Mainers appeared in Augusta on Wednesday to defend their right to private property during a public hearing on a bill which would prevent the state from forcibly seizing private land for the construction of a high-power transmission line.

The controversial transmission line, which is without a developer following LS Power’s decision to pull out of the project, would theoretically connect Massachusetts renewable energy customers to a proposed wind farm 92 percent owned by foreign investors.

The project has previous had the backing of a bipartisan group of Aroostook County politicians, including Senate President Troy Jackson (D-Aroostook), Senate Republican Leader Trey Stewart (R-Aroostook), and Rep. Austin Theriault (R-Fort Kent), who is also running for Congress in Maine’s Second Congressional District.

Although the transmission line and related wind farm were original billed as “green” energy projects that would bring jobs to the County, momentum has been building against the transmission line as the prospect of developers using eminent domain has become more likely.