Virtual Public Hearing Jan 27 for Blacks Mill Road Solar Project in Frederick County
January 13, 2026
Media contact: Tori Leonard | tori.leonard@maryland.gov
BALTIMORE, MD) – Local residents and other interested members of the public are invited to comment on a proposal by Blacks Mill Road Solar 1, LLC to construct a 5.0 MW solar generating facility in Frederick County. The virtual hearing will take place on Tuesday, January 27, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. The Public Service Commission has delegated this case to its Public Utility Law Judge Division; Public Utility Law Judge Jennifer J. Grace will preside.
In July 2025, the developer applied to the Maryland Public Service Commission for what is known as a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN), which grants an applicant the authority to construct an energy generating station in Maryland. According to the application, the developer proposes to build the project, intended as part of Maryland’s community solar program, on approximately 47 acres of a nearly 142.5-acre property at 7308 Blacks Mill Road in Thurmont.
In addition to taking comments from the public, the hearing will include a presentation by the applicant, brief statements by the parties, including the Power Plant Research Program of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, and the Commission’s Technical Staff, as to their respective roles in the case.
Those who would like to speak at the hearing must sign up (by January 26, 2026) through the Calendly app on the Commission’s website, www.psc.state.md.us:
● Under ‘Featured Topics’ on the right side of the webpage, click on ‘Public Comment Hearing Sign Up’;
● Click on ‘Case 9804’, and the hearing date and time (January 27 at 6 p.m.);
● Click ‘Next’, enter name and email
● Click ‘Schedule Event’
Once the sign up process is complete, registrants will receive a Zoom link.
Barring any technical difficulties, the hearing can also be watched on the PULJ Division’s (MD PSC PULJs) YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2X6wLiP
In addition to the hearing, written comments can be sent electronically through the Commission’s online portal at https://www.psc.state.md.us/make-a-public-comment/, or by mail. Comments sent by mail should be addressed to: Jamie Bergin, Chief Clerk, Maryland Public Service Commission, William Donald Schaefer Tower, 6 St. Paul Street, 16th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202. So that they are noted in the proper case file, all comments should reference Case No. 9804 and be sent in through June 8, 2026.
In addition to the online docket, the application is available for review at the Frederick County Zoning Administration, 30 N. Market Street in Frederick.