For Me to Pay to Have Peace of Mind is Really……Wrong

Posted on December 11, 2012 by Josh Hart

Posted in Fires, Michigan, Safety | Leave a comment

Whose Costs? Our Costs.

Posted on December 10, 2012 by Josh Hart

As part of the ‘opt-out’ proceeding, the CPUC is focusing on what the ‘opt-out’ program is costing the utilities (in terms of providing jobs to meter readers etc.).  The regulators generally consider that the party whose actions create costs should be responsible for paying those costs. We agree!  The utilities however, have been twisting this, arguing that those ‘pesky’  people claiming they’ve been injured or are electro-sensitive  should be responsible for the added costs of an analog meter opt out program, since they are responsible for added costs in the program (a program that has been forced on the public with no advance debate or consultation we might add).  Joanne Fletcher of Burbank Water and Power (BWP) has referred to opt outs as “inefficiencies” created by those who want to opt out.  As such, she said that costs should be paid for by the parties creating the “inefficiencies.”

What do you think?

Nina Beety asks:  “What about our costs that have resulted from the ‘Smart’ Meter program?”

Below is a chart with some of her examples to get you started tracking the costs imposed on you by the ‘smart’ meter program.  Download the file in excel format here, and bring these costs to the five public hearings scheduled by the CPUC around California this month.

She asks:

How many other costs? Add them up and let the PUC’s and PSCs, and your elected officials know how the smart meter program has affected you financially. No one is reimbursing us for these horrendous, permanent costs. And if all of our past, present and future costs, as well as the costs to everyone in California, as a result of this program were balanced against their numbers, not only would the total far outweigh theirs, but anyone moral and rational (not to mention fiscally responsible) would stop this program.

Our numbers have to go into the balance sheet.

Editor’s Note: Energy companies like PG&E are only able to make such large profits because the costs of the way they do business are externalized onto individuals, communities and the environment.  In other words- we pay for costs that result from their activities.  What if we started making corporations pay for the true cost of their business activities?  Would they make different decisions?

Posted in California, Citizen rebellion, Class Issues and Social Equality, CPUC, Democracy, Electro-Hyper-Sensitivity, Fires, PG&E | 3 Comments

HOLIDAY CPUC HEARING INFO

Posted on December 6, 2012 by Josh Hart

As bad as the extortionate and punitive smart meter ‘opt-out’ fee policy seems at the moment, utilities in California are pressuring the CPUC to increase the fees, and take away the choice of an analog meter, forcing us to pay hundreds of dollars/ year for a digital ‘radio off’ meter with many of the same problems as the ‘smart’ meter.  It’s been revealed that utilities like PG&E have scrapped millions of perfectly functional analog meters– now they want to charge us for purchasing new ones.

We refuse to be charged for the mistakes of corporate utilities.

Yes ladies and gentlemen it’s that time of year again- when the Grinch raises his ugly head and tries to destroy your holiday season.   Of course the Grinch is a sweet, cute and cuddly cartoon character, whereas the utility company executives forcing smart meters despite clear evidence of harm are thugs and criminals who don’t think twice about hurting your family for a few extra bucks.

Time to show up in force at the CPUC ‘opt out’ hearings happening December 13th-20th in Bakersfield, Santa Barbara, LA, San Clemente, and Santa Rosa. Here’s the info (with flyers to download in pdf):

BAKERSFIELD Dec 13 at 6:00 p.m. Bakersfield City Hall Council Chambers 1501 Truxtun Avenue  Download Bakersfield Flyer

SANTA BARBARA Dec. 14 3:00 pm County Administration Building Board Hearing Room, 4th Floor 105 East Anapamu Street Download Santa Barbara Flyer

LOS ANGELES Dec 17, 2012 at 6:00 p.m. Junipero Serra State Office Building Carmel Room – Auditorium, 1st Floor 320 West 4th Street Download Los Angeles Flyer

SAN CLEMENTE Dec. 18, 2012 at 6:00 p.m.San Clemente Community Center – Ole Hanson Fireside Room 100 N. Calle Seville Download San Clemente Flyer

SANTA ROSA Dec 20, 2012 at 2:00 p.m. Steel Lane Community Center – Dohn Room 415 Steele Lane Download Santa Rosa Flyer

Great, legally based talking points for the hearings have been developed by San Diego’s Electrosmogprevention.org and you can download them here.

Big thanks to Stop OC Smart Meters for creating the above flyer.  Download the version for the hearing that is closest to you, print, and post it everywhere you can.  You can print 4 to a page and hand them out.

Bay Area “Analog Express” to the Santa Rosa Hearing

Hey Bay Area! Meet people.  Have fun!  Sing ‘smart’ meter themed christmas carols!  Tell the CPUC what’s up!

Stop Smart Meters! is chartering a coach to take people from Santa Cruz to the Santa Rosa ‘smart’ meter ‘opt out’ hearing on Thursday December 20th.  The bus will leave Santa Cruz County in the morning and stop on the Peninsula, in San Francisco and Marin County on the way to the Santa Rosa hearing at 2pm on Dec. 20th.  It will return to Santa Cruz, making all stops along the way by approximately 8pm.

Tickets on the Stop Smart Meters! Analog Express are $25 return.  Subsidized seats available. Please e-mail info[at]stopsmartmeters[dot]org to reserve your seat today.

If you cannot attend the hearings:

If you  are  unable  to  attend  these  hearings,  you  may  submit  written  comments  to  the to the CPUC’s Public Advisor’s Office at the address noted below.  Please refer to the application  filing  number,  A.11-­03-­014  et  al,  when  writing.    Please  state  if  you  would   like  a  response,  otherwise  no  response  will  be  sent.  Your  comments  will  become  a  part of the formal file for public comment in this proceeding.  The Public Advisor’s Office will circulate  your  comments  to  the  five  Commissioners,  the  ALJ,  the  Division  of  Ratepayer   Advocates  (DRA),  and  to  CPUC  staff  assigned  to  this  proceeding (and then use it as toilet paper -ed.).  You  may  also  write  to   the  CPUC  if  you  need  advice  on  how  to  participate  in  this  proceeding,  or  would  like  to   receive  further  notices  regarding  the  date,  time,  and  place  of  any  future  hearing  in  this   proceeding:      
 
The  Public  Advisor   California  Public  Utilities  Commission   505  Van  Ness  Avenue,  Room  2103   San  Francisco,  CA    94102   E-­Mail:  Public.Advisor@cpuc.ca.gov

Posted in California, Citizen rebellion, CPUC, Democracy, Marin County, Orange County, PG&E | 7 Comments

Health Damaged by a ‘Smart’ Meter? Take the Survey

Posted on December 5, 2012 by Josh Hart

Have you been injured by smart meter radiation?  Unexplained symptoms start after a new meter was installed by your utility?  Take this new survey and help to document the circumstances around such injuries, and protect others.  Thanks to Conradbiologic.com and the Maine Coalition to Stop Smart Meters for spearheading this project. Their announcement:

Brand new SMART METER HEALTH EFFECTS SURVEY:  If you feel your health has been affected  by smart meters, we request your immediate help in studying these effects.  Follow the link below for more information and to participate in our 15 minute confidential survey on this subject.  If you submit your survey by January 15th 2013, we will be able to use your data in the precedent-setting Maine, USA investigation into the safety of smart meters.  (Note deadline has been moved back) Later submissions may be useful in other legal and regulatory proceedings.  We welcome responses from all over the world.

Link to get to survey:   http://www.conradbiologic.com/smartmetersurvey.html

Meanwhile, according to the results of another study from a university in Chile, 76% of students surveyed reported experiencing health symptoms after a powerful Wi-Fi system was installed.  After experiencing intolerable symptoms, a language professor undertook a survey of his students, who also reported effects from the radiation.

One of the students surveyed says:

“If taking away the router is the reason why a good teacher is staying or leaving, I would prefer the router to be removed.”

We couldn’t say it better ourselves.   Hopefully the administration will wake up and protect their staff and students rather than injurious and inappropriate technology.  Download pdf of the report here.

Posted in Animal Harm, Cancer, Electro-Hyper-Sensitivity, Hawaii, health effects, Health studies, legal issues | 22 Comments

Arizona Smart Grid “Collector Cactus” Killing Plant Life

Posted on December 4, 2012 by Josh Hart

More evidence that smart meters and their infrastructure are harming living things. This smart grid collector- disguised as a saguaro cactus- is emitting high levels of microwave radiation that appear to be harming the oleander bush and other plants directly adjacent.

There’s something sickly perverse about a fake tree or cactus with an antenna embedded being used to broadcast radiation that is killing real plants.   Rather than being disguised, wireless transmitters should be required to be painted fluorescent pink to warn people to stay away.

There’s a point at which efforts to reduce aesthetic impacts from wireless infrastructure cross the line and become intentional deception and concealment.  It appears we’ve already crossed that line.  If you want to get a sense of the extent of this problem, click here.

The ‘smart’ grid is the dystopian future happening right now.   Communities organizing and refusing to tolerate these monstrosities in their neighborhoods- by whatever means necessary- is what is going to stop this.  Polite (or even impolite) letters to President Obama will not.  Sorry to burst your bubble.

Posted in Arizona, Plant damage, radio-frequency radiation | 12 Comments