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June 23, 2011

CMP, Bath spar over smart meters

By The Mainebiz News Staff

The battle over Central Maine Power Co.'s controversial smart meters has come to a head in the city of Bath, which recently approved a 180-day ban on the devices.

The utility is threatening to sue the city if it does not reverse the moratorium on the installation of the wireless meters, saying the move conflicts with state and federal law, according to The Forecaster. The city council earlier this month voted 5-3 for the moratorium, which bans the installation of the meters unless residents ask for them. Last month, after months of debate, the Maine Public Utilities Commission ordered CMP to allow customers to opt out of the new meters, though customers must pay to keep their old analog meters or use wireless meters with the transmitter turned off. In a letter sent to the city threatening legal action, CMP's attorney, Jared des Rosiers, said Bath's moratorium will hurt customers by forcing them to pay the opt-out fees, according to the paper.

State regulators launched an investigation into CMP's $190 million smart-meter project following complaints on their safety and health risks. While the PUC did not issue rulings related to those matters, it did find that allowing customers to opt out of smart meters was "reasonable and in the public interest."

CMP has until the end of the month to file a legal challenge of the moratorium. Councilors discussed CMP's letter this week but took no action on the matter, and did not say how they would respond.

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