Maryland landowners ask Supreme Court to review power line property access

Opponents of the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project, a 67-mile power line crossing Baltimore, Carroll, and Frederick counties, have petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to hear their case, The Baltimore Banner reported. The dispute centers on whether the developer, Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG), can conduct surveys on private properties without landowner consent before receiving final state regulatory approval.

The landowners, represented by attorneys from the Pacific Legal Foundation, argue that PSEG has been allowed to exercise eminent domain-like powers prematurely. They contend that federal courts permitted PSEG to enter private lands before the Maryland Public Service Commission granted a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity, which is required to construct the transmission line, FOX45 Baltimore reported.

A federal judge initially allowed PSEG to proceed with surveys on nonconsenting properties, and a Virginia appeals court upheld that ruling in August, according to The Baltimore Banner. The power line project, valued at $424 million, is intended to move electricity from Pennsylvania to Northern Virginia to support energy demands from data centers.

The project remains in the early stages of Maryland's permitting process, with the regional grid operator emphasizing the line's necessity to prevent potential blackouts across its multistate system, The Baltimore Banner said. Opposition from landowners has been strong, including efforts to resist surveys and requests for U.S. Marshals Service protection for PSEG surveyors.

PSEG declined to comment on the Supreme Court petition, as reported by both The Baltimore Banner and FOX45 Baltimore. The Supreme Court receives thousands of petitions each term but accepts only a small fraction for review, making the outcome uncertain.

The case highlights tensions between property rights and infrastructure development in Maryland, particularly in Baltimore-area rural communities affected by the project.