Worcester Smart Grid Roll Out Causing Controversy
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
The next Zoning Board meeting is scheduled for June 17, where consideration of National Grid's proposal for a communications infrastructure at four electric substations to collect and distribute data as part of a "smart grid" will continue.
However, a group has been formed in opposition to the project, citing health and safety concerns-- and unknown dangers.
"Halt MA Smart Meters" Movement
Patricia Burke with HaltMaSmartMeters.org shared with GoLocal more information about opposition to smart grids, and her own personal story.
"I had health issues for a number of years, before finding out I had electromagnetic hypersensitivity," said Burke. "People might not know about the health risks associated with "smart grids." Anxiety, neurological, immune, cardiac issues can all be associated with "smart grid" electromagnetic fields -- and people might not ever realize it."
The group is advocating for legislation in the state (H2926) that would allow residents to reject radio frequency emitting utility meters.
Citing advocacy and measures taken in Europe, the group sent out a release with the following information to warn Worcester residents.
"On April 20, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom heard testimony concerning the rollout of their new wireless electric meters. StopSmartMetersUK offered expert evidence concerning health and security issues.
On May 20, the U. K. announced that its smart meter installations would be delayed for one year.
Here is what Worcester residents need to know about their health, safety, and privacy risks.
* In the United States, the Telecommunications Act of 1996 Section 704 prohibited communities from blocking the installation of telecom infrastructure due to environmental or health concerns. Subsequent legislation shielded the industries from liability.
* FCC limits in the United States for exposure to non-ionizing radiation exceed limits in most other countries by 100 times. FCC limits are inadequate and were never designed for application to current exposure levels and juxtapositions.
* The Council of Europe has recommended reducing human exposure to EMFs and microwave radiation from mobile phones and other wireless devices. The resolution calls for the application of the precautionary principle to EMFs - both from electric power and from wireless communications technologies.
National Grid Responds to Concerns
GoLocal spoke with Deborah Drew at National Grid about the health concerns arising in the community, who offered the following response:
"The safety of our customers, employees and the communities that we serve are our highest priority. We understand that some customers may be concerned by this and may have questions or concerns about new technologies. We want to assure them that we have no reason to believe the meters in our program are unsafe. They operate outside, the signal is intermittent and it operates at frequencies considerably lower than appliances and devices we all use on a daily basis.
Further, the Federal Communications Commission requires that all wireless communications devices in the United States meet minimum guidelines for safe human exposure to radio frequency energy. The smart meters being installed by National Grid are in complete compliance. All metering equipment that we install is fully tested by the manufacturer and is in compliance with the standards set by our regulators.
For many years, we have been safeguarding the privacy of customers' data and personal information and will continue to do so, even with the advent of new technology. We fully comply with all existing laws and regulations designed to protect consumer information.
As part of the unique nature of our program, we have been actively communicating with customers, providing them information, seeking their input to the pilot and engaging in a productive dialogued so they can make informed decisions about the program.
All this being said, customer choice is very important to us, so if a customer wishes to opt out of the pilot, they have the option to do so. Customers can do this by contacting customer service. We're excited about our pilot; it is designed to deliver energy savings benefits to customers and test ways to improve the responsiveness and reliability of the local electric system."
Burke was not convinced by National Grid or the state' efforts to ensure safety.
"They say they're looking at health issues, but even the [MA] Department of Public Health is looking to other states to gather information," said Burke.
"We need to fully examine the smart grid, like in England, in terms of public health purposes," Burke continued. "United States policy is employing caution towards threats to investment market profits anticipated due to Smart Grid Infrastructure, instead of employing caution towards health and environmental impact."
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