The Mid-Atlantic Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers is committed to our mission to ensure North America's outdoor heritage of hunting and fishing in a natural setting, through education and work on behalf of wild public lands, waters, and wildlife.  Our wild public lands, waters, and wildlife are critical infrastructure that must be protected and managed for the good of the American people who serve as our public landowners.  Our chapter represents those public landowners across Delaware, Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia.  Just as leaders like President Theodore Roosevelt recognized over a hundred years ago, we must find ways to balance the need for resource requirements against the need for public lands, waters, and wildlife.  

    In Maryland, there is a concerning issue known as the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project, “a 500,000-volt (500 kV) transmission line designed to respond to growing electric needs in Maryland and the surrounding region.”  The transmission line would span roughly 70 miles across three counties.  The proposed routes of the project will impact both public and private lands.  The Chapter is concerned about the impact the project would have on fish and wildlife habitat; fishing and hunting opportunities; and public access to public lands.  While it is outside the scope of our mission as an organization, our hearts go out to the private landowners whose homes, farms, and property would be impacted.

    Our wild public lands, waters, and wildlife are a critical part of America, but we also recognize that our electrical grid is as well.  Improvements and updates to the system are necessary. Still, we must work to find the balance between energy needs and economic stability, while ensuring we minimize the impact on our natural environment.  

    Finding balance as mentioned is not easy but we advocate for no net loss of public land, water, and habitat.  Just as private landowners would be compensated for the loss of property, the public ("public landowners") must be compensated for the loss of public land and waters.  This can be done in a multitude of ways such as looking at the potential of using existing transmission line easements.  Compensation for the loss of public land and waters should be made in the form of new acquisitions of equal or greater value on behalf of the public.  Ideally, this would be done to expand or connect existing public land and waters while enhancing access to those lands.  

    In addition to being a voice for public lands and waters, BHA is also a voice for wildlife. Any action related to this project must be done with the well-being of wildlife in mind as well.   One of the number one factors affecting wildlife populations is habitat loss.  Any infrastructure project must ensure collaboration with local biologists to understand the impacts on habitat and how to best mitigate impacts through preservation or enhancements to habitat.  

   We encourage you as a stakeholder to join us in sharing concerns with this project. Detailed information about the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project can be found at:

Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project 

Map showing possible transmission routes

The Chapter will continue to follow this project and will be engaging with local lawmakers along the way. This will include Maryland State Senators and House Representatives along with US Congressional Senators and House Representatives from the impacted districts.

    "This country has been swinging the hammer of development so long and so hard that it has forgotten the anvil of wilderness which gave value and significance to its labors. The momentum of our blows is so unprecedented that the remaining remnant of wilderness will be pounded into road dust long before we find out its values."

- Aldo Leopold in 193