Anti-Smart Meter Petition Filed with AG as Conflict Heats Up

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Friday, May 23, 2014

Nicholas Handy, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

Smart meters and National Grid’s pilot program based in Worcester have certainly been the source of much controversy over the past months, with many opposed to the idea of having smart technology installed on their homes.

While National Grid works to further the Smart Energy Solutions program in the city, anti-smart grid advocates HaltMASmartMeters (HMSM) have filed a petition with the Attorney General’s Office to investigate the program, on the grounds of faulty enrollment processes, lack of informed consent, human rights violations, and human experimentation without knowledge or consent.

“The National Grid pilot is rife with irregularities; the goal of the petition is to bring them to the attention of the Attorney General in hopes that an investigation will be conducted,” said Clare Donegan, a member of HMSM. “The Attorney General will investigate the Worcester pilot and determine that the complaints of residents and advocate groups are legitimate and take action.”

The Attorney General’s office has verified that they have received the petition and that they are currently monitoring the situation. They are currently in the process of contacting HMSM to determine their concerns.

Concerns with the Pilot System

HMSM is alleging that National Grid and their pilot program has been misinforming their customers and others in the community.

Lies about the pilot program, expanding to a larger area than officially reported, potential health concerns, as well as schemes to get customers to pay additional fees for the smart grid systems are all reasons why the organization sought the help of the Attorney General’s office.

“In MA the Office of the Attorney General is the ratepayer's advocate and is on record having registered many and varied objections to the pilot program,” said Donegan. “The Department of Public Utilities is responsible for ensuring the safe and reliable delivery of electricity to residents, but is in a state of ‘regulatory capture’ and has ignored evidence of harm to customers and other clear and present dangers.”

Furthermore, HMSM says that many other states and countries have shown opposition to smart meter systems both in the past and currently. The organization hopes that this petition is the first step in potentially getting rid of the smart meter system. 

"Many nations have established lower RF limits, including Italy, site of the Vatican radio leukemia lawsuit,” said Patricia Burke a member of HMSM. “The Italian grid is hard-wired, as is much of Europe, and does not transmit private usage data to the utility. Although media reported that Germany rejected the meters due to cost, Germans rejected the overreach of state power.”

National Grid Response

National Grid, in response to the petition filed with the Attorney General’s Office, states that they respect the rights of people to oppose the program. While there are those in opposition of the program, National Grid feels that plenty of people are still on board with the program.

“National Grid respects the right of smart grid opponents to make their opinions known,” said Deborah Drew, a spokesperson for National Grid. “Our Smart Energy Solutions Program, which was approved by the DPU, continues to move forward with more than 14,000 Worcester residents and business who are participating in the program.”

Rather than get hung up on the allegations of the petition, National Grid will continue to move forward with the program because it is a great opportunity for customers.

“We continue to install customer-selected technology packages and soon will begin an education campaign on dynamic pricing options,” said Drew. “We are excited to have customers connect with us and take control of their energy use as they sign up for and engage with quality tools that will provide unprecedented information and insight into their energy use.”

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Related Slideshow: Biggest Checks Written by the City of Worcester - January 2014

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