Community members say company’s filing misrepresents law and sidelines environmental justice protections
Perryman, MD — December 22, 2025 — Residents of the Perryman Peninsula and members of the community group 3P Protect Perryman Peninsula are raising concerns following a recent filing by Constellation Energy urging the Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) to deny a request for additional time to review proposed energy projects under the state’s new expedited approval process.
In its filing, Constellation argues that the Commission must act quickly and that environmental justice and community impact concerns can be addressed later in the process. Perryman residents say that framing is both misleading and dangerous—particularly given that the proposed project site is located in a census tract identified by the Maryland Department of the Environment as overburdened and underserved.
“This isn’t just paperwork to us,” said Ron Stuskinski, a Perryman resident and U.S. Postal Service letter carrier who lives closest to the proposed site. “This is about what we breathe, what we hear, and what happens right outside our homes. Calling this a ‘procedural’ decision doesn’t change the fact that once something is fast-tracked, the community is already behind the curve.”
Community members note that selection under the PSC’s current solicitation process determines which projects gain access to an extraordinary fast-track review, shaping timelines, public participation, and leverage long before a full Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity is considered.
“They’re asking regulators to move first and ask questions later,” said Stacy Stone, a lifelong Perryman resident who lives on Park Beach Drive near the proposed site and serves on the Harford County Democratic Central Committee. “Maryland strengthened its environmental justice laws because communities like ours were harmed when decisions were rushed. Those protections don’t work if they’re treated as an afterthought.”
Under the statute, the PSC must act within a compressed timeline that leaves only a short window to review recommendations from the Power Plant Research Program before issuing a decision that will set the trajectory for all subsequent reviews. Residents argue that requesting additional time is not obstruction, but a reasonable step to ensure the process is lawful, transparent, and defensible.
“No one here is saying reliability doesn’t matter,” said Sarah Gonzalez, a Perryman resident and member of 3P Protect Perryman Peninsula. “What we’re saying is that reliability shouldn’t come at the expense of communities that are already carrying more than their share of pollution and industrial burden.”
Others emphasized that Perryman is not an abstract location on a map, but a real neighborhood with families, private wells, nearby waterways, and existing infrastructure pressures.
“When companies say, ‘we’ll deal with impacts later,’ that usually means residents deal with the consequences,” said Tamie Wainwright, another Perryman resident and 3P member. “Meaningful community engagement has to happen before decisions are locked in, not after.”
3P Protect Perryman Peninsula and local residents are urging the Public Service Commission to grant a limited extension of time to ensure that environmental justice obligations and public participation requirements are meaningfully applied at the outset of this precedent-setting process.
“This is one of the first major tests of Maryland’s new energy law,” said Paul Fallace, President of 3P Protect Perryman Peninsula. “The Commission can move responsibly and lawfully at the same time—but only if environmental justice protections are treated as mandatory, not optional.”
Media Contact:
Paul Fallace, 3P Protect Perryman Peninsula
www.protectperryman.com
PJfallace@gmail.com
Additional Background: The proposals under review were submitted by Constellation Energy under a new expedited process created by the 2025 Next Generation Energy Act and involve multiple projects at or near the existing Perryman Generating Station in Harford County. Taken together, the proposals would significantly expand gas-fired electricity generation at the site and include a large-scale battery energy storage project, all located along the Bush River and in close proximity to residential neighborhoods, waterways, and sensitive natural resources.
Approval at this stage would determine which projects are allowed to proceed through an accelerated Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity review. Citing the compressed timeline and the project’s location in an overburdened and underserved community, the Maryland League of Conservation Voters and Earthjustice have filed motions with the Public Service Commission requesting additional time for review, while organizations including Sierra Club, Clean Water Action and the Otter Point Creek Alliance have submitted comments raising similar concerns.
Access to the Public Service Commission Record on this issue can be found here (PC-74): https://webpscxb.psc.state.md.
