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New Mexico PRC keeps smart meters out

Sedona AZ (April 12, 2018) – The following is a letter to the SedonaEye.com editor:

Dear Friends,

Today we won a victory in the fight against radiation in New Mexico.

The Public Regulation Commission has denied PNM’s application for Smart Meters. “The plan presented in the Application does not provide a net public benefit and it does not promote the public interest,” wrote the Commission.

The Commission accepted the Hearing Examiner’s recommended decision without alteration. It ruled that:

• PNM did not demonstrate that smart meters will save money.
• PNM did not demonstrate that smart meters will produce energy efficiency.
• PNM did not show that customers want smart meters.
• PNM did not evaluate alternatives.
• PNM did not say how it would protect customer data privacy.
• Cyber security issues need to be addressed.
• 125 good, high-paying jobs would be lost.
• Proposed opt-out fees were unreasonable.
• There was insufficient public input.
• There was insufficient response by PNM to public objections.

EVIDENCE ABOUT HEALTH EFFECTS was discussed at length: “Customers who have strong feelings about the health effects of the meters should be allowed to protect their stated health concerns without a prohibitively high cost.”

The decision goes on to state: “The conditions of the portion of the population who believe they are electromagnetically sensitive deserve acknowledgment and consideration as decisions are made regarding the implementation of an AMI Project. Accommodations could include reasonable opt-out provisions and fees and perhaps the selection of technologies that minimize the impacts on such people. Such accommodations may be desirable to minimize health risks to customers and address the needs and preferences of PNM’s customers. These are issues that can and should be addressed in a public input process of the sort PNM stated in its 2012 Report that it would conduct before bringing a smart meter proposal to the Commission for approval.”

The decision means there will not be smart meters in the near future in New Mexico’s metropolitan areas: Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Las Vegas, Clayton, Ruidoso, Tularosa, Alamogordo, Silver City, Lordsburg and Deming.

Arthur Firstenberg
Cellular Phone Task Force
Santa Fe NM

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6 Comments

  1. Irv Pollack, Spring Lake says:

    There is a Solar God in New Mexico. Hats off to you Firstenberg and organizers.

  2. Bill Roth says:

    United people can make a difference when their focus is right on. Here’s a shout out to our very own anti-smart meter installation troops in Sedona and Verde Valley and Arizona. Find out what NM did and BE visible, be loud, be proud. You got this one! This is bipartisan.

  3. @ Bill Roth says:

    Bill, It’s not just about being united in opposition. New Mexico obviously has honest utility regulators that actually care about the public, something that’s missing in Arizona.

  4. Bill Roth says:

    Well done point.

  5. Vic Schiller says:

    sharing

  6. Keith Anthony says:

    Good work on behalf of citizens. Much obliged.

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