What Prevented Smart Meter Opt-outs in Pennsylvania?
by Catherine J. Frompovich
Activist Post
Mar 27, 2015
Back in the summer of 2014, something very calculated apparently happened in the Pennsylvania state legislature that ought to be investigated by the Commonwealth’s Attorney General [1] and the Pennsylvania State Ethics Commission [2]. What happened was a crime against the democratic principles of governance, i.e., deliberately dis-allowing constituents, voters—and citizens in general—to exercise their right of redress and input regarding issues that affect them, their lives, and the safety of their possessions. The particular issue at hand was Opt-out provisions from Smart Meters, which was not originally written into PA Law 129 in 2008, but in committee ‘strong-armed’ into “sine die” by State Representative and Committee Chair, Robert W. Godshall.
Signs protesting PA State Representative Godshall’s ‘tied hands’ policy on Smart Meter Opt-out bills. Source
When Republican Godshall was running against Democrat Dottie Miller during the 2014 campaign, he’s on record in an interview as saying, “As chairman of the General Assembly’s Consumer Affairs Committee I presided over the effort to modernize utility operations and update rules and regulations that reflect today’s needs and cut utility costs. Energy rates in Pennsylvania had averaged well above the national average, but have now been brought in line, and more work still needs to be done.”
Apparently, that modernization included fast-tracking Smart Meters, plus preventing several bills (former HB 899, HB 902, and HB 906 in the previous legislative session) ever from moving along or out of committee for a vote! Interestingly, Godshall is supposed to have received $28,100 from utility companies that probably persuaded “money to talk” louder than voters voices and ordinary Pennsylvanians, who fear for their health and properties because of Smart Meter Radio Frequency non-ionizing radiation (microwaves) being pumped into their bodies and homes from Smart Meters with an ability to explode or ignite.
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