The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday signed a petition to send to the CPUC, which will consider Pacific Gas & Electric Co.’s opt-out proposal at a meeting this Thursday.
The CPUC’s meeting will take place beginning at 9 a.m. in the commission’s auditorium, 505 Van Ness Ave. in San Francisco. The meeting can be listened to via phone at 800-857-1917, passcode 92105.
County Counsel Anita Grant told the board Tuesday that Lake, Mendocino, Marin and a number of other counties were being asked to execute a petition to the CPUC seeking the delay.
Supervisor Anthony Farrington said the state’s small counties, by acting together, moved the CPUC “a substantial distance” in terms of what he said was the commission’s intention to shove SmartMeters down the throats of consumers.
The county has taken a tough stance over the wireless meters, which have been the focus of a grassroots effort in opposition to their installation.
Last year, the Board of Supervisors approved a temporary moratorium on the installation of SmartMeters in the county’s unincorporated areas.
In December, in response to the publishing of the CPUC’s proposed decision on the opt-out proposal, Grant submitted to the CPUC a response disagreeing with the proposed decision “as to the health, privacy, security, and environmental impacts of SmartMeters, and the fees imposed by the selected opt-out option,” as Lake County News has reported.
Also last month, PG&E said it was asking the CPUC to allow customers who wish to opt out of using SmartMeters the choice of using traditional analog, mechanical meters. However, additional fees would be required for those customers.
The petition document the board approved Tuesday urges the commission to delay a decision pending further public hearings and input in order “to ensure the due process rights of all stakeholders.”
“The decision, which calls for charging fees to customers who elect to opt out of the SmartMeter program, conflicts with local planning authority, does not protect the health or safety of all residents and imposes a prejudicial financial burden on ratepayers who choose to opt out of the program,” the document stated.
In addition, the petition said the proposed agreement does not provide an empirical basis for the amount of the fees to be charged to customers who opt out or those who want to continue using analog meters, and faults PG&E for ignoring local planning codes in deploying its SmartMeter network.
“Currently many of our jurisdictions have passed ordinances which impose a moratorium on wireless SmartMeters and have petitioned to opt out on a jurisdictional basis,” the document stated. “The current order is silent on these issues and effectively discards them without consideration.”
Another fault with the proposed decision is how it “ignores the longstanding controversy and concern about the health impacts associated with electro-magnetic fields,” with the petition citing studies that raise issues about such fields.
By imposing a different power rate on customers who need to avoid exposure to such fields due to health concerns, the petition argues that the proposed CPUC decision violates state public utility code which states, “No public utility shall prejudice, disadvantage, or require different rates or deposit amounts from a person because of ancestry, medical condition …”
The proposed decision does not address those concerns or the financial viability of wired equipment alternatives. “In doing so, it eliminates a much anticipated public hearing process,” according to the petition.
Supervisors Rob Brown, Jim Comstock, Jeff Smith and Anthony Farrington all signed the petition. Supervisor Denise Rushing, who has worked in the energy industry for many years, abstained from the discussion due to a potential conflict of interest.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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