InPowered Podcast #02 - An Interview with EMF Warriors

Update on PUC complaint from Catherine Frompovich

http://www.activistpost.com/2017/02/ami-smart-meters-illegally-forced-on-pennsylvania-consumers-act-129-states-not-mandatory.html

Council to address Monroeville residents' smart meter concerns

Monroeville officials plan to reach out to the state Public Utility Commission after hearing residents' concerns that smart meters measuring electrical usage may be a health hazard and a cause for other concerns.

A state law requires utilities to install the new electronic meters for customers.

But residents urged council at separate meetings this month to help stop utility companies from installing the meters.

“We're looking into it and looking into what the smart meters are really all about,” Mayor Greg Erosenko said Monday. “We heard from some residents and have (our) solicitor looking on his end.”

The issue was first brought up by resident Francis Hriadil at council's Oct. 6 workshop meeting. He said he has health, safety, privacy and security concerns about the meters. Critics say health concerns are rooted in the radio frequency emitted by the meters.

“I think this is a public safety issue and a serious one,” he said.

Read more here at TribLive.

Man Chains Electric Meter To Prevent Utility From Installing Smart Meter

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — It’s obvious Norbert Sliwinski of Monroeville does not want Duquesne Light to install a so-called smart meter on his property.

A lock and chain secures his old analog meter with a clear notice: “Attention Do Not Install Smart Meter.”

The retired mechanical engineer says smart meters are dangerous.

“The smart meter is not safe for the following reasons. It emits high frequency radio waves. You don’t feel them. You don’t know about them, but they can penetrate your body and they can cause health problems later on,” Sliwinski told KDKA money editor Jon Delano on Thursday.

Sliwinski says the radio waves go through concrete walls.

“My bedroom is right next door, and it will emit high frequency waves. I worry about my health and my children’s health.”

Read more and see video at this link... http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2016/09/01/man-chains-electric-meter-to-prevent-utility-from-installing-smart-meter/

KCMO smart meter fire sparks investigation

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Nearly every home and business in the metro have one.

Kansas City Power & Light is at the tail end of a two and a half year project to install more than 700,000 smart meters across the metro.

It's a small part of the billions of dollars utilities have invested in smart meters across the U.S.

But there are serious concerns Waverly Galbreath experienced firsthand. The burn marks are visible on his KCMO home.

A burned-out circuit board is the only remaining part of the smart meter at Galbreath's home where the July fire started.

Read more here... http://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/investigations/kcmo-smart-meter-fire-sparks-investigation

Smart meter fires video

Conflict-of-Interest Smart Meter Politicking in Pennsylvania

Catherine J Frompovich
Activist Post

Otto von Bismarck, the conservative Prussian statesman, who dominated German and European affairs from the 1860s until 1890 [1], supposedly is attributed with saying, “If you like laws and sausages, you should never watch either one being made.” How true, especially in the case of the shenanigans that apparently have gone on in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania regarding House Bill 2200 that became Act 129 in 2008.

House Bill 2200 had amendments, and the Freeman Amendment in particular, is discussed in the House Journal. Were Smart Meters (SMs) really mandated or actually supposed to be voluntary, since the history of that bill, according to the House and Senate Journals, seems to indicate something totally different than what is being forced upon electric power company customers like PECO, an Exelon company.

Here’s a brief, but clear account, of the history of PA House Bill 2200 as it worked its way into becoming Act 129 of 2008.
...
Read the rest of this article at this link.

About the law in PA - part 1

PA Act 129 started out in the House of Representatives as HB 2200. This was a comprehensive bill that was ammended to include a provision for utility companies to furnish smart meter technology, so only part of the bill applies to this issue.

I will be posting excerpts from the Legislative Journals that show some of the process of how HB 2200 became Act 129. It shows some of what was being discussed about the issues surrounding the introduction of a law on smart meters.

Check the link below to see the whole history of the bill.
House Bill 2200 History

The bill went through several changes in wording before the final version that was passed into law.

I've decided to start with the end of the process, and later post the House remarks and PUC implementation order.

This is the final version of the bill, the wording is exactly the same as Act 129 of 2008.

PN 4526

 (2)  ELECTRIC DISTRIBUTION COMPANIES SHALL FURNISH SMART
    23     METER TECHNOLOGY AS FOLLOWS:
    24             (I)  UPON REQUEST FROM A CUSTOMER THAT AGREES TO PAY
    25         THE COST OF THE SMART METER AT THE TIME OF THE REQUEST.
    26             (II)  IN NEW BUILDING CONSTRUCTION.
    27             (III)  IN ACCORDANCE WITH A DEPRECIATION SCHEDULE NOT
    28         TO EXCEED 15 YEARS.

The bill meets with it's final approval in the Senate...


(Remarks see Senate Journal Page 2626-2631), Oct. 8, 2008


p 2626
Senator TOMLINSON. (contact info)  (website)

Mr. President, I rise to ask for support
for House Bill No. 2200 as amended by the Senate. I think this
is very, very important legislation for our consumers today who
consume power and energy in Pennsylvania. House Bill No.
2200 is, I think, a large step forward. The Governor of the State
of Pennsylvania, Ed Rendell, has been a leader in a new energy
policy, and this legislation contains many of those items in there.
It includes demand-side reduction, conservation, that I think
is going to help the consumer, in the long run, to reduce the
 demand on power. We are requiring a reduction of 3 percent by the
year 2013 and 4 1/2 percent for peak power, and I think that is
extremely important as we go forward with an energy policy, Mr.
President. It also contains language in there that we will have
smart meters. It is not mandated, but it allows for the deployment
of smart meters through a depreciation process, through new
home construction process, and through the depreciation of 15
years, and for anyone who wants to purchase a smart meter which
they feel will help them manage their electric load better.


Senator BOSCOLA. (contact info)  (facebook)  (twitter)

So-called smart meters by themselves are not
magically -- anyone's monthly electric bill is not going to go
down just because you are getting a smart meter. That will not
happen. But this new technology will reward customers who are
smart enough to realize that they can use electricity when it is
cheapest during off-peak hours and pay a lower rate. We also
made sure that smart meters would not be mandated for every
single ratepayer. Not only is that a smarter approach to smart
meter deployment, but it will also save electric customers
hundreds of millions of dollars paying for something that will not
provide a real benefit in their own households.


Senator FUMO (wikipedia info)

In addition, we did not mandate smart meters, 
but we made them optional. We did say in new construction, 
where they really are practical, they will be put in.


It goes back to the House. The discussion does not mention anything about whether the meters are mandated or not, so I haven't posted any excerpts here. The journal is at this link if you want to read them yourself.  (Remarks see House Journal Page 2323-2328), Oct. 8, 2008


HB 2200 is signed into law as Act 129 by Governer EDWARD G. RENDELL

More to come...

TBYP preview..."Smart" Meters & Surveillance: What Are Your Rights Worth?

Dr. Laura Pressley talks about physiological effects of Smart Meters

Dr. Laura Pressley talks about physiological effects of Smart Meters, both wireless and wired, and what you can do about it.

About Laura

Take Back Your Power - Stopping the Smart Grid Agenda

Published on Oct 10, 2012

Corbett Report Radio #230

The smart grid is an interlocking web that will monitor and control all of the electrical appliances in your home at all times. Based on wireless technology, the privacy ramifications, health effects, and opportunities for outright government control inherent in the smart grid agenda are staggering. Tonight we talk to Josh Del Sol, the filmmaker behind the forthcoming feature documentary "Take Back Your Power," about this agenda and what you can do to stop it.

The Corbett Report

Smart Meter Fire Risk Due to Poor Installation Procedure

September 18, 2012 - Naperville, CA resident Dick Hutter explains how smart meter installation contractors UPA (Utility Partners of America) are changing meters and the risk they pose of fire to customers' homes.

"my first duty is to protect my people, our future generations and our lands"

Osoyoos Indian Band Prohibits Smart Meter Installations

Oliver, B.C. Canada—June 13, 2013
On behalf of the Osoyoos Indian Band, Chief Clarence Louie announced today that he and all Band Council members have signed a governing document prohibiting Fortis BC, the local utility company, from installing Smart Meters on the approximately 703 homes and businesses on the Osoyoos Indian reserve. 
“Having been presented with science-based evidence, the Band Council and I are convinced that Fortis’s proposed wireless smart meters in meshed-grid networks have the potential to harm our children and our environment. No scientist on the planet has been able to verify the safety of these extremely dangerous devices that emit microwave radiation 24/7 in perpetuity and which cannot be turned off.”
“As Chief of the Osoyoos Indian band, my first duty is to protect my people, our future generations and our lands. For that reason, the band Council and I believe we need to err on the side of caution and respect the world’s leading independent scientists who say—and have evidence to prove—that electromagnetic radiation, especially pulsed and microwave frequency radiation, is harmful to all living things.” 
“I am proud of our Council for standing up and voting to prohibit the installation of smart meters on our lands in order to protect not only our own people but all the peoples who resides and work on the Osoyoos Indian Band lands.” 
### 
For More information, contact: 
J.R. (Banjo) Linkevic
Osoyoos Indian Band
(250) 498-3444 x 119
Email: smartmeters@oib.ca


 sources

Toward a Smart Meter RECALL!

Customers all across the United States have reported being harmed by utility smart meters. In Indiana, a mother of three small children can’t live in their home because a bank of smart meters gave her debilitating health problems.  In California hundreds of customers have reported headaches, ringing in the ears, heart palpitations, sleep problems and more.
Customers report flames shooting from outlets, burned out appliances and fires after smart meter installation.  Meanwhile in some states, the utility companies and their regulators response is to charge more money (opt-out fees) to avoid smart meters and they ignore the health and fire hazards.
The US Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) is a federal agency that will take complaints on utility smart meters from all US states.

Please go here for more details and updates.

SMART METERS PRIVACY SECURITY

Great video by Brian Thiesen...



bcfreedom - Power, Profit, Privacy Part 1

“Occupy Your Home”

 "An overwhelming majority of US and Canadian citizens are entirely unaware that an especially dangerous device has been attached to their homes. While installation of “smart meters” across North America has continued apace since 2009 the health effects such devices pose have yet to be fully realized. Left unaddressed the broad use and continued deployment of such equipment will almost certainly influence human health for many generations to come...."


Continue reading at this link...

“Occupy Your Home”: Confronting Smart Meter Toxification by James F. Tracy

PUC Chairman: Opting Out of Smart Meters Not Up For Discussion

 

During a Chamber of Commerce panel event about energy innovation, Robert Powelson, chairman for Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, told those in attendance that opting out of smart meters was not up for debate in Pennsylvania. Mr. Powelson was the featured speaker during Friday’s event at the University City Science Center, “Smart Technologies Re-Energizing the Regional Economy.” Addressing loss of privacy concerns, Mr. Powelson said there is no issue of any government body having access to personal data from smart meters. “It’s not the government. It’s your [energy] usage data and it’s your decision what to do with the data,” Mr. Powelson said. “We’re moving forward with meters here. Whether you like it or not, you’re getting a meter.” Mr. Powelson also told those in attendance that Pennsylvania is becoming an east coast epicenter for energy development and one of the most robust competitive retail markets with more renewable energy offerings.

Petition for legislators in PA

Repeal Act 129 in Pennsylvania--Stop Smart Meters I am concerned about the invasion of privacy for my family and friends that smart meters pose. Smart meters are a part of Agenda 21 and need to be stopped! . . . . http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/repeal-act-129-in-pa

7/8/13 note: I've included this here because it shows how concerned we are about this issue. However, Act 129 is not only a law about smart meters. In fact, the smart meter part of it was added on to a very comprehensive package that is not going to be repealed. I do believe, though, that the intention of this petition is to show opposition to the aspect of the law that refers to the smart meter technology, and the voices of the people who have signed it are important.

Public Utility Commission Concerned About "Smart Meters"

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/video/#!/news/local/Public-Utility-Commission-Concerned-About-Smart-Meters/169397006

View more videos at: http://nbcphiladelphia.com.