SmartMeters Raise Questions of Science and Legality

Plenty of people in Santa Cruz County are upset at the prospect of SmartMeters being installed on their homes. With World Health Organization studies showing the potential dangers of such wireless devices, groups like Scotts Valley-based Stop Smart Meters! have .

Other findings show that SmartMeters operate within FCC safety standards. .  

With growing concern among residents, several local municipalities, including Capitola, Watsonville and the County of Santa Cruz have passed ordinances to ban SmartMeter installation through the rest of 2011, joining 42 other city governments that have acted accordingly. However, the Scotts Valley City Council voted against a ban on the devices in September 2010.

In recent weeks, PG&E has begun the installation process throughout Santa Cruz County much to the dismay of residents who felt the issue had been resolved by the various city and county moratoriums.

"Cities don't have jurisdiction when it comes to the deployment of our SmartMeters and our program," PG&E Spokesman Greg Snapper told Patch. "Only the CPUC (California Public Utilities Commission) has jurisdiction over the program."

CPUC Spokesman Christopher Chow reflected Snapper's stance in an email to Patch.

"The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has authorized the state’s investor owned utilities (PG&E) to replace conventional customer meters with SmartMeters in order to give consumers greater control over their energy use," Chow said. "Section 8 of Article 12 of the California Constitution states that '[a] city, county, or other public body may not regulate matters over which the Legislature grants regulatory power to the Commission."

PG&E’s decision to go ahead with the installation process has sparked protests around the county, including one on Monday where about 50 protestors gathered at a Santa Cruz PG&E facility to stop trucks belonging to Wellington Energy, the company's subcontractor hired for the installation, from leaving the lot, and one on June 21 in which Stop Smart Meters! director Josh Hart was arrested for blocking a doorway at a PG&E payment center in Capitola.

"PG&E wants a fight with the county, they've got one," Scotts Valley resident Hart said.

He said almost everyone protesting says they are willing to risk arrest if necessary, because they are alarmed about the health risks SmartMeters pose.

Hart said electromagnetic radiation emitted by these wireless technologies will have long-term, detrimental health effects on people, animals and plants.

There are documented reports of people suffering from headaches, ringing in ears, inability to sleep, and heart arrhythmia, Hart said.

Though installation has already begun in Santa Cruz County, County counsel Dana McRae recently wrote a letter to Wellington energy warning against the action throughout the county.

"The installation of SmartMeters in unincorporated areas of Santa Cruz County will be in violation of the County’s ordinance, and any person found violating the ordinance will be subject to citation by law enforcement personnel," she said in the letter.

Enforcing the ordinance, some argue, unfairly punishes the laborers employed by Wellington or PG&E.

"Citing or arresting workers for nothing more than doing their job is an attack against working people," International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local Union 1245 Business Representative Hunter Stern wrote in a letter to the Capitola City Council. 

After a similar ordinance was passed in Marin County, one sheriff in the area refused to issue the citations. 

While attempts to stop PG&E from continued SmartMeter installation appear futile, customers can sign-up for the SmartMeter delay list, which allows them to keep an analog meter temporarily. An official opt out list is not yet a reality, although it is in the works. To sign up for the delay list, customers can call 866-743-0263.

With conflicting scientific studies on the safety hazards of SmartMeters, deciding whether to sign up for the delay list or not can be tricky.

"I understand that people may want to wait until health concerns and accuracy issues are resolved," Aspen Environmental Group Energy Analyst Ashley Spalding said. "But, that may never happen and we cannot afford to postpone the installation of SmartMeters indefinitely. They are the first step in creating a smart grid that will make it possible to integrate large amounts renewable resources into the system."

~Bay City News contributed to this report