PORTLAND, Maine — Maine's highest court ruled last week that
state regulators failed to adequately address safety
concerns about Central Maine Power's smart meters, but the
ruling had no immediate impact on more than 600,000 smart
meters already installed in homes and businesses across the
state.
The Supreme Judicial Court this past Thursday ordered the
Maine Public Utilities Commission to reconsider a complaint
that raised health concerns, and lead plaintiff, Ed Friedman
of Bowdoinham, urged the panel to use the opportunity "to
hold full evidentiary hearings on this and look at it under
the bright lights."
"We understand that the horse is out of the barn in terms of
the meters being in, but they should've vetted these
smart meters for safety before they were deployed
instead of waiting until they're deployed to see that
there's well-known biological effects," Friedman said.
The Maine Public Utilities Commission issued a brief
statement saying the panel is considering how best to comply
with the supreme court's unanimous ruling.
"The commission is reviewing the order to determine what
steps must be taken to comply with the court's decision. We
have not reached a decision on what process will be required
to do so. Any decision about process will be determined by
commissioners in a public session," the statement said.
In Vermont earlier this year, the state legislature approved
language preventing Vermont utilities from charging fees to
customers who choose not to have a wireless smart meter
installed at their home or business.
Those who opt out in Maine pay additional monthly fees.
Smart meters transmit information about electricity usage to
CMP's headquarters in Augusta using wireless technology
similar to cell phones that emit radio frequency radiation.
CMP says smart meters are safe, cut energy use and allow
utilities to pinpoint problems during power outages more
quickly.
Critics say radio frequency radiation emitted by smart
meters can cause sleep loss, heart palpitations, dizziness
and other problems. They say the PUC had a duty to look into
those health concerns and that the opt-out provision doesn't
assure safety of those who keep smart meters. Friedman said
the opt-out provision is meaningless for people who live in
congested neighborhoods where they are surrounded by smart
meters.
CMP, which contends smart meters are safe, said the supreme
court's ruling has no immediate impact. The utility said it
would continue installing the remaining 2,000 smart meters.
Federal stimulus dollars funded roughly half the $200
million cost of the smart meter project.
The system is in place and it's operating. We use it every
day. This decision isn't going to change any of our
operations in the short term," said spokesman John Carroll.
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