[Analogs – Appliances Data – Barry Hobbins, Public Advocate – BCSA – BCUC Intervener – Bees – Bills Complaints (Higher Consumption) – Cell Phones – Central Hudson Gas & Electric – Deborah Kopald – Design Flaws – Doctor’s Letter – Doug Herling, CMP Central Maine Power – Electricity Shut Offs – Explosions – Extortion – Fuse Ratings – Health – IoT Hacking – Itron – Kinder Morgan Rallies – Les MacLaren – Letter to Carol Bellringer & Paul Wieringa re BC Hydro Opt-out Fees & Meter Choices Program – Linda Flagg – Mark Vannoy, Maine PUC Public Utilities Commission Investigation – Michael Donovan, O&R Orange & Rockland – New York Safe Utility Meter Association – Privacy – Power Outages – RFR – Security – Sharon Noble Letter to Patrick Wruck re File 54557 Questions – Smart Meter Fires: The Failure to Protect – Stop Smart Meters Woodstock NY – Studies – Theft Detection Devices – Weather – Wi-Fi – Wireless | Nanaimo, BC – Maine & New York, USA] & (video) & Websites
1) In the March 11, 2018 Update [https://stopsmartmetersbc.com/2018-03-11-bc-hydro-incident-report-with-an-exploded-smeter/], I included the incident report
regarding smeter incidents with this statement:
“Attached is the 3rd semi-annual report on smeter incidents that the BCUC required as a result of my 2016 complaint about smeter fires. These are only the incidents Hydro handled, I believe. There could have been, and probably were, incidents where fire departments handled the problem. Note on page 9 of 16 where a smeter exploded off a home, flying 4.5 meters. If someone had been nearby, an injury from this flying device could have occurred. I intend to ask how many analogs have exploded off a meter base? And notice, all the problems are supposedly related to the meter base….”
(click on photos to enlarge)
Below in Letters is a response that I sent to Patrick Wruck, Commission Secretary of BCUC, demanding more information. It is unsatisfactory for a mere counting of incidents without thorough investigation of each incident. This reporting was ordered only as a result of my first formal complaint. I do believe we deserve responses to these questions and requests for information.
2) Resistance to smeters continues to grow across New York, demanding the right to keep analogs without a penalty fee.
Activists fight switch to ‘smart’ electric meters.
http://www.recordonline.com/news/20180320/activists-fight-switch-to-smart-electric-meters
[http://www.stopsmartmetersny.org/ &
http://www.stopsmartmeterswoodstockny.com/]
3) In Maine, the Public Utilities Commission has ordered an investigation re huge increases in bills after many complaints, with some blaming smeters.
Central Maine Power Under Investigation for Rising Bills
“Maine’s largest power company is under investigation after more than 1,000 customers complained to state regulators about spiking electric bills.
The Public Utilities Commission voted unanimously Tuesday morning to launch a management audit into Central Maine Power’s billing practices…
“Something is going on here, and I don’t trust my billing,” she said.
She said the price increase does not seem to match any change in electricity use, and suspects there is an issue with CMP’s smart meter system.”
4) Off topic: re. Kinder Morgan “Defend the Water” day. There is more info at the bottom of Letters for those who are interested.
There are already more than 40 actions planned, and more are pouring in every hour. Check out the full list of events at:
https://act.leadnow.ca/defendthewater/
Letters:
Sent: March 19, 2018
To: ‘paul.wieringa@gov.bc.ca‘ <paul.wieringa@gov.bc.ca>
Cc: ‘bcauditor@bcauditor.com‘ <bcauditor@bcauditor.com>
Subject: Smart Meter Opt-Out Fees
Dear Mr. Wieringa:
This weekend I learned through stopsmartmetersbc that Les MacLaren of the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources may be willing to consider smart meter opt-out fees and the manner in which they are assessed in the upcoming/current review of B.C. Hydro. Thank-you very much for your assistance with this matter which remains of major importance to thousands of British Columbians like myself.
My family and I live in the country a mile southeast of Nanaimo airport. When B.C. Hydro announced its intention to install smart meters province-wide, my medical doctor provided me with a signed letter indicating that, due to a pre-existing medical condition, I should not have a smart meter installed on my home where I have lived and duly paid my hydro bills since 1990. For the same medical reason I own no mobile devices, do not have Wi-Fi in my home and disposed of our microwave many years ago. Until today, B.C. Hydro has completely disregarded my doctor’s letter.
As a certified organic blueberry grower, our crop is entirely dependent upon wild bumblebees for pollination. No bees = no crop. There is evidence to suggest microwave radiation, as emitted by smart meters, is harmful to bees. This is another reason why I do not want a smart meter on my home or property.
Several years ago, I volunteered to be an intervenor at the B.C.U.C. when B.C. Hydro’s smart meter opt-out fees were reviewed. This was my first and only such experience. I can duly report that, upon its completion, I found the process to have been a farcical waste of time, and for this specific reason: There was one clear and highly relevant question I submitted in written form. B.C. Hydro’s initial written response was a 100% non-answer. I, as an intervenor, was granted only a single opportunity for a follow-up question, so emphatically demanded that they ANSWER MY QUESTION! Without going through my records I can’t recall how they answered, but I know it skirted the issue. I would be happy to dig up this information if you wish, but I believe the issue I raised had been discovered by one of my fellow intervenors. He noticed that prior to smart meters, B.C. Hydro had a certain number of very expensive hydro theft detection devices which worked out to, say, 1 unit for every 100,000 customers. Under the opt-out fee budget, B.C. Hydro proposed to newly purchase more of these theft detection devices, but at a rate of something like 1 unit for every 2,000 customers retaining an analogue meter. I repeat that these were not the actual numbers, but they reflect the point. At no time did B.C. Hydro provide an explanation for this highly discriminatory expense which was padded into the patently extortionate opt-out fee they charge. Further, they didn’t explain why their existing theft detection devices could not be used, nor did their budget include any cost recapture for these newly purchased devices when all existing analog hydro meters in the province are projected to expire, sometime around 2021, I think.
Incidentally, I have two meters on my property, less than 100 feet apart. Thus, for several years, I have been charged approximately $65/month to have these meters read. Since the meter reader comes once every two months, this works out to $130 per visit at our property. I challenge anyone to argue that this is reasonable charge. In fact, this is not an opt-out fee at all. It is an extortion charge. If this sounds extreme, please review your dictionary’s definition of the word extortion. Based on my years of experience on this matter with B.C. Hydro and B.C.U.C., this is my conclusion.
Surely, the fact that I have been paying this extortion fee for all these years provides a hard-core testament to the fact that I verily do not want a smart meter on my property!
Any relief/sanity which may be brought to this issue through your assistance would be most warmly appreciated. I will be pleased to provide any additional information you may require about my case.
Sincerely,
X
_________________________________________________________________________
From: Sharon Noble
Sent: March 20, 2018
To: ‘Commission Secretary BCUC:EX’ <Commission.Secretary@bcuc.com>
Subject: BC Hydro incident reports
Dear Mr. Wruck,
Thank you for sending the most recent incident report and the updates to the prior reports.. Over the last 18 months, 55 incidents involving smart meters/meter bases which BC Hydro handled have been reported. As a result of reviewing the limited information provided I have questions and requests for information as follows:
1. Please name the individual or individuals, including credentials (the traditional professional of record concept), who in the BCH Incident Reports dated Jan 30/17, Jul 28/17. and Jan 30/18 ascertained the 55 reported incidents were due to either “Abnormal Voltage”, “Meter Base”, “Electrical Overload”, or “Unknown” – and had nothing to do with the meters and the possibility they have design faults;
2. Please name the individual or individuals, including credentials (the traditional professional of record concept), who at BCH made the determination that these 55 incidents taken together and having happened within an 18 month period did not point to the possibility of life-threatening problems to do with the new AMI technology and the need for an immediate investigation by qualified experts.
3. Why aren’t the Fuse ratings and types mentioned in the Engineer’s report, diagrams and conclusions? The fuses are meant to limit damage to equipment and possible risk to humans, so are critical elements in any investigation.
4. Please provide the rating and type/Manufacturer of the BC Hydro 14.4 kV system fuses used in the installation.
5. Please provide the rating and type/Manufacturer of the 347 Volt system fuses used in the installation.
6. Were the existing fuses replaced after the failure using the same fuse ratings?
7. Comment on whether different types of fuses would/should have been applied?
8. Were there other meter incidents within the jurisdiction of Municipalities not included in the BCH reports?
9. Did BC Safety Authority investigate any of these incidents?
10. Are all of these incidents shared with and included into the BC Safety Authority data base?
11. Have there been any incidents where an analog has exploded off a home and flown several meters?
12. In the first report for the period July-Dec. 2016 one burned smart meter was returned to ITRON for investigation. According to ITRON, what was the cause of the meter failure?
The BCUC defines the issue of smart meter safety as whether the smart meter poses a greater fire hazard than the analog. It is crucial for you to obtain answers to the questions I’ve posed because then, I am sure, you will find confirmation of my repeated assertions that these smart meters do in fact pose a greater fire hazard than an analog could.
I look forward to receiving responses at your earliest convenience. Thank you for your time.
Regards,
Sharon Noble
_________________________________________________________________________
From: “Jolan Bailey – Leadnow.ca” <leadnow@leadnow.ca>
To:
Sent: March 20, 2018
Subject: RE: Kinder Morgan
Leadnow
| Dear ,
Yesterday, Kinder Morgan called in the RCMP to arrest another wave of peaceful demonstrators at their tanker terminal in Burnaby, BC — including a grandfather who climbed one of the trees Kinder Morgan was trying to cut down. [1-2] As the battle to stop the Kinder Morgan pipeline intensifies, Trudeau will face one of the biggest decisions since he took office. Will he let the RCMP continue to haul off peaceful demonstrators and Indigenous leaders in handcuffs to protect the interests of a billionaire Texas corporation — and risk destroying his image as a friendly leader committed to Indigenous rights? Or will be finally back down? If enough of us come together, we can create an avalanche of pressure big enough to wear Trudeau down, and finally convince him to make the right decision. On March 23rd, we’re joining forces with 350.org for a National Day of Action to Defend the Water from the Kinder Morgan pipeline. In just 48 hours we’ve confirmed more than 40 actions across the country — including one in your community. We need as many people as possible to show up so Trudeau finally gets the message that supporting Kinder Morgan is simply too politically toxic. Kinder Morgan’s pipeline would trample Indigenous rights, threaten BC’s pristine coast with oil spills, and unleash a flood of global warming pollution. But a powerful movement is rising up to stop the pipeline — and on March 23rd, we’re planning a massive Canada-wide Day of Action to Defend the Water from Kinder Morgan. We’ll gather outside our MP’s offices with signs and banners, and then go inside to deliver samples of water collected from the coastline in BC threatened by Kinder Morgan oil spills. With the power of water from the frontlines of resistance, we’ll demand that our MPs put pressure on Trudeau to stop pushing for the pipeline. And we’ll tip off the media to make sure our Day of Action makes headlines across the country. The battle to stop Kinder Morgan is escalating. Indigenous leaders and Vancouver-area residents are planning bold action on the ground to stop Kinder Morgan from achieving a key construction deadline this month, forcing months of delays.[3] Every day that construction is delayed costs Kinder Morgan more than $2 million, and they’ve just secured a court injunction to start arresting anyone who stands in their way. [4-5] Meanwhile, Justin Trudeau is in court fighting to ram the pipeline through without the consent of Indigenous communities. Ramming the pipeline through is a complete betrayal of his commitment to reconciliation and environmental protection — and he knows he’s on thin ice. [6] If enough of us come together, we can create an avalanche of pressure big enough to wear Trudeau down, and finally convince him to make the right decision. Join the Defend the Water Day of Action: https://act.leadnow.ca/defendthewater/ We’re in this together, P.S. There are already more than 40 actions planned, and more are pouring in every hour. Check out the full list of events at https://act.leadnow.ca/defendthewater/. [4] see 1 above [6] https://bc.ctvnews.ca/fight-against-pipeline-expansion-begins-in-federal-court-of-appeal-1.3614655 |
Sharon Noble
Director, Coalition to Stop Smart Meters
“Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”
~ Martin Luther King Jr.