This has been six months in the making and not for the work of Senator Dean Florez the public would be in the dark on the problems associated with SMARTMETERS and Overcharges/Guestimate Charges. Most certainly the type of support a voter should expect from a representative. Kudo’s to Senator Florez (California’s Consumer Advocate in the State Legislature).
Florez thanks CPUC for taking positive step toward increased transparency!
SACRAMENTO – Senate Majority Leader Dean Florez (D-Shafter), chairman of the Senate Select Committee on the Smart Grid and a key critic of PG&E’s flawed “Smart” Meter roll-out, today thanked the head of the utility’s regulatory body for taking a requested step toward increasing transparency in the process.
In an order issued Tuesday by Commissioner Michael Peevey, the California Public Utilities Commission stated that PG&E must make all of its reports on Smart Meter implementation – past and present – open to the public. The order states that the move is necessary in order to have the full information needed to assess Smart Meter accuracy.
Florez, who called for the public release of these documents at last week’s hearing on Smart Meter billing estimations, called Tuesday’s order “a positive step toward restoring some semblance of public confidence in this long, drawn-out process.”
Since last fall, Florez has held hearings on reports of utility bills soaring after Smart Meter installation. After months of blaming everything from the summer heat to old meters running “too slow,” PG&E recently admitted not only to estimating customers bills, but to adding months-worth of associated adjustments to one bill.
Under the new ruling, PG&E must provide a copy of its reports — or a link to a website where they are available — within two days to anyone making a request.
A copy of Peevey’s order is available at the following url: http://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/EFILE/…