letters
TO THE EDITOR
EUGENE BIKE GRID
Both the R-G and EW have discussed
the role of bikes in Eugene — the safety
issues and the environmental benefi ts.
The R-G reports a 53-page report from
the city proposing to spend $60 million on
a variety of projects over the next 20 years.
The EW letter, from a bike rider, simply
asked for “some bicycle-only streets in this
city, and every city.”
It is encouraging to think of $60 million
in long-term planning. But good things do
not need to cost an arm and a leg, literally
and economically. We could use some nice
improvements right now, this year, now.
This is the bike grid. It is not some
European idea we are slow to adopt. As far
as I can tell it started right here in Eugene: the
call for a half dozen “bike friendly” streets,
all day, every day, to make Eugene better.
A half dozen designated slow minor
streets — half east-west, and half north-
south, would allow many bikers to wend
their way through the city in relative
safety. Just a bold colored line and a few
viewpoint
signs would transform these streets to quiet
bike paths.
Most residents would want their street
chosen.
Motorists, already favored, would always
only be a few hundred yards from their motor
speedway grid, so they should not complain.
They will not miss the bikers.
So $60 million, yes, let’s do it. But also,
right now, let’s get that idea to the experts
in street planning and paint the streets —
and ride, ride, ride.
Michael Lee
Eugene
TRUSTED PROVIDER
It is with joy and anticipation that I
write to support the building of the new
Planned Parenthood Regional Health &
Education Center.
The demand and need for its services
long ago outgrew its current facility, and
the state Department of Human Services
tells us that the number of women in Lane
County who cannot afford reproductive
health services jumped from 28,000 in 2008
to 41,000 in 2010. Planned Parenthood has
long been a trusted provider of factual
sex education and women’s health care
services such as Pap smears, breast cancer
screenings and menopause information. It
meets a continuing need from low-income
patients of all ages who cannot afford
health insurance. Many women look back
with gratitude to Planned Parenthood for
the health services it provided when they
were in college or just starting their careers.
The new center in Glenwood will be
centrally located for easy access along an
EmX line, and it will be a huge boost to the
local economy. I urge you to support this
project. More than 27,000 patients each
year will thank you.
Margaret Hazel
Eugene
DON’T BE SO NICE
Dear drivers: When I’m riding my bike
down the street and I come to a stop sign, I
do what I’m supposed to do — stop. Please,
as fellow road-sharers, do what you are
supposed to do. If you are coming down the
cross street and you do not have a stop sign,
do not stop and wave me across the street!
I know you think you are being super-
nice, and I appreciate your thoughtfulness;
however, it’s incredibly dangerous. You have
no idea if the cars behind you are going to
stop or pull around you (as so many people
do), and you are not really paying attention
to the traffi c coming in the other direction as
you wave me across the intersection.
I shake my head at you and end up
frustrated, because if you would have
just kept driving, I would have been able
to cross the street when it was safe to my
standards. Instead I wave at you to keep
going, you wave at me to go ahead, you
stop traffi c when there’s no need to stop
traffi c, and you put people at risk (me,
other drivers, yourself). Please consider
this safety issue next time you think you
are being nice to a bicyclist.
Misty McLean-Schurbon
Eugene
BY ROGER GRAY
EWEB Smart Meters
Devices safe, goal to not increase rates
O
ne of my favorite classes while attending
UC-Berkeley covered the history and ethics
of science and technology. One of the case
studies in that class explored opposition to railroads
in the early industrial revolution. The anti-railroad
people raised the safety issue about locomotives
moving at the “break-neck” speed of 7 mph and
how dangerous this would be. Some even claimed
railroads were a “device of the devil” and could
cause a “concussion of the brain.”
Well, society ultimately decided that railroads are
an acceptable risk, compared to the benefi ts they
offer in moving people and materials at low cost. We
were able to separate the hysteria from concerns
about railroad safety.
Which brings me to some recent articles in EW
about the Eugene Water & Electric Board’s plans to
install digital meters sometime in late 2012 or 2013 (I
say digital because that’s really what they are: They
replace the old, spinning-dial mechanical meter).
Skepticism is good, because asking good questions
brings about good decision making.
But it doesn’t help the community conversation
when one of EW’s staff writers (EW 9/15) and a
guest writer (EW 9/22) use fear-mongering terms
like “bursts” and “radiation” and “microwaves”
when what we’re talking about are meters that
simply turn on to transmit data — using very low-
strength radio frequencies (similar to FM radios or
your home wireless network) — and then turn off a
few milliseconds later. There’s no “burst” or “pulse,”
but I guess that sounds a lot more scary. Likewise,
inaccurate reports that claim everyone will pay
$500 for their meter are simply false. No one will
see that charge on their bill.
We also have seen some wild claims via email
and the internet. One email received by EWEB staff
claimed that smart meters were more dangerous to
your health than smoking cigarettes. I’ve seen no
WWW.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM • BLOGS.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM
evidence that digital meters
are responsible for killing
300,000 Americans a year (let
alone a single person).
Can we just take a deep breath and
settle down? Can we step back from the scary talk?
As EWEB moves into its second century of
operations, we see big changes on the horizon.
One of these changes is what’s commonly called
the “smart grid,” which holds enormous promise
for doing things like integrating wind and solar
power with traditional energy sources, and giving
customers the technological tools to manage their
own energy consumption. In fact, we may not be
able to adequately provide electricity in the future
without the smart grid (and meters), because like
everything else, the utility industry is moving from
an analog model to a digital one.
The digital meters would record consumption
usage hourly, sending a wireless signal back to
EWEB. You’d get a bill at the end of the month, just
like you do now.
A handful of critics have raised concerns over
exposure to radio frequencies (RFs), the cost of a
system and how EWEB would use the data it collects.
First, EWEB already collects your consumption
data. It’s called “reading your meter” once a month
and then sending you a bill. EWEB has never shared
customer data with anyone without the customer’s
permission or without a court order. And we never will.
Then why collect the data? Well, that’s where you
come in. In the months and years after the meters are
installed, EWEB expects to roll out programs designed
to help you use that data to manage your energy use.
All of these programs will be voluntary. You decide
when to run your dishwasher or heat your water.
It is true that the meters will transmit data using
radio frequencies. And it is true that there have
been concerns that RFs in high doses may pose
a health risk. Cell phones have been studied for
many years, for example.
But RF exposure from smart meters is very
low – about 1 percent of what a person receives
from a cell phone. That drops considerably
as you move away from the meter. They also
will be transmitting only a fraction of the day.
Finally, they use only one-quarter of a watt of
power.
The World Health Organization — perhaps the
most credible and independent entity around — has
reviewed more than 25,000 studies and reports on
RF exposure. While WHO says high-intensity cell
phone exposure should still be studied, WHO came
to the conclusion that “current evidence does not
confi rm the existence of any health consequences
from exposure to low level electromagnetic fi elds.”
The current estimate for installing a smart
meter system is $27 million to $33 million. But how
would we pay for it? EWEB’s elected board has not
made a fi nal decision to deploy a system, or exactly
how to pay for it. Management’s current thinking
is to purchase and install the meters with a goal of
no impact on your rates. This likely would involve
using cash reserves and bonds. The bond payment
costs would be offset by about $2 million per year in
operational savings, mostly in the form of reducing
our work force (meter readers).
I would urge EW readers to go to our website
www.eweb.org/smpilot and read the very
exhaustive, independent California Council on
Science and Technology report commissioned by
California’s state Legislature, or check out what the
Environmental Defense Fund says about the benefi ts
of smart meters (also posted on our website).
Ultimately, it is up to our community and your
elected representatives on the utility board to
decide. If the community doesn’t see the value and
benefi ts, and does not support their deployment,
then we’ll stick with the old meters and our 20th
century business model. That’s the beauty and
benefi t of having a local, citizen-owned utility.
Roger Gray is the Eugene Water & Electric Board’s general manager.
EUGENE WEEKLY OCTOBER 6, 2011
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