with stiff opposition. Another was held Wednesday in Frederick County and the third was held Thursday afternoon with another scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Westminster Senior Center in Carroll County.Some questioned why the project can’t use the path of existing power lines.”It’s all important. Rather than asking us to throw our neighbors under the bus, they should be focused on using existing right of ways,” said Jenny Teeter, with Wakefield Valley Citizens to Protect Farmland.”We are aware of those lines. There were reasons why we did not parallel. We felt they would impact, cause more impacts, honestly. We did look at that. It was not our first choice to have a new right of way and not a parallel right of way. It causes more impacts,” PSEG spokesman Jason Kalwa said.Kalwa likened it to building a new highway instead of one atop another.”This is the highway of electricity, this is like a…
Read More: Residents concerned over proposed electrical line