LAKE COUNTY — PG&E will be filing a SmartMeter opt-out program proposal with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) on Thursday, according to a PG&E spokesperson.
The company has “been examining alternatives for a while” and is currently “outlining the proposal for the CPUC,” PG&E spokesperson Jeff Smith said.
CPUC President Michael Peevey asked PG&E last week to develop an opt-out proposal and bring it before the CPUC. Thursday is the CPUC-imposed deadline, according to Smith, who said that the specifics of the PG&E proposal have not been finalized.
District 4 Supervisor Anthony Farrington called the upcoming proposal filing a step in a “positive direction,” and said that he would only fully support an opt-out proposal that is all-inclusive. “It needs to apply to everybody, even people who have already had the SmartMeter installed,” Farrington said.
PG&E will continue to install SmartMeters until the CPUC orders a halt, according to Smith. PG&E and installation contractor Wellington Energy have installed the devices in areas in which local governments have enacted moratoriums on SmartMeter installation.
The Lake County Board of Supervisors last week approved a temporary moratorium on SmartMeter installations in the unincorporated areas of the county. Installations occurred in unincorporated communities despite the moratorium.
PG&E has said it will not honor locally imposed moratoriums, contending that the CPUC has jurisdictional power over the installations, not local governments.
The PG&E opt-out proposal is expected to be discussed at Thursday”s CPUC meeting in San Francisco. Farrington said he plans to attend the meeting and speak if allowed.
PG&E asks customers with questions or concerns about the SmartMeter program to call the 24-hour SmartMeter hotline at 866-743-0263.
