Wyoming Smart Meters Installed Under Threat of Violence

Posted on January 25, 2011 by Josh Hart

Utilities seem hell bent on exposing you to wireless radiation- even under threat of force

A disturbing report from Wyoming this morning- a man who has metal implants, and was worried about the very real risk to his health [1] posed by the microwave radiation from the meters, was threatened with having his electricity cut off unless he accepted a ‘smart’ meter on his home.   Then after promising to keep the meter off his home for the time being, the utility broke their promise and showed up with sheriff’s deputies to install.

You better believe that the California utilities are also preparing to use these kind of heavy handed tactics to force their meters onto your home.  Here is an excerpt from San Diego Gas and Electric’s plan to deal with ‘uncooperative residents’:

——————————————

Proposed Plan for Refusals

  • Plan to vetted with stakeholders and refined as necessary
  • Send 1st  Last and Final letter requesting 20 day response
  • SDG&E attempt outreach in field and survey site
  • Leave a door hanger at every available entry point
  • Send 2nd  Last and Final  letter specifying date of termination of service
  • Make every effort to contact the customer in person

Service Termination:

  • Option 1:  If the electric was changed and the gas is the remaining service, use the

electric meter Remote Disconnect feature

  • Option 2:  Preferred shut-off would be electric first (gas is costly)
  • Electric service is cut at the pole or in the underground
  • A damage order of approx. $1,000 for service termination costs to be paid before

service is restored

  • Schedule appropriate crew, law enforcement, animal control for termination date
  • Crew will be prepared to cut or install both gas and electric Smart Meters as needed
  • Estimated start date: Q1 2011

——————————————————–

“The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.”

–President Barak Obama, Smart Grid advocate, in his inaugural speech:

[1] ANSI/IEEE standards adopted in 1992 (C95.1-1992) and 1999 revisions
June 2001 SC-4 Committee Minutes (as cited in Sage Associates’ Assessment of Radiofrequency Microwave Radiation Emissions from Smart Meters 2011)

Posted in Citizen rebellion, Democracy, Health studies, Police | 2 Comments

San Francisco in PG&E’s Crosshairs for Exposure to “Extra Strength” Smart Meter Radiation

Posted on January 21, 2011 by Josh Hart

Widespread deployment of 'smart' meters is imminent in San Francisco.

More cities and counties every week are moving to criminalize ‘smart’ meter installations in response to people who are being sickened by the powerful bursts of rf radiation (now up to 25 local governments have officially demanded a halt to the program). The town of Rio Dell in Humboldt County is the latest to ban the devices outright, and Mendocino County will consider a ban on Tuesday.  Four women have been arrested at two separate protests in the North Bay over the last month for peacefully blocking installations of the meters.  And questions are now being raised about the make up and scientific objectivity of the CCST panel whose report was widely reported to give the ‘all clear’ on health matters last week.

Nevertheless, amidst all the controversy, and despite the SF Board of Supervisors formal opposition to the meters, PG&E tells the Chronicle they are preparing to install in the City within the next two weeks.  As the company admits in their internal documents obtained through a freedom of information request, San Francisco poses a special challenge to the ill-fated wireless smart meter program (beyond the City’s history of civil disobedience).  Many utility rooms (with sometimes hundreds of meters) are underground, downtown urban canyons interfere with wireless communications, and a lack of utility poles in many areas means they have to install their data collector units (or DCU’s) under grates and other awkward locations closer to the public.

So you would think they would be sensible and use fibre optic cable or something.  But the first thing you gotta learn if you’re a piggy feeding from the ratepayer and taxpayer feeding trough is to always make things more technically complex and expensive than they need to be.  Thus, of course they just make the wireless signal STRONGER.  That’s right PG&E has developed a secret weapon to deal with the pesky problems posed by the City and its residents– a powerful transmitter called S.U.N.D.S:

These extra strength wireless devices will be used to send utility usage data to the surface from underground utility rooms- rather like killing an ant with a sledgehammer. This is set to be rolled out in SF on a massive scale despite thousands already sickened by the emissions from the regular meters.

The SUNDS program (Subterranean Network Deployment System) which in practical terms- combined with the density of the land use in the city means that RF from the smart meter system is likely to be considerably stronger in SF than elsewhere.  An anonymous source at PG&E tells us that the SUNDS program involves boosting the antenna power from 1 to 6 watts- which would mean another potential violation of FCC limits.  This really is the wild west with regulators and legislators asleep at the wheel, drugged by donations as the car accelerates toward the cliff.

Wireless antenna are being installed under utility grates throughout the city. Did PG&E obtain permission from the city for these? Homeless people sleep on top of these grates to keep warm in the winter- what about their health?

How many thousands of people will be sickened and sleepless after these are installed?

Exposing the population to wireless radiation from these 625,000 meters packed into a 7×7 square mile city- the densest city west of the Mississippi- on top of all the pre-existing radiation- is a human experiment of unprecedented proportions.  We’d be tempted to just let them do it and allow the program to collapse in on itself- if we didn’t have friends and loved ones living in the City who are going to be hurt.

PG&E plans to start smart meter installation in SF within the next 1-2 weeks, potentially starting in the Marina district where people have already received notification letters.  Please take a minute and write an e-mail to your friends who live in SF with some links to anti-smart meter websites like this one, and encourage them to write their supervisor and mayor to demand the city enact an ordinance prohibiting installation.

People throughout the state have stood their ground against the utilities– in Santa Cruz, Marin, and Sonoma Counties, and the truth is that this direct action has achieved results.  We wouldn’t be shocked to find out that the fleet of white Wellington trucks elicits a response from the people of San Francisco.  Send us reports of any protests and please include written accounts, photos, and video so we can post on the site.

I like the quote sent in by Nina Beety- a tireless opponent of ‘smart’ meters from Monterey County:

“It does not take a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires of freedom in the minds of men”

-Samuel Adams

Thanks for all of you who continue to make those brush fires rage.

Everyone knows advertising is used to sell us on things we don't really need. PG&E has a multi-million dollar promotional campaign to 'sell' us something we certainly don't need. Don't buy their lies.

Stop Smart Meters! is able to continue doing what we do in part due to the many small donations from people like you!  Our donate page is here.  Thank you.

Posted in Citizen rebellion, Democracy, PG&E, San Francisco | 15 Comments

Charging People to Safeguard their Health Has a Name- It’s Called Extortion

Posted on January 18, 2011 by Josh Hart

Thanks for nothing CPUC

The New York Times reported last week that (after months of increasingly desperate attempts to make them realize that they are endangering public health) the California Public Utilities Commission is finally considering allowing people to opt out of being forced to have a wireless ‘smart’ meter on their home.  Even if it means they have to take out a second mortgage on their home so that their kid’s headache will go away.  Thanks for nothing CPUC.
The paper reported:

In separate interviews, California Public Utilities Commission members Nancy Ryan and Timothy Simon said they were open to looking at new policies that would either let ratepayers reject smart meter installation outright or pursue wired rather than wireless connections.

Their comments came in reaction to public pressure from a small but vocal group of residents and lawmakers in Marin County who fear the meters might be dangerous because of the electromagnetic waves they emit. Though the science on the question appears to indicate no health threat, the Marin County Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance last week that deems the installation of smart meters a misdemeanor.

Where to begin?  First out of the blue, we get the ‘science on the question appears to indicate no health threat.’ According to whom exactly?  Did the journalists review the science themselves?  Did they speak to anyone suffering from the effects of a new ‘smart’ meter on their home?  Or did they accept the unscientific conclusions of a group of smart grid and industry insiders with no health background that appeared in the recent CCST report?    Real scientists like Henry Lai at the University of Washington (who in 1996 published peer-reviewed evidence that low levels of wireless radiation break down your genetic material) may very well disagree with that assessment.  Perhaps that’s why in the same year that Lai’s research was published over the loud protests of the wireless industry, the Federal Telecommunications Act specifically prohibited local governments from rejecting cell towers based on health impacts.   Sometimes science has a pesky way of interfering with all that corporate profit.  Thank god we have the feds to sort it all out for us.

Then out of nowhere we get this claim that the number of opponents to the program are ‘small but vocal.’  That label is straight out of the corporate guide to minimizing the appearance of public opposition (chapter 7 verse 12).  No matter that the label has absolutely no connection to reality given that now 25 cities and counties in CA have officially demanded a halt to the ‘smart’ meter program and four have actually criminalized wireless meter installations.  No matter that thousands of ‘smart’ meter health complaints have been filed with the CPUC.  No matter that widespread protests and groups forming all over the state of California have presented PG&E with one of the biggest crises in its ugly history.

Reality must be quite an inconvenience to the corporate agenda.  Truth a real annoyance.  Good thing we have the mainstream media to obscure it all for us.

Commissioner Simon goes on to say:

“We have installed 10 million meters, and this is the only group from Marin County that has staged a protest based on radio frequency,” he said. “Why is it just isolated to their group?”

This is a blatant lie and absolute distortion of the truth (and he knows it).   Surely the journalists who are covering this story are aware that there are dozens of groups and thousands of individuals all around the state who are mobilizing to stop this assault on our health and well being, including the Scotts Valley Neighbors Against Smart Meters, Sonoma County Republicans, EMF Safety Network, West Marin Citizens Against Smart Meters, Environmental Options Network, and many many others.  And yet Commissioner Simon’s rhetoric goes unchallenged.

Then Commissioner Ryan goes on to re-write history, attempting to nudge herself and her reputation onto the sane side of a moral crisis that is increasingly enveloping the Commission:

“I’ve always been of the opinion that there should be some consideration of opting out, provided people pay their full freight,” she said.

Ryan added that she has spoken to California Assemblyman Jared Huffman (D), who represents Marin, about the possibility of creating a local assessment district so Marin residents can pay for wired meters. Huffman has authored legislation that would authorize wired as well as wireless installations.

So let me get this straight.  The PUC decide they want California to be one of the first to implement a ‘smart’ grid, so without any public consultation whatsoever, they commit California ratepayers to a $2.2 billion debacle.  They approve a wired version of the smart meter initially, avoiding possible violations of the state’s environmental laws.  In order to be the first, they decide to allow the technology to be installed throughout the whole state without so much as a pilot program to ensure that all is well.  Then in a daring ploy of bait and switch, they contract with Silver Spring Networks- a telecom corporation based in Redwood City- to install the meters using wireless technology- without having to undergo any environmental review.   The Commission rubber stamps PG&E’s outrageous rate hikes to pay for a technology  that we were never consulted on or asked if we even wanted in the first place.  Even the utility rates of the poorest customers have increased to line the pockets of the utility industry.  Not even a simple notification of elected governments of cities and counties that they are placing millions of wireless meters and thousands of new antennae, violating local franchise agreements.  Very little (if any) advance notice for the rest of us.

After their carelessness and negligence in allowing wireless technology as a platform is showcased for the world to see, as local elected government after government formally rejects the technology that is making their people sick, they have the audacity to demand a ransom from customers who have already been forced to pay for a technology that they don’t want.  This confirms rumors that have been reported- that PG&E plans to charge $50/ month extra to customers who don’t want a stupid meter on their home.

There is a word for that.  It’s called extortion.

ex·tor·tion –noun

the crime of obtaining of property from another induced by wrongful use of actual or threatened force, violence, or fear, or under color of official right.
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again.  PG&E is a criminal organization (even though many of their employees are good-hearted and well meaning).  Their reckless and homicidal decisions to put profits over safety have resulted in the deaths of people in San Bruno, Hinckley, Kettleman City, and many more cities and towns.

And the state is covering for the utility executives every step of the way.   The CPUC is- in the view of an increasing number of Californians (even their own employees)- illegitimate servants of the corporate agenda, in love with money and hostile to the welfare of the public.

I have an idea- let the billions of obscene corporate profits cover the cost of disabling the wireless components of the meters, re-hiring the 1000 meter readers that they let go, and letting us live our lives in peace- without the spectacular corruption and fetid lies ringing in our ears.

Then there’s this gem:

Mark Duvall, director of electric transportation and energy storage at the Electric Power Research Institute, agreed that the negative press means utilities and regulators should take the issue seriously. But in the same breath, he argued that all research done to date on the subject indicates there is no real or present threat.

“Yes, there are some hiccups,” he said, noting that utilities had installed as many as 6,000 meters a day in some areas without much problem. “But you need to look at all the societal benefits. These are significant technological accomplishments.”

Hiccups?  Really?   Try blackouts, heart arrythmias, and migraines.  Some of these tech guys remind me of little boys who never grew up.  When their parents tell them that the train set they have extended into the kitchen might trip grandma up and they’re going  to have to remove it, they kick and scream and have a tantrum.   “B.b.b.b.but MOM…it’s a significant technological accomplishment!! You can’t make me take it down!”

Can we rely on Governor Brown to be a responsible adult and make right what his predecessor so royally screwed up?  I hope so- but I’m not holding my breath.   PG&E’s former vice president Nancy McFadden- who engineered Prop. 16, last year’s failed attempt to circumvent local democracy- – is now essentially the Governor’s chief of staff.

I think I need a stiff drink.


Posted in Citizen rebellion, CPUC, Democracy, Environmental Concerns, Health studies, PG&E | 3 Comments

Are We Listening to Doctors’ Warnings?

Posted on January 17, 2011 by Josh Hart
This just in:
On 1/14/2011 Dr Tobin Watkinson writes (using the Commissioner’s Online Email Form):

From over 34 years of practice I have seen numerous patients who had symptoms which were usually dismissed or referred inappropriately to Psychiatry which were ultimately traced to electromagnetic and wireless sensitivities. My wife and I both became extremely sensitive to such technology after living under power lines for 5 years before selling the property.

Our home was recently switched to the wireless smart meters without our being told and we are both now experiencing symptoms of sleeplessness and ringing ears and head pains. I contacted SDG&E and was told there was no provision to remove the device and return to the analogue meter. Even when I offered to provide a CAT 5 internet cable to the utility I was again told there was no provission and that there was a mandate in place for the installation of the smart meters and there were no provisions for anyone sensitive or disabled from electronic sensitivities.

I find this a grave error to not allow those who have such sensitivities to be denied the right to remove or opt out of the mandated installation. There is a current document prepared by the University of Washington which I find to be an excellent compilation of data on this subject by an organization which is unbiased and has zero profit motive. Please look at this reference while making decisions which effect those under your care to protect. Environ.Rev. 18: 369-395 (2010) doi:10.1139/A10-018 Published by NRC by B. Blake Levitt and Henry Lai Department of Bioengineering University of Washington Seattle, WA “Biological effects from exposure to electromagnetic radiation emitted by cell tower base stations and other antenna arrays”

Thank you for your time,

Dr Tobin Watkinson

Posted in Citizen rebellion, CPUC, Democracy, Health studies | 2 Comments

Smart Meter Interfering with your Appliances? We’ll be right out. Smart Meter Interfering with Your Sleep? Sorry you’re out of luck.

Posted on January 13, 2011 by Josh Hart

Corte Madera resident Jane Levinsohn showing how a 'smart' meter made her motion sensor lights switch on for no reason. Photo Courtesy Marin IJ

It was reported in the Marin IJ Tuesday that a Corte Madera resident- Jane Levinsohn- complained to PG&E that after a ‘smart’ meter was installed on her home, her outdoor motion sensor lights were switching on and off for no reason in the middle of the night.   PG&E came out and tried using a ‘lower power’ version of the wireless meter, but the interference was still a problem.  They eventually replaced it with the old analog meter.  This is just one of hundreds- perhaps thousands of cases of electronic interference reported after a wireless meter is installed.

That’s just electronic interference.  What about human interference?  Despite thousands of requests to remove the meters because people are getting sick, as we and others have been documenting, PG&E- backed by the CPUC, has turned a deaf ear to these complaints.  We wonder what exactly they think of the thousands of people like you and me who are reporting headaches, sleeplessness, ringing in the ears, etc.

Do they think we’re crazy?

Do they think we’re just making it up to make their lives difficult?

The  viewpoint that people who complain about health effects of wireless technology are just crazy- part of the ‘tinfoil hat brigade’ or are just making it up- that perspective is simply no longer credible.

Why?  Because there is now peer-reviewed scientific evidence that certain people are indeed sensitive to microwave radiation at levels far below where the FCC sets its safety limits.  Does this really come as a surprise though?  Humans and all other living things send and receive electromagnetic impulses on a cellular level.   The surprising thing would be if wireless signals did not interefere with human biology.

It’s certainly a sad day when machines get priority over human beings.  But that is exactly what we are seeing unfold before our eyes.   PG&E, the other utilities, and the telecommunications industry as a whole are burying their collective heads in the sand, and trying to bury evidence that people are getting hurt.

To admit that people, plants, and animals are being wounded by wireless technology means that we need to question this blind rush to a wireless future.

With the mandatory wireless smart meter program, they’ve pushed it too far.  And when Republican grandmothers start risking arrest,  I think they are beginning to realize it.

Posted in interference, PG&E | 11 Comments