Sedona AZ (November 24, 2012)– The following is a Letter to the Editor from the co-Coordinator, Arizonans for Safer Utility Infrastructure and Electromagnetic Safety Alliance Director, Elizabeth Kelley, Tucson, Arizona. Kelley writes:
Dear Arizonans for Safer Wireless Infrastructure and friends,
Please forward to others (share with others) who might be interested.
We finally get to weigh-in formally on the proposed opt out/privacy policies on wireless digital utility (“Smart” meters) the AZCC proposes to use in regulating the investor owned utilities in Arizona.
On October 23, 2012, the Arizona Corporation Commission released draft policies defining rules for utility customer ”opt out” from having a wireless digital meter, known as a “smart meter”, on their building; and rules to ensure that customer privacy is safeguarded when wireless digital meters are in place.
See the proposed policies attached or at this link to our website: http://electromagneticsafety.org/sign-the-petition/. Instructions for making comments are given on our website at that link. You can chose to file them by mail, 13 copies; send them by email to mailman@azcc.gov; or, send them to one or more commissioners, who will scan and file them in the docket.
Be sure to refer to the Open Docket at the top of each page you submit – Docket No. E-OOOOOC-11-0328
To our knowledge, the AZCC has not set a deadline for the end of the comment period. nor have they announced a public hearing held to review it. You need to know that according to state law, the AZCC can notify people of a scheduled meeting up until 24 hours in advance.
This does not give people very much notice, especially for those who are not in the Phoenix area or who may not have previously scheduled activities. We will let you know of any scheduled meetings or other related developments.
We will be submitting comments and will post them on our website. If you have any suggestions for what we should say, please let us know soon. We encourage you to submit comments. Numbers count. If you do submit comments, send us a copy us and we will post them on the www.electromagneticsaftey.org.
After two years of working on this issue, I have heard from people all over Arizona, many of whom already have experienced problems after a wireless digital meter was installed on their property.
Some people are successful in getting these new meters removed; some people are being forced from their homes and small business due to the adverse health problems they experienced, such as sleep problems, headaches, domestic animal seizures, and more. The privacy issue is a deep concern as many people view their home as their castle, their sanctuary, and do not want to be monitored involuntarily.
For more information, I refer you to these websites: www.stopmeters.org, www.EMFsafetynetwork.org, www.napervillesmartmeterawareness.org/, http://marylandsmartmeterawareness.org/, http://www.stopsmartmetershawaii.com/, http://www.stopsmeters.org/ (Vermont) and more.
Citizens in most other states are ahead of Arizona in getting organized and all are working on solutions with their state public utilities commissions (called the AZCC in Arizona). We can learn from them in challenging these optout/privacy policies in Arizona.
Let’s all get on board together now to get the Arizona Corporation Commissioners to give the serious consideration to the people’s call for greater health and privacy safeguards from wireless digital utility meters. Since we elected them, they need to represent us.
Sincerely,
Libby
Elizabeth Kelley, MA Co Coordinator, Arizonans for Safer Utility Infrastructure Director, Electromagnetic Safety Alliance, Tucson, AZ www.electromagneticsafety.org
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Happy Thanksgiving!
We give thanks that we do not yet have Smart Meters in Sedona. Someone just called APS to opt out and was told by APS that they would start deployment in Sedona area starting between April and August 2013.
Everybody, we need your comments on Smart Meters guideline. Time is of the essence and make your voice count. Please read email from Elizabeth Kelley. This is for the whole of Arizona and not just Sedona. You can email your comment with the Docket number to all the commissioners.
Just to get you started, there is no mention of what will happen if your customer specific data is accidentally “shared”, no mention of notification, no mention of penalty.
Charging an opt out fee for not wanting a “wireless” option is extortion. In Vermont, it is illegal to charge any opt out fee and people needs to opt in instead of opt out.
The devise has not been independently safety tested, not UL certified, only accuracy tested and is a Class 2B Carcinogen.
The Energy act never mentioned “wireless”. Wired option is safer, more secure. The utilities chose the cheapest option at our expense.
We are all for energy conservation but with safe options. All meters can be wired and the best option is fiber optics which Fairfield Iowa and Chattanooga, Tennessee and some parts in Vermont, etc. had adopted.
At the very least, dedicated phone line is also cheap and safe with no RF and no hacking. We really need to refuse the opt out fee because individual opt out will not work. Even if you have opted out, there is nothing to prevent APS installing a router, repeater, or collector outside your bedroom on a pole.
The safe options are either everything is wired or we have a community opt-out like the 57 cities and counties in California. The City of Sedona and the Counties need to get involved in order to have this happened.
The wired option will not give you privacy but at least will not have the RF. Community opt out is the cheaper and safer among the two. But we need everybody to tell the City to request Sedona file as intervener to ask for community opt-out.
The city has the rights to file as intervener which is a low cost and high impact option. But the city won’t do it if only We need hundreds of requests from each and everyone of you in order to accomplish this task. The same holds truth for unincorporated area, the counties need to get involved.
During a workshop in front of the judge in California, a smart meter manufacturer said that signals can travel between meters for 1,200 feet unobstructed. http://eon3emfblog.net/?p=3520
Oncor Utility in Texas reported smart meter routers cover an average of 5 sq. miles, the collectors 125 sq. miles. Routers and collectors are all part of the smart grid standard protocol. http://takebackyourpower.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Responses-to-Questions-from-Public-and-Honeycutt-08-20-12-FINAL.pdf
Here are the email addresses to send to the Commissioners of AZCC. Send to everyone of them, just in case.
“Bob Stump” , “Brenda Burns” , “Cheryl Fraulob” , “Gary Pierce” , “Paul Newman” , “Sandra Kennedy” ,
You may also want to cc our mayor and city council and Yavapai or Coconino County supervisors and other state officials as well as to Elizabeth Kelley (see email address – lkelley_45@msn.com)
If you need help with any of the above, please feel free to contact me or Elizabeth Kelley for assistance. Please send this to all your contact lists. This is the time we really need your participation.
These are the commissioners to address your email to:
“Bob Stump” stump-web@azcc.gov
“Brenda Burns” burns-web@azcc.gov
“Cheryl Fraulob” cfraulob@azruco.gov
“Gary Pierce” Pierce-web@azcc.gov
“Paul Newman” newman-web@azcc.gov
“Sandra Kennedy” kennedy-web@azcc.gov
CC to Sedona City Council – addresses:
Mayor Rob Adams MayorAdams@SedonaAZ.gov
Vice Mayor Mark DiNunzio CouncilorDiNunzio@SedonaAZ.gov
Councilors:
Litrell CouncilorLitrell@SedonaAZ.gov
Martinez CouncilorMartinez@SedonaAZ.go
McIlroy CouncilorMcIlroy@SedonaAZ.gov
Williamson CouncilorWilliamson@SedonaAZ.gov
Ward CouncilorWard@SedonaAZ.gov
CC also to the Yavapai County Commissioners 1, 2 and 3:
Springer ‘web.bos.district1@co.yavapai.az.us’
Thurman ‘web.bos.district2@co.yavapai.az.us’
Davis ‘web.bos.district3@co.yavapai.az.us’
The article has a couple addresses wrong. For posting to the ACC docket, the correct address is mailmaster@azcc.gov. And the correct address for more info is not stopmeters.org but stopsmartmeters.org.
http://marylandsmartmeterawareness.org/smart-meter-news/virginia-state-senator-thomas-a-garrett-is-sponsoring-opt-out-legislation/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MarylandSmartMeterAwareness+%28Maryland+Smart+Meter+Awareness+%28MSMA%29+Smart+Meter+News%29
UPDATE – THE CASE AGAINST WiFi IN SCHOOLS IN ISRAEL – Case filed with Israel’s Supreme Court. http://ehsfighback.blogspot.ca/2012/12/update-case-against-wifi-in-schools-in.html
excerpt:
“We cannot predict the outcome of the case. However, we do consider the petition to the Supreme Court and our actions that preceded it a success for the following reasons:
(1) We got the first written acknowledgement of EHS by the government.
(2) Following our warning to submit the case, the Health Minister issued a letter to the Minister of Education supporting and urging the ban WiFi in schools. Link to the Minister of Health Letter (English): http://norad4u.blogspot.co.il/2012/08/this-is-translation-to-english-of.html
(3) We have provided a document that proves that the Director of the Radiation Department (in the Ministry of Environmental Protection) who is responsible for determining the radiation safety standards, also believes that WiFi in schools should be banned and admitted that the current safety standards are insufficient.
(4) We have created much media and public attention and awareness about EHS, the dangers of radiation and the dangers of WiFi in schools. The media took our side and we sense that there is increasing concern amongst parents and the public in general.
(5) We forced the Ministry of Education to issue a decree that bans WiFi, against its original intentions and actions.
What are we hoping for?
We are hoping to achieve a complete ban in all schools, without ANY exceptions, and immediate enforcement of the ban so no child will be radiated with WiFi while in school.”
http://ehsfighback.blogspot.ca/2012/12/update-case-against-wifi-in-schools-in.html