Maryland Farm Bureau Energizes Grassroots Against Transmission Line Threat

When a proposed 70-mile power transmission line threatened farmland, property rights and rural communities in the state, Maryland Farm Bureau mobilized members, landowners, counties and coalition partners against the plan, resulting in a significant delay in the final decision.

The Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project is a proposed 70-mile transmission line cutting through farmland, private property and communities in Baltimore, Carroll and Frederick counties. While the proposed project itself was a problem, so was the precedent it would set.

The transmission line was deemed necessary by PJM, the organization that manages the electric grid covering Maryland, 12 other states and Washington, D.C. As the company that won the project bid, PSEG was seeking the necessary approval from Maryland’s Public Service Commission.

Once the transmission line approval process was in motion, Maryland Farm Bureau established a handful of goals, including protecting farmland and farm families from eminent domain and loss of productivity and delaying or stopping the project at the PSC by highlighting the flawed fast-track schedule.

Maryland Farm Bureau was engaged at all levels, from staff who did policy research, member outreach and coordination with allies to Maryland Farm Bureau leadership who leveraged existing relationships to build a broad coalition of support. Partnerships with county governments, civic organizations and conservation groups amplified rural Maryland’s message and demonstrated the widespread opposition to the proposal.

Maryland Farm Bureau also engaged legal counsel to create and pursue a legal strategy with PSC, which included challenging PSEG’s timeline and filing for intervention on behalf of landowners.

Member and county engagement was strong too, with hundreds of members participating in town halls, signing petitions and submitting comments to the PSC. In several counties, county Farm Bureau advocacy compelled the county government to pass resolutions opposing the project. In addition, Frederick, Carroll and Baltimore county Farm Bureaus joined Maryland Farm Bureau in the legal battle against the project.

This strategic organization-led grassroots effort compelled the PSC and the Power Plant Research Program to endorse a revised schedule that extended the timeline for a formal decision to March 2027, instead of March 2026. This gives landowners and stakeholders critical additional time to prepare, review documents and organize effective responses.

State Awards of Excellence

Maryland Farm Bureau’s efforts to stop the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project were recognized with a 2026 Award of Excellence in the Advocacy category. The award was presented at the 2026 American Farm Bureau Convention in January in Anaheim.