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CPUC Admits to Smart Meter Health Crisis- Opt-Out Plan Falls Short
Facing mounting opposition to wireless ‘smart’ meters being rolled out by California utilities, including 10 local governments who have criminalized installations, and 23 more who have demanded that the CPUC stop the program because of widespread reports of health impacts, the Commission yesterday signalled that it would ask one of California’s utilities- PG&E- to develop a plan to allow customers to opt out of having a wireless meter installed- at customers’ expense. Meanwhile, as residents in San Francisco and elsewhere learn more about the meters, some are furious and are taking direct action to stop installations.
March 11, 2011
CPUC ADMITS TO SMART METER HEALTH CRISIS--OPT-OUT PLAN FALLS SHORT
Furious Residents in SF’s Richmond District Take Direct Action to Block Installations
San Francisco, CA- Facing mounting opposition to wireless ‘smart’ meters being rolled out by California utilities, including 10 local governments who have criminalized installations, and 23 more who have demanded that the CPUC stop the program because of widespread reports of health impacts, the Commission yesterday signalled that it would ask one of California’s utilities- PG&E- to develop a plan to allow customers to opt out of having a wireless meter installed- at customers’ expense. Meanwhile, as residents in San Francisco and elsewhere learn more about the meters, some are furious and are taking direct action to stop installations.
Kendra Lock, a resident of San Francisco’s Richmond District who had a ‘smart’ meter installed at her house yesterday after being told that “it would be installed whether she allowed it or not,” was angry enough to physically block the Wellington Energy installer from leaving the scene- insisting that he remove the meter from her home. “I felt that PG&E intimidated me- I now realize they are systematically intimidating everyone. We need to start asking questions. Why are they pushing this on us so quickly without consultation or notification? What’s actually behind this rollout?”
Environmental health advocates and a burgeoning grassroots movement to halt the installations welcomed the CPUC’s admission that there is a health crisis with the smart meter program, but slammed the meager steps proposed to address it. According to Joshua Hart, Director of Stop Smart Meters!, “Admitting that there is a problem is the first step to fixing that problem. However, an individual opt out at customer expense for PG&E customers is a diversion. What if you are too poor to avoid having a wireless meter- is the state saying you have to pay to avoid having a headache? That sounds an awful lot like extortion. What if you live in Southern California, or in an apartment building with dozens of meters on your bedroom wall? The bottom line is that these meters are hurting people- and no one deserves to be subject to powerful microwave radiation pulses 24 hours a day in their own home.”
The wireless meters have been widely reported to cause headaches, dizziness, ringing in the ears- even memory loss and heart palpitations among susceptible individuals due to bursts of microwave radiation. The movement against wireless meters is the sharp end of a growing movement demanding health-based standards for wireless technology. Michael Peevey, who Gov. Brown has allowed to continue chairing the Commission, has continually insulted individuals with electro-sensitivity, inferring that they are ‘just making it up.’ Peevey, the former President and Senior Executive of Southern California Edison (SCE) has ties to the telecommunications industry, and continues to chair the Commission that is meant to oversee the utilities, despite popular outrage about clear conflicts of interest. SCE plans to have installed 5.3 million meters between 2009 and 2012.
Health advocates say they will continue protests and civil disobedience until a moratorium is imposed on any further installation, independent hearings on health are scheduled at the state level, and the utilities are directed to remove unwanted meters.
Video from yesterday’s confrontations between residents and PG&E’s contractor Wellington Energy in SF’s Richmond District is available at http://stopsmartmeters.org
###
CPUC ADMITS TO SMART METER HEALTH CRISIS--OPT-OUT PLAN FALLS SHORT
Furious Residents in SF’s Richmond District Take Direct Action to Block Installations
San Francisco, CA- Facing mounting opposition to wireless ‘smart’ meters being rolled out by California utilities, including 10 local governments who have criminalized installations, and 23 more who have demanded that the CPUC stop the program because of widespread reports of health impacts, the Commission yesterday signalled that it would ask one of California’s utilities- PG&E- to develop a plan to allow customers to opt out of having a wireless meter installed- at customers’ expense. Meanwhile, as residents in San Francisco and elsewhere learn more about the meters, some are furious and are taking direct action to stop installations.
Kendra Lock, a resident of San Francisco’s Richmond District who had a ‘smart’ meter installed at her house yesterday after being told that “it would be installed whether she allowed it or not,” was angry enough to physically block the Wellington Energy installer from leaving the scene- insisting that he remove the meter from her home. “I felt that PG&E intimidated me- I now realize they are systematically intimidating everyone. We need to start asking questions. Why are they pushing this on us so quickly without consultation or notification? What’s actually behind this rollout?”
Environmental health advocates and a burgeoning grassroots movement to halt the installations welcomed the CPUC’s admission that there is a health crisis with the smart meter program, but slammed the meager steps proposed to address it. According to Joshua Hart, Director of Stop Smart Meters!, “Admitting that there is a problem is the first step to fixing that problem. However, an individual opt out at customer expense for PG&E customers is a diversion. What if you are too poor to avoid having a wireless meter- is the state saying you have to pay to avoid having a headache? That sounds an awful lot like extortion. What if you live in Southern California, or in an apartment building with dozens of meters on your bedroom wall? The bottom line is that these meters are hurting people- and no one deserves to be subject to powerful microwave radiation pulses 24 hours a day in their own home.”
The wireless meters have been widely reported to cause headaches, dizziness, ringing in the ears- even memory loss and heart palpitations among susceptible individuals due to bursts of microwave radiation. The movement against wireless meters is the sharp end of a growing movement demanding health-based standards for wireless technology. Michael Peevey, who Gov. Brown has allowed to continue chairing the Commission, has continually insulted individuals with electro-sensitivity, inferring that they are ‘just making it up.’ Peevey, the former President and Senior Executive of Southern California Edison (SCE) has ties to the telecommunications industry, and continues to chair the Commission that is meant to oversee the utilities, despite popular outrage about clear conflicts of interest. SCE plans to have installed 5.3 million meters between 2009 and 2012.
Health advocates say they will continue protests and civil disobedience until a moratorium is imposed on any further installation, independent hearings on health are scheduled at the state level, and the utilities are directed to remove unwanted meters.
Video from yesterday’s confrontations between residents and PG&E’s contractor Wellington Energy in SF’s Richmond District is available at http://stopsmartmeters.org
###
For more information:
http://stopsmartmeters.org
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The SmartMeters are just the PG&E version of the Diebold Black Box Voting Scam machines . . . forced extraction of money from the taxpayers through another scam passed by the politicos who are owned by the corporations. At every turn the goal is to suck the citizens dry and funnel it to the billionaires. Don't forget who the criminals are: the billionaires and their corporate / politico minions and spy agencies.
2-week deadline for PG&E's SmartMeter opt-out plan
David R. Baker, Chronicle Staff Writer
San Francisco Chronicle
Friday, March 11, 2011
(03-10) 16:50 PST -- California's top utility regulator on Thursday gave Pacific Gas and Electric Co. two weeks to propose a way for customers to opt out of receiving the company's controversial wireless SmartMeters.
The move follows mounting complaints about the new electricity and gas meters from people who consider the radiation from cell phones, computers and other wireless devices to be a health threat. Opponents have tried to block SmartMeter installation trucks, while 30 local governments throughout Northern and Central California have called for a moratorium on PG&E's $2.2 billion meter program.
The California Public Utilities Commission, which oversees PG&E, has so far refused to halt the program. But on Thursday, commission President Michael Peevey said he had told PG&E to come up with options for customers who don't want the wireless meters.
"Given the continued strong interest in this issue in parts of Northern California, I have spoken directly with PG&E's president and asked him to bring to this commission a proposal or a series of proposals that will allow customers with an aversion to wireless devices the option of being metered without the use of wireless technology," Peevey said.
The options must come "at a reasonable cost, to be paid by the customers who choose to opt out," he said.
Opponents want more
SmartMeter opponents, who have been sharply critical of Peevey, welcomed his comments on Thursday. But they said that simply allowing individual customers to opt out might not be enough. People who believe that the wireless devices permeating modern society have made them sick - a topic of fierce debate - could still be exposed to radio-frequency radiation from their neighbors' meters.
"I think it's long overdue, and it's a good start to the conversation," said Sandi Maurer, founder of the EMF Safety Network. "We're dealing with microwave radiation that's an environmental toxin, and the opt-out is a first step. But then we need hearings on the health impacts."
PG&E, based in San Francisco, reported in November that it was studying options for people who object to the meters. Since then, however, the company has refused to give additional details.
SmartMeter foes believed PG&E was stringing them along, trying to appear open to discussion while installing meters as quickly as possible. The utility, California's largest, has already replaced 74 percent of its old analog electrical meters and 83 percent of its gas meters. Full-scale installation is now under way in San Francisco.
"They were just trying to placate us - they weren't serious," said Sudi Scull, who says the SmartMeter installed on her San Francisco home has caused migraines, heart palpitations and vomiting.
PG&E will meet deadline
A PG&E spokesman on Thursday said the company had been developing options all along and would be able to meet Peevey's deadline.
"We have been examining possible alternatives for the past few months in anticipation of this filing," said company spokesman Paul Moreno. "While this advances our timeline, we are prepared to file by the deadline."
Peevey's order cuts to the heart of the SmartMeter controversy.
Some PG&E customers have questioned the meters' accuracy, although a study last year gave the devices high marks. Others consider the meters a privacy threat, because they can measure energy use hour by hour, revealing when people are and aren't at home. And complaints about their possible health effects have grown, as people who consider themselves sensitive to wireless radiation mobilized against PG&E.
A report in January from the California Council on Science and Technology found that radiation from the meters did not threaten human health in any proven way. But the report left open the possibility that other negative health effects from wireless devices could exist.
One theme has united all of the complaints about the meters - the lack of choice. PG&E customers have not been allowed to reject the new technology, even when they have placed signs over their old meters telling SmartMeter installers to go away.
Limited possibilities
PG&E has yet to describe the opt-out alternatives under consideration. But the possibilities are limited.
The company could allow customers to stick with their old analog meters, which must be checked each month by meter readers. Or PG&E could offer digital meters that transmit their data to the utility over wires or fiber-optic cables. The company experimented with wired meters at the start of the SmartMeter program five years ago, but decided to use wireless technology instead.
Peevey did not specify which alternatives the company should propose.
Assemblyman Jared Huffman, who represents Marin County, introduced legislation in December that would force PG&E and the state's other utilities to offer their customers a choice of advanced meters - either wireless or wired. The choice would be retroactive, extending to customers who have already received a SmartMeter. He welcomed Peevey's announcement on Thursday.
"It certainly is a pivot for the CPUC, and a pivot in a potentially promising direction," said Huffman, D-San Rafael. "We can have a smart grid. We can have SmartMeters. But for folks who feel they get headaches and have concerns about (radio frequency) radiation, let's provide them an alternative so we can all move forward together."
E-mail David R. Baker at dbaker [at] sfchronicle.com.
2-week deadline for PG&E's SmartMeter opt-out plan
David R. Baker, Chronicle Staff Writer
San Francisco Chronicle
Friday, March 11, 2011
(03-10) 16:50 PST -- California's top utility regulator on Thursday gave Pacific Gas and Electric Co. two weeks to propose a way for customers to opt out of receiving the company's controversial wireless SmartMeters.
The move follows mounting complaints about the new electricity and gas meters from people who consider the radiation from cell phones, computers and other wireless devices to be a health threat. Opponents have tried to block SmartMeter installation trucks, while 30 local governments throughout Northern and Central California have called for a moratorium on PG&E's $2.2 billion meter program.
The California Public Utilities Commission, which oversees PG&E, has so far refused to halt the program. But on Thursday, commission President Michael Peevey said he had told PG&E to come up with options for customers who don't want the wireless meters.
"Given the continued strong interest in this issue in parts of Northern California, I have spoken directly with PG&E's president and asked him to bring to this commission a proposal or a series of proposals that will allow customers with an aversion to wireless devices the option of being metered without the use of wireless technology," Peevey said.
The options must come "at a reasonable cost, to be paid by the customers who choose to opt out," he said.
Opponents want more
SmartMeter opponents, who have been sharply critical of Peevey, welcomed his comments on Thursday. But they said that simply allowing individual customers to opt out might not be enough. People who believe that the wireless devices permeating modern society have made them sick - a topic of fierce debate - could still be exposed to radio-frequency radiation from their neighbors' meters.
"I think it's long overdue, and it's a good start to the conversation," said Sandi Maurer, founder of the EMF Safety Network. "We're dealing with microwave radiation that's an environmental toxin, and the opt-out is a first step. But then we need hearings on the health impacts."
PG&E, based in San Francisco, reported in November that it was studying options for people who object to the meters. Since then, however, the company has refused to give additional details.
SmartMeter foes believed PG&E was stringing them along, trying to appear open to discussion while installing meters as quickly as possible. The utility, California's largest, has already replaced 74 percent of its old analog electrical meters and 83 percent of its gas meters. Full-scale installation is now under way in San Francisco.
"They were just trying to placate us - they weren't serious," said Sudi Scull, who says the SmartMeter installed on her San Francisco home has caused migraines, heart palpitations and vomiting.
PG&E will meet deadline
A PG&E spokesman on Thursday said the company had been developing options all along and would be able to meet Peevey's deadline.
"We have been examining possible alternatives for the past few months in anticipation of this filing," said company spokesman Paul Moreno. "While this advances our timeline, we are prepared to file by the deadline."
Peevey's order cuts to the heart of the SmartMeter controversy.
Some PG&E customers have questioned the meters' accuracy, although a study last year gave the devices high marks. Others consider the meters a privacy threat, because they can measure energy use hour by hour, revealing when people are and aren't at home. And complaints about their possible health effects have grown, as people who consider themselves sensitive to wireless radiation mobilized against PG&E.
A report in January from the California Council on Science and Technology found that radiation from the meters did not threaten human health in any proven way. But the report left open the possibility that other negative health effects from wireless devices could exist.
One theme has united all of the complaints about the meters - the lack of choice. PG&E customers have not been allowed to reject the new technology, even when they have placed signs over their old meters telling SmartMeter installers to go away.
Limited possibilities
PG&E has yet to describe the opt-out alternatives under consideration. But the possibilities are limited.
The company could allow customers to stick with their old analog meters, which must be checked each month by meter readers. Or PG&E could offer digital meters that transmit their data to the utility over wires or fiber-optic cables. The company experimented with wired meters at the start of the SmartMeter program five years ago, but decided to use wireless technology instead.
Peevey did not specify which alternatives the company should propose.
Assemblyman Jared Huffman, who represents Marin County, introduced legislation in December that would force PG&E and the state's other utilities to offer their customers a choice of advanced meters - either wireless or wired. The choice would be retroactive, extending to customers who have already received a SmartMeter. He welcomed Peevey's announcement on Thursday.
"It certainly is a pivot for the CPUC, and a pivot in a potentially promising direction," said Huffman, D-San Rafael. "We can have a smart grid. We can have SmartMeters. But for folks who feel they get headaches and have concerns about (radio frequency) radiation, let's provide them an alternative so we can all move forward together."
E-mail David R. Baker at dbaker [at] sfchronicle.com.
For more information:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?...
PG$E OPT-OUT ALTERNATIVE FORCED BY 33 CITIES AND COUNTIES AGAINST WIRELESS SMART METERS.
Ten cities and counties actually went beyond and passed ORDINANCES PROHIBITING WIRELESS smart meter installation.
Opt-out is not the solution to the WIRELESS meter problem.
People who opt-out but have neighbors who don't are still affected by the Wireless RF radiation emitted by the meters 24/7.
People who are unaware of the health problems (and pets, animals, birds, bees, etc) and people who cannot afford the payment for opt-out are still affected.
Isn't being forced to pay to avoid something that you don't want called EXTORTION?
Isn't being forced to pay not be hurt a basic example of extortion?
The attorney for the PUC was previously the attorney for PG$E.
The Chairman of the PUC was previously the President of the Utility Company.
Does that affect their perspective and their loyalties?
The PUC is supposed to be Regulating PG$E. But instead, the PUC is a just a stage for PG$E.
It may not have started that way years ago, but that is the way it is now.
Ten cities and counties actually went beyond and passed ORDINANCES PROHIBITING WIRELESS smart meter installation.
Opt-out is not the solution to the WIRELESS meter problem.
People who opt-out but have neighbors who don't are still affected by the Wireless RF radiation emitted by the meters 24/7.
People who are unaware of the health problems (and pets, animals, birds, bees, etc) and people who cannot afford the payment for opt-out are still affected.
Isn't being forced to pay to avoid something that you don't want called EXTORTION?
Isn't being forced to pay not be hurt a basic example of extortion?
The attorney for the PUC was previously the attorney for PG$E.
The Chairman of the PUC was previously the President of the Utility Company.
Does that affect their perspective and their loyalties?
The PUC is supposed to be Regulating PG$E. But instead, the PUC is a just a stage for PG$E.
It may not have started that way years ago, but that is the way it is now.
...the San Bruno gas pipeline explosion!
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