April Update
On The Hill:
Although set to be unveiled to the Senate in April, a carefully crafted compromise on climate change legislation
suffered a severe setback in light of recent political squabbles.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), the only Republican cosponsor of the bill, threatened to pull out of negotiations
because of a White House initiative to revamp the nation’s immigration policies - which may eclipse the passage of
the climate bill. Immigration policies have taken the spotlight because of Arizona’s recent passage of an anti-illegal
immigration law. Sparking a national uproar, the bill would make it a state crime for illegal immigrants to not have an
alien registration document. It would also allow police to question people about their immigration status if there’s
reason to suspect they’re in the country illegally.
No stranger to controversy, Graham, has been under scrutiny by fellow Republicans for supporting a Democrat-led
climate policy. However, he indicated that his initial compromise with the climate policy could have ended.
Graham refused to stand with President Obama and Senate Democrats after they starting pushing for a
comprehensive immigration reform bill that he called “nothing more than a cynical political ploy” headed into the 2010
midterm elections, according to The New York Times.
However, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) said he, Graham, and Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) will continue to move
forward to implement a strategy to pass their legislation which includes intensive talks with environmentalists and
businesses. Despite Graham allegedly dropping out of all negotiations, Kerry and Lieberman have submitted the bill
to The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for review. The EPA will begin analyzing the economic impact the bill
would have from provisions intended to reduce pollution.
In Austin:
Although the Texas Legislature isn’t in session, the Public Utility Commission (PUC) has been actively researching
area electric utilities’ smart meter efforts. Read the excerpt below from our statewide association, Texas Electric
Cooperatives:
PUC SMART METER TESTING UPDATE
The PUC Executive Director, Paul Clanon, reported on the status of Navigant Consulting’s independent evaluation of
the smart meters numerous consumers have complained about in the Oncor and Centerpoint service areas.
Navigant reported that Oncor and Centerpoint hired the consultants to conduct this investigation with the PUC
providing oversight. Navigant plans to: 1) perform a detailed analysis of the complaints; 2) do independent laboratory
and some field and side-by-side testing of about 5,000 meters; 3) compare the pre- and post-deployment usage
history for advanced meters with a sample of old electromechanical meters; and 4) examine the process flow of the
meter installations, meter reading and recording, and the transmission to make sure the information is being
accurately transmitted. Navigant plans to complete the investigation by June and will keep the PUC briefed at each
stage.
Oncor reported that its tests on a small sample of meters showed the meters were largely accurate. CenterPoint
reported that its meter testing yielded similar results. Oncor also reviewed 780,000 bills and found 1,827 that needed
to be re-billed because they were too high, 95 percent of which were residential. Differences ranged between $656
and $12 with an average of $125 in the customer’s favor. The billing problem appeared to be caused by misreads of
the old meters when they were replaced with advanced meters. Both Oncor and Centerpoint plan to install about 500
in-home devices and say they are taking cyber-security seriously. Chairman Barry Smitherman told Oncor and
CenterPoint to keep their legislators informed on this issue, and to take security seriously given that numerous
attempted but unsuccessful cyber break-ins have occurred at Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT).
Smart UR Citizens, a consumer group that feels the higher rates are being caused by smart meters, asked the PUC
to authorize a “smart meter free zone” or a moratorium on deployment until the testing is complete. Smitherman
responded that CenterPoint has received a federal grant of $200 million to install smart meters and needs to install
them quickly and Commissioner Nelson said a moratorium is premature.