"Citing alleged health effects from electromagnetic waves, a county in the North San Francisco Bay Area has criminalized the installation of "smart" electric meters.
The Marin County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed an ordinance (pdf) yesterday that deems the installation of smart meters a public nuisance in some areas.
The law applies to unincorporated Marin, home to about 70,000 of the county's 260,000 residents. In addition to electromagnetic health risks, the board cited concerns about meters being used to collect information about residents' activities, impacts on aesthetics and potential damage to amateur radio networks.
The board has asked the California Public Utilities Commission before to declare a moratorium on the meters, following the lead of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors."
Debra Kahn reports for Greenwire January 5, 2011.
SEE ALSO:
"Tea Party Group Decries SmartMeters" (Santa Rosa Press Democrat)
"PG&E To Ignore Smart Meter Moratorium" (Pasadena Star-News)
"Smart Meters Big Brother's Advance Troops? Hardly" (Santa Clara Weekly)
"Two West Marin Women Arrested in Blockade Of SmartMeter Trucks" (Marin Independent Journal)
"Report: PG&E Executive's Snooping Widely Shared" (San Francisco Chronicle)
"PG&E SmartMeters' Problems, and How To Fix Them" (San Francisco Chronicle)
"Judging the Pros and Cons of Smart Meters" (San Francisco Chronicle)
"Fairfax Bans PG&E's SmartMeters for 6 Months" (San Francisco Chronicle)
"Smart Meters on Track for Installation in San Francisco" (San Francisco Examiner)
"CPUC Finds No Merit In San Francisco's Petition Against Smart Meters" (renewgrid)
"Smart Meter Protest Blocks Road, Forces PG&E Trucks To Retreat (Video)" (TreeHugger)
"PG&E Hopes To Avoid Another Backlash as It Resumes Smartmeters Upgrades in Bakersfield" (Bakersfield Californian)
"What the Smart Grid Needs in 2011" (Earth2Tech/Reuters)
"CPUC: PG&E Smart Meters Stay Installed" (San Diego Reader)
"San Francisco Fighting PG&E Over Smart Meters" (San Francisco Business Times -- 2008)
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