The lack of feedback, choice, and local control ruffles feathers. While the evidence shows that there is no thermal effects (meaning that the SmartMeters do not emit enough electromagnetic radiation to cause a temperature change in tissues), people still worry about the possibility of non-thermal effects.
So in Santa Cruz, municipalities are passing measures to halt the SmartMeter installations. While PG&E continues to refuse recognition of the local measures, perhaps the hope is that if enough people voice their opposition, or demand alternatives, the California Public Utilities Commission will take heed, and act to slow the SmartMeter installation while more information and alternatives are discovered.
From the Santa Cruz Sentinel:
Two weeks ago, Monterey resident Nina Beety was frustrated enough that she spent several thousands dollars to take out an ad in her local paper to raise an issue she thought not enough people knew about: Pacific Gas & Electric’s SmartMeters. The responses were swift.
“My phone just went nuts,” Beety said. “When I was on a call with one person, my phone was beeping with other people calling through.” Beety is on the front lines of a grassroots resistance that found traction in Santa Cruz County, and could stall the Northern California rollout of a major national public policy initiative: A more advanced power grid that allows customers to reduce energy demands.
But the implication of Beety’s and other activists arguments is even more profound: that our entire wired culture is dangerous to your health. If wifi-emitting SmartMeters are an issue, so are cell phones, coffeehouse wireless networks, baby monitors and even favorite local radio stations.
Read the full article here.