Natural Resources - Wildland Areas - Overhead Transmission Lines

SB 399 exempts three specific wildland areas (Big Savage Mountain, Bear Pen, and Dan's Mountain) from being designated as protected wildlands if NextEra Energy Transmission MidAtlantic, Inc. obtains a certificate of public convenience and necessity for an overhead transmission line. The bill modifies state law to require the Public Service Commission to approve the project after a public review process that considers local government input, system reliability, economic impact, aesthetics, and environmental factors. This exemption would directly allow the transmission line project to proceed without the affected areas being subject to standard wildland protections.