FAIRFIELD – After more than 30 hours of testimony, conducted over three days, on Dec. 5, the Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) completed it’s hearing on Alliant Energy’s subsidiary Interstate Power and Light Company’s (IPL) upcoming smart meter rollout. Those opposing the smart meters (intervenors’) and their expert witnesses presented serious concerns about the new smart and digital electric and gas meters that are in the process of being installed in Iowa.
Evidence was presented about the dangers of exposure to RF radiation and “dirty electricity” from smart meters, and dirty electricity from the digital opt-out meters; potentially higher bills; vulnerability from hacking and privacy violation. Worrying scientific evidence has emerged about the damaging health effects from these meters, raising the question do we really want to install millions of these potentially harmful meters throughout our communities, with so little benefit to the consumer? And has the consumer been educated and notified of these potential dangers? This same scenario is playing out all over the country as consumers in every state are rising up to protest this questionable technology that is being forced on the population, and has been causing detrimental effects to health, safety and resulting in higher costs in many areas where it has been installed.
Dr. Magda Havas, recently retired associate professor in environmental studies, at Trent University, Ontario, Canada, presented the results of a two year, $25 million study by the National Toxicology Program, an agency of the United States National Institute of Health (NIH). She testified the landmark study, released Nov. 2, showed that the type of RF radiation given off by smart meters and cell phones caused cancer of the heart and brain in the test animals.
At the conclusion of the hearing, written arguments from both sides as well as from the Office of Consumer Advocacy were delivered to the IUB board. The board is now in deliberations and a decision is anticipated in February.
The opportunity for Iowans to contact the IUB is still available. Concerned citizens can file an objection or comment online at https://iub.iowa.gov/online-services/open-docket-comment-form (under the List of IUB Dockets choose SPU-2018-0007).
For additional information the following briefs can be accessed at:
Smart Meter Opponents (Intervenors’) – https://fairfieldsafemeters.com/Hearing-Brief
Office of Consumer Advocacy – https://fairfieldsafemeters.com/OCA-Hearing-Brief
Below is a summary to sections in the intervenors’ brief where further information on specific issues is available:
• Smart Meters can radiate much more than six times a day. For some customers the smart meters will radiate not six times a day as IPL’s brochure stated, but thousands of times per week. (Intervenors’ Brief page 40)
• RF radiation causes cancer. There is now clear scientific evidence from the National Toxicology Program, an agency of the National Institute of Health (NIH), that RF radiation causes cancer. (Intervenors’ Brief pages 29-41)
• Children are especially vulnerable to smart meters. Health Expert Havas testified that a child sleeping within 15 feet of a Sensus Smart Meter would be exposed to levels (RF radiation levels) associated with childhood leukemia. (Intervenors’ Brief page 38)
• Danger from dirty electricity – High voltage transients (or dirty electricity) from smart meters and also the digital opt-out meters pose serious health risks. (Intervenors’ Brief pages 42-44)
• A safe distance from a smart meter is not being maintained. For health reasons the FCC requires that smart meters shall be a minimum separation distance from human contact of 20cm (7.87 inches). IPL has not installed the smart meters in a manner that protects the public from RF radiation hazards from being too close to a meter. (Intervenors’ Brief pages 19-20)
• Smart meter technology is vulnerable to hacking and the customer’s privacy can be compromised. (Intervenors’ Brief pages 73-76)
• Analog meters currently offer the only safe meter alternative to avoid both RF radiation and dirty electricity caused by a smart meter, and dirty electricity caused by a digital meter. (Intervenors’ Brief pages 51- 56)
• All properties should be eligible for an opt-out, including those utilizing renewable energy sources (solar and wind), plus commercial and business properties. (Brief pages 63-67)
• IPL should not charge opt-out fees. (Intervenors’ Brief pages 68-70)
The conditions for opting-out are uniquely burdensome. For example: Only the original “customer of record” on an Alliant account can request an opt-out. This means if you opt-out now and later sell your home, your buyer will not be able to opt-out. They will automatically get a smart meter. And the same applies to you when you move to a new residence in the IPL service area. You will no longer have the option to choose an opt-out at the new location (the same situation applies with tenants). (Intervenors’ Brief pages 58-76)