PSEG – Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project
Sent July 15, 2024
High Voltage electric transmission pathways through state forest, pasture, crop fields, over waterways and wetlands!  We at LPT have been spending our days learning about the arcane world of energy transmission.

What is the Project? Click here
Land Preservation Trust facilitates the Piney Run Rural Legacy area for the State of Maryland. Our goal is to work with the County, State, and donors to conserve an area roughly south of Mt. Carmel Road, West to Old Hanover, South to Shawan/Tufton and East to Falls. Recommendations have been made to expand the area to Prettyboy to the north and east past Falls. In other words, the proposed path goes directly through an area targeted by the State and the County for conservation. To date, over 23,000 contiguous acres have been conserved with a stated goal of conserving 80 % of the area by 2030. With 65 % already conserved, The Piney Run Rural Legacy area is known throughout the State and even the country for our success. Protecting connected landscapes makes for healthier habitat for wildlife and streams: facts accepted throughout the scientific community. Rural Legacy areas further promotes a rural community and an economy based on agriculture.
The environmental, scenic, social, historic, and economic foundations of the Piney Run Rural Legacy area and the rest of North Baltimore County are threatened by these proposals. The board members at Land Preservation Trust have formed a working group to assess the challenges, opportunities and to respond to PSEG and PJM, the authority which will determine the final recommended course for the transmission lines. The working group will consider all avenues including working with professionals in the field to create a multi -layered and multi -pronged approach. To date, we have spent over 150 hours collectively over the last five days learning about the industry and formulating plans.
How can you help?
There is no question that having elected officials on board will help to influence the decision. Please write and call your elected officials at the County, State and Federal levels. You can find your federal and state representatives federal and state officials here or your local representatives or your county representatives here and if you know of an interest group of neighbors or farming associates, please combine forces so your voice is heard.
At this point. It is critical that they know about the proposals and form an opinion. Soon, we along with others will have more detailed advice about who to contact beyond the elected officials.
In the meantime, staff at LPT will be studying copies of the existing conservation easements to determine which are affected directly or are neighbors of the proposed path. We will contact the specific conservation organization – be it the County or the State and of course, those where LPT is co holder of the easement.
As a landowner, we encourage you too to let your opinions be known. These transmission lines are unprecedented in our experience and Rural Legacy and the many easements may well prove a strength to this contest. I could write mountains about this – as could many of you. I will try to send information regularly so you are aware of our efforts on behalf of landowner and easement holders.
Best,
Victoria Collins

Land Preservation Transmission Working Group
Ann Jones – Greenway Legacy and head of the LPT Rural Legacy team
Alice Chalmers – Agriculture
Michael Sonnenfeld – Easements and engineering
Michael Wharton – Legal and local government
Meriwether Morris – Landowner with direct experience with transmission
Mini Morris – Start up consultant and representative of the Next Gen
Ned Halle - Attorney and Easements

To contact LPT office@thelandpreservationtrust.org