Aug 24 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Kurtis Alexander Santa Cruz Sentinel, Calif.



As PGandE ramps up installation of SmartMeters across Santa Cruz County, at least one county leader is stepping up his opposition.

County Supervisor John Leopold, who says he gets calls every day now from people worried about potential health and accuracy problems with SmartMeters, is laying the groundwork for a moratorium on the new technology.

"I and many of my constituents have been very concerned that PGandE, rather than deal with the issues of the SmartMeters, have accelerated the installation," Leopold said, adding that public concerns should be addressed before the installation continues.

Today the Board of Supervisors is scheduled to decide whether to seek county counsel about a possible ban on SmartMeters in the unincorporated communities.

 How much legal weight a moratorium would carry, however, remains unclear. While many California cities and counties have passed symbolic resolutions protesting the new metering technology, few have sought to outright ban SmartMeters, which have been OK'd by state regulators.

PGandE officials have not said how they would react to a local ban, only that they're working with customers and local government officials to address concerns.

The installation of SmartMeters began statewide in late 2006 -- and just last month in Santa Cruz County. The move is an attempt to modernize the collection of electricity and natural gas use, trim expenses for the public

utility and allow households to monitor, and perhaps cut, their energy consumption.

Once installed, the SmartMeter wirelessly transmits a customer's energy use to PGandE's offices, eliminating the need for employees to visit meters to take readings.

PGandE officials say the technology is safe and effective, despite initial inaccuracies on thousands of meters.

"We're several years into this. We had some installation problems early on... but we've worked through those," said PGandE spokesman Matt Nauman.

But concerns about SmartMeters haven't gone away. Responding to public inquiries, the state has commissioned a report, due for release Sept. 2, on accuracy issues surrounding the technology and a judge is expected to weigh in within weeks on a petition forwarded by the city of San Francisco that calls for a statewide moratorium on SmartMeters until more is known about them.

The county of Santa Cruz, as well as its four cities, have signed that petition.

Leopold, though, says it's time to take the next step. The proposal he's introduced, which the board is scheduled to consider today, directs county attorneys to look at possible permitting violations by PGandE in regard to SmartMeter installation.

A breach of county planning codes, like failing to get approval for antennas that transmit the SmartMeter signal, would give the county additional leverage with PGandE and a possible SmartMeter moratorium, Leopold says.

County planning officials said Monday they're not sure what transmission devices PGandE is currently installing and therefore didn't know whether the utility needed permits.

Earlier this month, the town of Fairfax in Marin County became the first California city to pass a moratorium on new SmartMeter installation. Nauman said that installation had not formally begun in Fairfax and that PGandE was holding open houses there to address public concerns.

A similar open house is scheduled in Santa Cruz County on Wednesday.

Live Oak resident Gloria Lorenzo, who has not yet had a SmartMeter installed at her home but has seen installation crews in the neighborhood, says she's worried the new meter's radio signals will pose a health threat.

"This is the same situation we were in years and years ago with the tobacco industry when they said everything was safe," Lorenzo said.

PGandE officials have said they're meeting all federal safety regulations.

The Board of Supervisors is slated to discuss the issue at its 9 a.m. meeting at 701 Ocean St., Santa Cruz.

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