City attempts to prevent NSMA from participation and introducing evidence and expert testimony.PURPA hearings are required and should have been conducted in 2009 when the City considered the DOE grant to help fund the smart meters. They are designed to allow consumers to weigh in on whether the city should accept funding and are willing to adopt the standards proposed by the utility.
This "
motion to deny" filed late Friday is the City's attempt to bar public access to participate in these proceedings. Again.
Click here to see NSMA's
Petition to Intervene along with a highly credentialed list of
expert testimony and significant credible documentation on the risks.
The City's motion to deny suggests that NSMA is not a utility customer, despite the fact that Jennifer Stahl and Kim Bendis, named petitioners, are both utility customers.
Why is this significant?
1) The City did not follow PURPA guidelines prior to accepting the DOE grant as required by law. This requires utilities to hold public meetings and allow for public comment before adopting federal standards set forth in the Energy Act of 2005 and the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.
This requirement should've been done 3 years ago.
2) In deciding to adopt federal standards the above mentioned acts do not make this a mandatory program, nor do they suggest a fee based opt out program. It specifically states "electric utility shall offer...and provide individual customers upon request..." Click here for
excerpt.
3) This follows a long line of continued
interference by the city in allowing the public to weigh in on very important issues that effect our city.
DOE contract does not require 100% compliance and acknowledges that residents need to be informed and that informing them could be risky, slow the adoption or stop it all together.
Who decides who can intervene? The City.
Who is holding the meetings? The City.
Who is afraid that the experts and attorney cross examination would reveal that this is a scam? The City.
Submit your comments through March 19 and attend the hearings:
1) Use the
following statement or submit your own indicating your stance on the smart meter issue. Statement must include your reasons and sources.
2) Email statement to lafeberp@naperville.il.us and
napervillesmartmeters@yahoo.com. Please cc: us so we have a record of all statements submitted.
3) Attend one or both hearings on March 4 (3:00 pm) and March 19 (10:00 am). You are encouraged to comment publicly at these meetings. Speeches can be up to 10 minutes. If you are willing to speak but do not want to write a speech, contact us at
NapervilleSmartMeters@yahoo.com.
Meetings held in Council Chambers at 400 S. Eagle St., Naperville.
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