LAKE COUNTY — A PG&E spokesman confirmed Thursday that the company would not be recognizing local moratoriums on SmartMeter installations, such as the one enacted in Lake County earlier this week, even while reports have indicated that state regulators plan to ask the utility to develop an opt-out program.
“PG&E will not be honoring moratoriums on the SmartMeter program,” PG&E spokesman Paul Moreno said. PG&E contends that the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has jurisdiction over the investor-owned utility, Moreno said.
Supervisor Rob Brown received a phone call at 10:45 a.m. on Thursday from a resident reporting a SmartMeter was being installed.
“This is a blatant disregard for local government and shows no consideration for the concerns of PG&E”s customers,” Brown said.
Brown followed the installer and alerted residents that they did not have to agree to have the meter installed.
“If someone calls me tomorrow, I”ll follow them again,” Brown said.
Brown said that people wishing to decline installation should put a sign on the existing meter or respectfully ask the installer not to install the SmartMeter.
Brown followed the Wellington (contractors) van until about 1:30 p.m. in order to halt the unwanted installations.
The CPUC has the right under the law to order PG&E to install SmartMeters, but the county contends that local governments have some jurisdictional powers on the issue based on franchise agreements and basic police powers, according to County Counsel Anita Grant.
The Associated Press reported Thursday that CPUC President Michael Peevey said that he wants PG&E to develop a way for customers to opt out of the SmartMeter program if they have health concerns about the device. Peevey would want the opt-out proposal developed within two weeks, according to the AP.
“I feel like it”s a positive step in the right direction, though albeit somewhat late in the game,” District 4 Supervisor Anthony Farrington said of the CPUC president”s request.
The CPUC heard testimony during Thursday”s commission meeting from people indicating they have health concerns about radio frequency exposure, the AP reported.
Moreno said that SmartMeters transmit about 45 seconds per day using one watt of power and that the levels of radio frequency emitted by the devices are significantly less than federal standards.
“The meters are accurate; they”re safe; and they”re secure,” Moreno said.
The Lake County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a temporary moratorium on SmartMeter installation in the unincorporated parts of Lake County.
The adopted ordinance imposing the moratorium stated, “because the potential risks to the health, safety and welfare of county residents are so great, the Board of Supervisors wishes to adopt a moratorium on the installation of SmartMeters.”
County staff modeled its ordinance after similar adopted measures in Marin and Santa Cruz counties, according to Grant.
PG&E, and installation contractor Wellington Energy, will continue to install SmartMeters despite local moratoriums, Moreno said.
The Record-Bee received phone calls Wednesday from residents in the Rivieras indicating either a SmartMeter had been installed on their property that day or that they spoke with an installer and requested an installation delay.
PG&E has increased SmartMeter education efforts in Lake County, Moreno said. PG&E asks customers with questions or concerns about the SmartMeter program to call the 24-hour SmartMeter hotline at 866-743-0263.
Farrington said that PG&E customers could request to have their SmartMeter installations delayed by calling the hotline. Farrington said that he personally requested to PG&E that he be put on the delay list.
PG&E began installing SmartMeters in November 2006 in Bakersfield and moved north during the following four years, Moreno said. Nearly 7.7 million gas and electric meters have been installed across California, and PG&E is working toward having all 9.8 million devices installed by 2012, Moreno said.
The Record-Bee previously incorrectly reported the number of SmartMeters installed in Lake County. Moreno confirmed that around 2,500 devices have been installed in the county thus far, representing about 6 percent of the total devices to be installed.
Contact Jeremy Walsh at jwalsh@record-bee.com or call him at 263-5636, ext. 37.
