Texas committee hears Smart Meter health hazards
By: GARRY REED |
The issue of Smart Meters in Texas returned to public attention Tuesday when the Senate Business and Commerce Committee heard testimony about the health effects of the meters.
The mandatory replacement of analog electric meters with digital Smart Meters has come under fire for a number of reasons.
Opponents nationwide have testified that radiofrequency emissions from Smart Meters cause headaches, nausea and insomnia.
A Hurst woman told the Dallas Morning News in June that her autistic daughter began having seizures when their Smart Meter was installed.
A recent
Texas Tribune article quoted a Dallas resident who was not only “deeply concerned about the health hazards” but told the committee “Every consumer should be given a choice and not an ultimatum.”
The Dallas Libertarian Examiner published its first article about the
By: Smart Meter controversy in March 2010 and then began reporting on a Ft. Worth resident’s standoff with electric company installers who continually attempted to replace his old meter.
That resident, wishing to remain anonymous, was dubbed “Mr. Smoot,” acronym for “Smart Meter Opt Out Texan.”
“So here it is October 12, 2012,” Smoot reported, “And I still have my original meter.”
In fact he was informed by the meter reader that his house has the only analog meter still in use in a neighborhood of several thousand homes.
“There were no battles, no threats, no heated confrontations with installers,” Smoot said. “I simply stood in my doorway and told a steady stream of Oncor and contract technicians that I didn’t want a Smart Meter. And I kept my privacy fence gates padlocked at all times.”
Smoot explained to meter installers that he wanted them to wait while an opt-out provision was under consideration in Austin.
According to reports the Public Utilities Commission is currently studying the need for an opt-out clause and may come to some sort of conclusion near the end of the year.
In addition to health concerns, opponents of Smart Meters nationwide have complained about inaccurate readings, radiofrequency interference with medical and other devices in their homes, and privacy and security concerns.
But another problem little mentioned in the media came up when an Oncor worker and union rep testified about several cases of the base of a Smart meter “burning up” after being installed.
The result has been damage to people’s homes with the homeowners being required to pay for repairs out of their own pockets.
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