Central Maine Power asks PUC to drop hazard complaints against smart meters

The smart meter backlash continues: Central Maine Power Company (CMP) has asked the state's Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to dismiss two complaints related to potential meter fire, health and security hazards. The utility asked the commission last week to dismiss a complaint that said smart meters could cause fires in homes with older wiring. According to the Sun Journal, CMP said the complaint was "clearly unreasonable." And earlier this week, the utility responded to a complaint filed by a group of Scarborough residents who were concerned about health and security issues. Apparently no one's lawyered up, but both sides have lined up doctors. CMP's medical people say there is no scientific basis for health concerns, but local doctors quoted in the complaint recommended that the meter deployment project should be slowed down because there hasn't been enough research on the health issue. A public meeting will be held later this month at Scarborough Town Hall. Members of the public will have the opportunity to speak and CMP representatives also will attend to answer questions. CMP has installed about 70,000 of the 620,000 smart meters it intends to have installed by early 2012. The news article noted that the PUC could choose to dismiss the complaints or conduct an investigation.

Quick Take: We do hope CMP has learned something from the smart meter backlashes that resulted in lawsuits for Pacific Gas & Electric and Oncor and the smackdown Baltimore Gas & Electric got from regulators before the utility scaled back its smart meter proposal.

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