Sept 2019 Smart Meter Hearing Update MA

Smart Meter Hearing Update

Thanks so much to those who sent in testimony for the three Massachusetts utility smart meter bills!

(If you haven’t had a chance, there’s still time and every voice counts — here’s the template to make it easy.)

Yesterday nine constituents testified before the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy. We hope to have video to share soon.

Some highlights:

• The legislators heard personal experiences, the science, and what other states and countries are already doing to protect their citizens.
• They also heard details on National Grid’s fraudulent smart grid pilot program in Worcester, MA.
• Senate Chair Michael Barrett stopped to ask good questions about the science.
• We laid out solutions and handed both the House and Senate Chairs the roadmap to safe, sustainable technology: the policy book Reinventing Wires: The Future of Landlines and Networks.
• Industry representatives were in the hearing chamber so we got to educate them too; they chose not to testify.

We are so grateful for the tireless work of our world scientists, health care professionals, educators, advocates — and a growing number of public servants tuning into the wireless radiation issue. We know it is on your shoulders we stand as we work together to move the needle toward safe technology.

The public policy process in Massachusetts is a long one — this session goes until December 2020 but perhaps our legislators will move more swiftly now that New Hampshire and Oregon have passed wireless radiation bills into law.

The Next Bills: October 7

We just found out the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure has scheduled two more of our bills for public hearing:

Monday, October 7, 1-4 p.m.
Massachusetts State House, Gardner Auditorium

Senator Julian Cyr’s S. 129 and S. 130 seek, respectively, to:

• Form a special commission to research the impact of electromagnetic (EMR) and radiofrequency (RFR) radiation on consumer protection, public health, and technology
• Emulate the Berkeley, CA ordinance to notify the public of the fine print radiation warnings

I’ll create a template soon and ask for testimonies to be sent in again. If folks can make arrangements to testify in person too, these are perhaps our two strongest bills this session.

Analog meter not really..

We did a test of an analog meter in Housatonic MA Nov. 2017. It obviously had an AMR chip in it as it was emitting RF frequency that we measured with our Acoustimeter. Just because it looks like an analog, don’t assume it is one. National Grid told us that some AMR’s actually look like analogs.

Results of statehouse hearings on telecom bills Oct 2017

10/26/17 Results from Patricia Burke and the statehouse hearing of the telecom committee on a group of 29 bills pertaining to gas pipelines

https://malegislature.gov/Events/Hearings/Detail/2797

Angels were with us. Among the gas bills are two DPU reform bills that would allow a group of 10 ratepayers to intervene in DPU gas and electricity dockets. The Senate had a full hearing at about the same time at 10:45 am and the house had an informal hearing starting at 11:00 amso it is likely that those who came to testify ended up talking to staff members and not many legislators. We saw Sen Pacheco’s staff chief at the elevator (Pacheco is the chair of the committee) and were told that he was at another meeting for the committee chairs already. We did not plan to testify at the hearing, but to give out info, and we did   : )

We brought 2 flyers….one about Peter Valberg DPU tobacco scientist and one about lack of protection for community rights and problems with the Worcester smart meter pilot and reporting and we gave one to each person n the hearing room, about 125.  We didn’t specifically try to convince people about smart meter issues, we talked about abuse of the process of community consent.

Many people stopped to speak with us, from Mom’s out front, 350.org, and other groups.  There were also about 5 groups there on the issue of the energy siting board  (power plants etc) …and that also pertains to Valberg. One group made neon signs that said “No more fossil fuels” on one side, and “reform the DPU” on the other side for people to hold up, and they were also happy to see our flyer. We also met a young and very upset father who was there to testify specifically about how Peter Valberg said that powerlines at his house in Winchester were safe.

Overall, it was a  success. We did not sign in to testify as we felt it was much more effective to give people info.

There are two versions of the omnibus energy bill and both include/focus EXCLUSIVELY ON smart meters- one is by Sen Pacheco…..I think that we would be very well served to plan to have a presence at that hearing when it gets scheduled….and to do something visible…and for this one, to make a flyer about smart meters specifically…It is clear to me that people do not know about smart meters….and that the omnibus energy bills is a smart meter bill.

Rep Jennifer Flangan’s Bill is based on smart meters vai these docket numbers;

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/190/H1725/

(b) The Department shall issue an order concluding the current Grid Modernization Proceedings (D.P.U. 15-120, 15-121 and 15-122) by December 31, 2017.

Sen Pacheco’s Bill also:

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/190/S1875

(b) The Department shall issue an order concluding the current Grid Modernization Proceedings (D.P.U. 15-120, 15-121 and 15-122) by December 31, 2017.

SECTION 6: Section 1B of Chapter 164 of the General Laws is amended by inserting after subsection (f), as appearing in the 2016 Official Edition, the following section:

(g) Beginning on January 1, 2018, each distribution company shall offer to default service customers an option to choose a time of use rate designed to reflect the cost of providing electricity at different times of the day. Each distribution company shall provide each default service customer, not less than once per year, a summary of available rate options with a calculation of expected bill impacts under each. Should a customer opt into a time of use rate, the distribution company shall install all necessary equipment within 60 days of request. Any residential customer choosing for the first time a time of use rate shall be provided with no less than one year of bill protection, during which the total amount paid by the customer for electric service shall not exceed the amount that would have been payable by the customer under that customer’s previous rate schedule. A customer may choose a different rate schedule after one year. If the Department approves default service rates that include time-varying pricing on a mandatory or opt-out basis, this offering structure may be discontinued, but each distribution company must offer a time-varying default service rate at all times.

 

 

Bills coming before the legislature fall 2017

Mark Your Calendars

The legislature posts hearings one week in advance, but we’ve received tentative advance notice of these two bills:

 

S.107 An Act relative to disclosure of radiofrequency notifications requires manufacturer warnings be prominently displayed on product packaging of wireless radiation-emitting devices. Sponsored by Senator Julian Cyr. Tentative: Tues. Sept. 26.

 

H.3400 An Act clarifying authority and responsibilities of the department of public utilities will allow a group of ratepayers to intervene in dockets for electricity and gas before the D.P.U., as well as allow elected officials to participate. This bill came about in part due to the way that the DPU handled the gas pipeline dockets, but will assist all ratepayers. We feel that this is one of the most important bills in this legislative session. The bill may be up for its hearing in mid-October. https://malegislature.gov/Bills/190/H3400

 

We are extremely disheartened that the MA Attorney General has endorsed smart meters, suggesting that municipals and aggregators also be approached:

http://170.63.40.34/DPU/FileRoomAPI/api/Attachments/Get/?path=15-120%2fAGO_Initial_Brief.pdf

Please continue your advocacy efforts with the Governor and the Attorney General regarding the DPU’s reliance on tobacco science, human rights concerns, greenwashing, and cost overruns for the Worcester pilot program. We hope this will become an election concern. The Attorney General has been authorized to spend $150,000 for consultants to review the Worcester smart meter pilot program overruns:

http://170.63.40.34/DPU/FileRoomAPI/api/Attachments/Get/?path=17-53%2f1753_Order_9817.pdf

The public comment period has passed but please provide your input directly to  Alexander.Early@state.ma.us and Shannon.Beale@state.ma.us to assist the AG in her investigation.

 

H.2030 and S.2079  The hearing before the Joint Committee on Education for two MA bills pertaining to Wi-Fi in Schools was held on Sept. 5. It is still possible to send written testimony for all bills. For more information, see https://sites.google.com/site/understandingemfs/ma-emf-bills.

 

Videos of citizen testimony for the Wi-Fi bills here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMAz9ZRXjYmoXSabQE54w0DhZ28y11mEO&disable_polymer=true

Smart meters recommended by Atty General

Not good news. Maybe she’s thinking this is a better alternative to WiFi on every single electric pole?

Attorney General Maura Healey recommending full deployment of smart meters.

Full Deployment of AMF Continues to Be the Best Path Forward for the
Commonwealth.
In its Grid Modernization Order (Modernization of the Electric Grid, D.P.U. 12-76-B
(2014)), the Department provided a plan for the Commonwealth to move towards modernizing the Commonwealth’s electric distribution grid to achieve a cleaner, more efficient, reliable and customer-responsive energy future for the Commonwealth. That plan recognized the importance
of making Advanced Metering Functionality (“AMF”) available to all Massachusetts electricity customers. The AGO strongly believes that the path envisioned by the Department’s Grid Modernization Order, including its prioritization of AMF, continues to be the right course to
ensure that the Commonwealth meets its clean energy goals and that all electricity customers in the Commonwealth enjoy the benefits of advances in customer-facing and grid-facing technology.

http://170.63.40.34/DPU/FileRoomAPI/api/Attachments/Get/?path=15-120%2fAGO_Reply_Brief.pdf

April 20 deadline for comments on NG cost overruns

Comment by 4/20 by Patricia Burke  re: Smart Meter Pilot Cost Overruns

April 20 is the deadline for comments to the Department of Public Utilities regarding surcharging ratepayers $15M for cost overruns for the $45M Worcester smart meter pilot.

National Grid’s pilot did not include health monitoring, but featured safety testimony from a tobacco scientist.  In Arizona’s current utility rate case, Dr. Sam Milham M.D. M.P.H. stated,  “It is my professional opinion that smart meters are a public health hazard.”

 

Expert testimony indicates that electrical noise due to the switch mode power and radio frequency transmissions being conducted along house wiring and re-radiated into the home are causing biological harm.  Sleep deprivation (recognized by the UN as torture) is a primary health complaint associated with smart meters.

 

As reported by Lynne Weycherly in the Ecologist, “they emit as many as 14,000 short bursts of intense microwave radiation a day, disrupting cellular electrochemistry and causing health symptoms from migraine to tinnitus, insomnia, dizziness, anxiety, chest pain, palpitations and memory loss.”

 

Michigan’s Senator Colbeck testified that smart meters are at risk from EMPs (electromagnetic pulses), fires, and hacking due to: no surge protection, no conducted emissions filters, no circuit breaker between the meter and power source, and the cyber security “back door.” He endorses analogues.

 

Ratepayers should not be on the hook for excessive costs. Instead, the pilot should be investigated for violating prohibitions on human experimentation without informed consent, misrepresentation, and as a case study in misguided decision-based evidence-making that manipulated community consent. Be heard. Please comment.

http://170.63.40.34/DPU/FileRoomAPI/api/Attachments/Get/?path=17-53%2fOrder_of_Notice.pdf

Right to choose meter BILL SD344 sponsored

The House deadline for co-sponsors to sign on to this session’s smart meter opt out bill, SD344, is next Friday, February 3rd. Senators have more time to sign on, but all legislators are currently deep in the process of deciding which bills to co-sponsor, so now is the time to make contact. As of Thursday, January 26, Representative Diana DiZoglio and Representative David Linsky had officially signed on as co-sponsors. (For those of you who may be reading about the bill for the first time, the new bill, if passed, will assure the right to choose what type of utility meter will be installed and operated on one’s home or place of business, and to do so without incurring any fees. The text of the bill can be found here: https://malegislature.gov/Bills/190/SD344 .)

If you have already contacted your Representative and your Senator, now is the time when a follow up email, or a phone call together with a follow-up email, can make a difference. We have been told that legislative aides print out all email requests for co-sponsorship and gather them into a great pile for their Representative or Senator to review. (My own Representative reportedly has around 6000 bills to review!) An email can be fairly brief. (e.g., Dear Senator/ Representative, I hope you will sign on as a co-sponsor of SD344, the smart meter opt out bill. Wireless utility meters raise concerns about security, privacy, and health which are not being properly addressed. All Massachusetts ratepayers should have the right to choose what type of utility meters they will have and to do so without paying any fees.) If you have more time, you are welcome to send a one-page introduction to the subject, complete with references. But please consider sending something to be printed out and physically placed in front of the legislator. Legislators can send requests to be co-sponsors of the new bill, SD344, through the online system LAWS.

 

Progress against smart meters?

Apparently, National Grid has decided not to pursue demand response in the UK.

(As you know, National Grid is a UK corporation).

Given that the MA roll-out of smart meters is being justified to support demand response as a form of energy efficiency,

it seems that this is a crucial development that warrants investigation before MA ratepayers are saddled with the costs and other additional risks.

Forcing us to sign an opt out.

Watch the part about smart meters and why its bad to sign the opt out contract for not wanting the utility company to install a smart meter.

Published on Aug 8, 2016

The “Opt-Out” contract IS A SCAM! This video presents detailed info how to more effectively refuse and challenge harmful and illegal programs which attempt to force you to accept dangerous policies such as vaccinations and spying/transmitting utility meters. This video goes into detail to present your legal options and explain the powerful free documents at FreedomTaker.com which are designed to put the authority back in your hands.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIELtYIsbD4

Smart meters cost $7K each???

$7,000 is too much for an electric meter BE HEARD!   National Grid’s run-amok Worcester area WiMax ‘smart’ meter pilot is $29M (65%) over-budget at $7,000 per meter, & does not represent Massachusetts demographics. The many egregious ahhem,  misrepresentations in National Grid’s FEB 2016 ‘Interim Report‘ need to come to light before we all end up with $7,000 ‘smart’ electric meters.   The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office will listen to ratepayer concerns on  June 13th in Worcester (see details below) (CLICK HERE FOR INTERIM REPORT & 1-PAGE   SUMMARY WITH LINKS  OF AHHEM, MISREPRESENTATIONS)   FORWARD TO YOUR FRIENDS! ————————— INTERIM REPORT ►CLAIM: 98% retention & 72% satisfied but the 4,000 – 6,000  subjects who quit were conveniently not counted ►CLAIM: In a ‘portion of Worcester’   NOT: Groton, Auburn, etc. ►CLAIM: ‘smart’ meters installed April ’14  NOT: Installed in ’12 & ’13 ►CLAIM: Worcester Library usage  Overstated Worcester’s Main Branch usage by 71% ► CLAIM: Not enough lower income subjects available though half of Worcester meets National Grid’s threshold ►CLAIM: 0.2% electricity “saved” on average ►CLAIM: $1,250,0000 “saved” –  total (see chart below) IRRECONCILABLE: – 0.2% of the average annual MA home’s bill is less than $3 – Less than 11,000 subjects remain in the pilot – $3 x 11,000 = $33,000   DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC UTILITIES DOCS  $29,000,000 (65%) over budget (and counting)  Sustainability Hub: $700k / 1,400% over budget   Cost:  $7,000 per meter and rising  Vegetation decimated for ‘smart’ networks  National Grid bought ratepayer private financial & lifestyle data without their permission ————————— v National Grid and MA Department of Public Utilities rely on  career tobacco testifier and outdated health data. v Adverse symptoms ignored or scorned: headaches, sleep  issues, ear ringing, neurological, etc.     Questions/Comments/Suggestions: HaltMAsmartMeters@gmail.com   Page 11 of Interim Report Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office Public Listening Session Monday, June 13, 2016: 6 – 8 pm The Office of Attorney General Maura Healey  will host an Energy & Environment Listening Session devoted to hearing directly from YOU about issues important to Greater Worcester & the Commonwealth. Broad Meadow Brook Center & Sanctuary 414 Massasoit Road, Worcester Open to the public: RSVP Questions for the AG:  AGOcommunityEngagement@state.ma.us