Sedona Arizona- A Smart Meter Free Zone?

Screen shot 2013-06-21 at 8.34.09 AMOn Wednesday, June 19, the Sedona City Council held a special workshop regarding Arizona Public Service (APS) plans to deploy utility smart meters in Sedona.

Sedona Smart Meter Awareness (SSMA) is raising awareness about the cost, privacy, health and safety hazards of utility smart meters.  APS and SSMA presented information about smart meters. Both sides were given equal time.  Only ten public speakers were allowed due to time constraints, however all spoke in opposition to Smart Meter deployment.  The meeting was standing room only.  The entire discussion, including the presentations and council discussion is available by video here, see part 3A,.

Screen shot 2013-06-21 at 8.30.23 AMNancy Baer, SSMA representative said, “APS representatives seemed to be in over their heads when Councilors began asking questions.  Sedona Smart Meter Awareness created a solid, fact-filled PowerPoint presentation delivered by Warren Woodward. All concerns were thoroughly covered: health, safety, privacy, and cost.”

In response to the question of federal requirement to install smart meters, APS confirmed, “There’s been no federal mandate for us to move in this direction.”

Screen shot 2013-06-21 at 8.15.59 AMAPS currently has a proposal on file with the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) to charge opt out consumers $75 upfront and $30 more added to their monthly bill.  Every councilor objected to that proposed fee.

At the conclusion of the workshop, Councilor Barbara Litrell introduced and Councilor Dan McIlroy seconded the motion to:

“..direct the staff to prepare a statement for the Arizona Corporation Commission that expresses concerns, on behalf of our Sedona citizens, that Smart Meters have not been proven safe and until such time as definitive proof exists the Arizona Corporation Commission should allow the Sedona community to opt out without penalties.”

On a 4-3 vote, the City agreed to file a letter requesting community opt-out without penalties with the Arizona Corporation Commission.

Warren Woodward said, “In addition to violating health, rights, trespass and wiretap laws, APS will be violating the City’s nuisance ordinance if they install ‘smart’ meters in Sedona.  APS should not be immune from law just because they are supposedly regulated by the Arizona Corporation Commission. We asked the City to enforce the law.  Their motion is a first step.” 

Sedona currently has no smart meters deployed there.

12 thoughts on “Sedona Arizona- A Smart Meter Free Zone?”

  1. Great articular, EMF sensitive and looking for places to live. West Virginia seems a lot to back woods for me.

  2. Congratulations Sedona for doing the right thing! And for the counselirs who voted for the smart meters I would just like to say one thing. TenAre you willing to take responsiblity for allowing us to be part of APS’s experiment and the possible illnesses caused by these machines 5,10 years down the road?

  3. We are told that Edward Snowden has narrowed his amnesty destination choices down to Ecuador or Iceland.

    There is an interesting correlation between these choices and a world map that was part of the power point presentation by the representative from Arizona Public Service at the Sedona council meeting. The map, titled “Countries with Remote Metering” is shown at approximately 12:30 into the second video (Item 3A, Part 1 of 4): http://sedonaaz.swagit.com/play/06192013-791

    Just as in our own country, the map shows that most of the world already has “Remote Metering”. There are, however, notable oases of freedom from the technological leviathan, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere: nearly all of Africa, New Guinea, and within South America, Venezuela, Guyana, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Peru, and Ecuador. In the Northern Hemishphere, you have Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Mongolia, and most of Central America. Last but not least, in conspicuous nonconformity to virtually the rest of the Northern Hemisphere, appears humble holdout Iceland.

    In a mildly shocking, backhanded comment, the utility presenter resorted to revealing, atavistic, outmoded language to describe the countries that have adopted the Technology. He did not refer to them as industrialized, developed, technologically advanced, forward-thinking, free, or any of the other typical pc euphemisms. At about 12:20, he says, “Around the world, every civilized nation is deploying this technology as well.”
    So, with a very broad brush of implication, whole nations who have lagged behind the rest of the world in their acceptance of the Smart Grid–for whatever reasons–have just been demoted from the status of tin-foil hats to heathens. Pray for us.

  4. Bravo,,,,,,,,,,
    My sister in San Francisco has helped spear head a committee fighting PGE for years
    regarding smart meters. She has volumes of information that they have gathered.
    Thank You for helping to stop this invasion here in Sedona. Joan

  5. Woops! I got the names mixed up. Maddock is absolutely correct. Sorry about that Mr. Ward.

  6. Question for Paul H. Did we watch the same meeting?

    I thought for sure it was Adams, Litrell, McIlroy and WARD voting in favor, leaving the naysayers: DiNunzio, Martinez, and Williamson.

    Why the attack on Mike Ward?????

  7. Notice the question purposefully ignored asked by Barbara Litrell in video 3a (part 2 of 4). She wanted to know about the square miles, not how many homes and the “gatekeeper”. Williamson refused to follow up to find the real answer and Ward changed the subject. These two council members along with Martinez, “a bottom line type of guy”, are clearly “in the bag”. Their no vote should never be forgotten as they turned their back on the health of everything living.

    They sided with a piece of equipment that could give them cancer! Incredible!

    Also, they love to use the word “conclusive”. If a person jumped off a bridge there is no “conclusive” evidence on which bone or bones would be broken or even if they would die.

  8. Amazing job by Sedona Smart Meter Awareness, and commendable reaction from the Arizona Public Service! It’s so refreshing to see a common sense response to the plain-as-day information about “smart” meters’ dangers.

    This news will add to the brightening spotlight that shines on the “Spy and Fry” debacle. They are a menace and it’s becoming increasingly obvious that their manufacture, installation, and use should be halted immediately!

  9. Congratulations Sedona! You have a Mayor and Town Council who have beautifully opened their hearts and minds to really listen and act upon what Sedona is asking: to see what Sedona really needs! You deserve to be proud of what you have accomplished!

    As far as I know, you are the first town in Arizona to really get that ‘smart’ meters and their pulsed microwave mesh network grids are bio-toxic, genetically harmful and have not been proven safe to people, plants, bees, birds and the rest of our living environment!

    Warren, Monnie and Nancy: Wonderful work! May all Sedona enjoy living free from yet another poisonous APS’ mesh network prison.

    Pat Ferre

  10. We can block rf entering our home but not with a smart meter. The city needs to buy their own meter and check it for themselves.

    Cryptochromes in the retina are magnetic proteins that are sensitive to light waves. RF waves are identical to light waves being that they are both electromagnetic. These proteins are responsible for signalling the pineal gland to produce melatonin when light isn’t present. America’s cancer problem may be growing rf levels responsible for “invisible light” inhibiting the production of melatonin.

    A word to the confused on the Sedona City Counsel. Put a timer on a baby monitor or cordless phone and place it next to your bed. Set the time for an odd hour, you will wake up at that time. Just like a light being turned on in the bedroom.
    Make sure all other wireless is off in the home. The smart meter is always on and there is nothing else on earth that chronically exposes us.

  11. The City Attorney was incorrect (and will be corrected) when he said that filing as intervenor is expensive and requires an attorney. The opposite, of course, is true. It is free and any person can intervene.

Comments are closed.