Mike Ross, president of the Franklin County Area Development Corporation, is raising concerns about the revived Transource transmission line proposal, now known as the Rice-Ringgold Transmission Line Project.
According to Transource, the project would include a 29-mile, 230-kV transmission line connecting a new Rice substation in Shippensburg to the Ringgold substation in Maryland. A new Pennsylvania siting application is expected in 2026.
Ross said FCADC supports planned growth, infrastructure and investment, but does not believe every project proposed in the county should automatically move forward.
In 2021, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission unanimously denied Transource’s applications for the Franklin and York County portions of the project. The PUC found the company had not demonstrated the need required under Pennsylvania law.
In 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ruled that the PUC’s denial was preempted by federal law because it conflicted with the FERC-approved regional planning framework used by PJM. Ross said the ruling addressed state and federal authority but did not determine whether the project benefits Franklin County.
Beginning in 2018, the Franklin County Commissioners approved the use of county funds to oppose the Transource project. In 2024, after legal and technical experts advised that additional taxpayer funding would not change the court’s final decision, the county discontinued the use of taxpayer funds. The county also negotiated a penalty clause that would provide taxpayers with $9 million if the line is built.
Ross said the payment should be viewed as mitigation, not proof of public benefit.
Ross also pointed to changes in PJM’s public materials regarding Project 9A. The project was placed in suspension in 2021 because of siting risks. PJM’s January 2025 annual reevaluation said the project remained suspended and showed a benefit-cost ratio below PJM’s normal 1.25 benchmark in the then-feasible configuration. Later in 2025, PJM reported stronger economics for a narrowed western-only version and moved to eliminate the eastern segment.
Ross said the changing economics, footprint and justification for the project should make local officials and residents cautious.
FCADC supports projects that expand opportunity in Franklin County, Ross said, but he questioned whether the Rice-Ringgold project would provide enough local benefit to justify its impacts on farms, landscapes, property owners and communities.
Ross said the issue is not whether transmission infrastructure matters, but whether this specific project is the right one for Franklin County.
Photo credits to Coalition To Protect Franklin County – CTPFC
