Ardentown draft would ban new 60 kV+ transmission lines within 100 feet of homes; reading postponed

The Village of Ardentown’s minutes record a second reading on July 14, 2025, of a draft 'Transmission Line Infrastructure' ordinance that would prohibit construction, installation, or operation of new electrical transmission lines and supporting towers at or above 60 kilovolts within 100 feet of any Ardentown residential housing unit.

The draft frames the prohibition around a set of findings that cite environmental, health, financial and legal concerns. It asserts that transmission infrastructure has allowed invasive species and landscape damage, that pesticide use by power companies undermines village conservation efforts, and that existing towers have contributed to elevated lead in surrounding soils. The draft also raises health concerns about electromagnetic fields near homes and claims Delmarva Power has “backpedaled on prior agreements.”

Key provisions recorded in the minutes include a 100-foot proximity ban for new 60 kV-or-higher lines; definitions that explicitly list the Candlelight Theatre (Robin Hood Barn) among residential housing units covered by the rule; an annual impact fee levied on Delmarva Power or successors calculated from taxable square footage and Ardentown land-rent records and due by June 1 each year; enforcement by the Village (with support from the Ardentown Trustees) including a fine of $500 per day for each day a violation continues; severability; and an effective-date clause stating the ordinance would take effect immediately upon adoption.

The minutes note the draft includes changes recommended by attendees and that it "will be read at a future meeting" because of those recommended changes, indicating the draft was not adopted at this session. No vote or formal adoption is recorded in the minutes.

Next steps: the minutes say the transmission draft will be revised in response to attendee recommendations and brought back for further reading at a future meeting.