Monthly Archives: December 2011

Remember EON at this Amazing Time…

EON's Rachel Johnson (left) and Mary Beth Brangan (right) and Kim Roberson of FFAN deliver a message to the Japanese embassy.

Dear Friends,

Though we know you’ve been asked by many worthy organizations for support, we hope you can continue to support our work in 2012.

Please help EON’s independent media reporting, supporting and catalyzing effective grassroots action.  We are deeply grateful for all you who have already donated!

Happy Holidays from the EON team!          Mary Beth, Jim and Rachel


Your contributions are tax-deductible. Please check out the range of donation options for every budget on our Donation Page

We’re not called the ‘C-Span for the grassroots’ for nothing. If you’re on this list, you know how hard we work to keep a steady stream of citizen voices and useful information in a variety of media coming your way.

Read on to find out what we’ve been doing the last six months with your help.
We’d appreciate your continued support.

EON Addresses Key Issues
Since you last responded to our summer solstice appeal, we have – thanks to your generosity – been able to continue our work to help organize, inform and document effective grassroots activism on the following issues:

PG&E’s wireless ‘smart’ meter build-out agenda – our collective push back in PG&E’s service area is a trend-setting microcosm of growing national and international resistance to the corporate ‘smart meter’ agenda.

– EON & the CPUC – EON is an official party in California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) ‘Smart’ Meter Opt-Out proceedings in which, you may have noticed, PG&E – responding to public resistance and a public relations nightmare – has now signaled its willingness to allow customers to keep their analog meters…but at a hefty price. This is a move forward, but our people’s movement defending our health, privacy, security and safety from these class 2B carcinogen emitting meters is outraged at the thought of being forced to pay more to keep them off our homes.

For our update on this issue click here. The final CPUC ruling on an opt-out or opt-in plan may be made as early as mid-January. Meanwhile, we will continue to join forces with other parties in the proceeding to push for a total rollback of the stupid, ‘smart’  agenda.

Japanese mothers demand nuclear abolition.

Fukushima Support – and Monitoring Fukushima fallout – EON is part of the international movement in solidarity with Japanese resistance to nuclear power and with mothers working to protect their children against radiation. See our blog post ‘Quoth the Raven, ‘Livermore!”‘ EON is also part of the Fukushima Fallout Awareness Network, FFAN, pushing for transparent monitoring and reporting on the actual extent of radioactive pollution from continuing Fukushima radioactive emissions on the North American West Coast and beyond. Please see Fukushima Solidarity Movement Grows – A Planetary Issue for a report on some of those activities.

Closing California’s nukes at Diablo Canyon and San Onofre – both of them on earthquake faults in tsunami zones: Fukushimas waiting to happen. EON is an organizing member of the Nuclear Free California Coalition, which has so far held three organizing summits. Please see our blog post NUCLEAR RUSSIAN ROULETTE IN CALIFORNIA – Dan Hirsch

Safety from Wireless Technologies: The growing movement building public awareness of and Congressional action on the dangers of escalating wireless pollution. Early next year look for our video of the recent Wireless Safety Summit Conference and Lobbying Day in Washington, D.C. organized by The Center for Safer Wireless. Speakers include Dr. Devra Davis, Dr. Martin Blank, Dr. Stephen Sinatra, Libby Kelley and EON Founding Board Member, attorney Jim Turner.

Prof. Martin Blank of Columbia University explains how radio frequencies impact our cells.
Dr. Blank’s research explains the mechanism of harm to the human body from electro-magnetic pollution.

Moana Nui APAC Counter Conference – the EON team covered the International Forum on Globalization’s (IFG) launch of a new Asia-Pacific resistance movement in November 2011. IFG was a co-producer of Moana Nui 2011, Honolulu, three days of public events (and marches) in opposition to the APEC/TPP (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation/Trans-Pacific Partnership) trade agreement meeting of 21 heads 
of state as they worked to divvy up the resources and lands of the huge Asia/Pacific region from the indigenous people.

[For more info, click here and here.]
Our report and photo gallery of the event are here.

EON’s Mary Beth Brangan interviews a protester, Honolulu, Nov. 2011

‘Dirty Electricity’ – the hidden dangers of wireless technologies, appliances and ‘smart’ meters – in addition to their RF emissions – is their ‘switching mode power supply’ (SMPS) components that are interrupting the electrical flow many times per second and causing high frequency transients and harmonics to infiltrate our household electrical wiring. See the first two of our series: Dirty Electricitiy 101 – Dr. Sam Milham

Wireless Resistance – Campaigned in our home village against telecoms push to add more wireless pollution in our immediate environment by adding more antennas to our local firehouse.

EON on the Web
Our increasingly popular blogEon3EMFblog.net – covers both wireless and nuclear issues. For example, check out our recent posts.

Last month we launched a new blog, Planetarian Perspectives.net designed to look at all the issues we cover through the lens of what we call the planetarian paradigm. It will be further developed through the coming year.

Our YouTube channel brings 1,423 subscribers (and growing) unique coverage of our main issue areas: e-smog and health; nukes; election protection; food, water & pesticides; clean energy and planetarian perspectives – with 24 new video posts since June.

Our website – EOn3.net – offers a wide range of DVDs and information on those topics, too.

Folks also follow us on our Ecological Option Network FaceBook page and our EonNewsNet Twitter page.


Please help support our work

We can’t keep doing it in these ‘austerity’ times, without your continued support. If you and each of our growing body of fans, followers and subscribers chip in by clicking the buttons below, it will not only keep us going for the coming quarter, but help us increase our effectiveness.

Isn’t it worth whatever contribution you can afford to keep EON’s services going? Please show us you ‘give a click’ for independent, grassroots media. We need your help more than ever NOW! Thanks!

Click here to find out more about who we are and what we do.

EON is a California 501 (c) (3) organization. Your contributions are tax-deductible.
Please check out the range support options for every budget on our Donation Page or you can also send a check made out to EON to EON, POB 1047, Bolinas, CA
Or…just:


EON Solstice Report to Funders – 2011

SUPPORT INDEPENDENT GRASSROOTS MEDIA

Help keep EON on the net and catalyzing effective grassroots action.

We’re not called the ‘C-Span for the grassroots’ for nothing. If you’re on this list, you know how hard we work to keep a steady stream of citizen voices and useful information in a variety of media coming your way.

We’d appreciate your continued support – your contributions are tax-deductible.
Please check out the range of donation options for every budget on our Donation Page
Read on to find out what we’ve been doing the last six months with your help.

EON Addresses Key Issues
Since you last responded to our summer solstice appeal, we have – thanks to your generosity – been able to continue our work to help organize, inform and document effective grassroots activism on the following issues:

PG&E’s wireless ‘smart’ meter build-out agenda – our collective push back in PG&E’s service area is a trend-setting microcosm of growing national and international resistance to the corporate ‘smart meter’ agenda.

– EON & the CPUC – EON is an official party in California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) ‘Smart’ Meter Opt-Out proceedings in which, you may have noticed, PG&E – responding to public resistance and a public relations nightmare – has now signaled its willingness to allow customers to keep their analog meters…but at a hefty price. This is a move forward, but our people’s movement defending our health, privacy, security and safety from these class 2B carcinogen emitting meters is outraged at the thought of being forced to pay more to keep them off our homes.

For our update on this issue click here. The final CPUC ruling on an opt-out or opt-in plan may be made as early as mid-January. Meanwhile, we will continue to join forces with other parties in the proceeding to push for a total rollback of the stupid, ‘smart’  agenda.

Japanese mothers demand nuclear abolition.

Fukushima Support – and Monitoring Fukushima fallout – EON is part of the international movement in solidarity with Japanese resistance to nuclear power and with mothers working to protect their children against radiation. See our blog post ‘Quoth the Raven, ‘Livermore!”‘ EON is also part of the Fukushima Fallout Awareness Network, FFAN, pushing for transparent monitoring and reporting on the actual extent of radioactive pollution from continuing Fukushima radioactive emissions on the North American West Coast and beyond. Please see Fukushima Solidarity Movement Grows – A Planetary Issue for a report on some of those activities.

Closing California’s nukes at Diablo Canyon and San Onofre – both of them on earthquake faults in tsunami zones: Fukushimas waiting to happen. EON is an organizing member of the Nuclear Free California Coalition, which has so far held two organizing summits. Please see out blog post NUCLEAR RUSSIAN ROULETTE IN CALIFORNIA – Dan Hirsch

Safety from Wireless Technologies: The growing movement building public awareness of and Congressional action on the dangers of escalating wireless pollution. Early next year look for our video of the recent Wireless Safety Summit Conference and Lobbying Day in Washington, D.C. organized by The Center for Safer Wireless. Speakers include Dr. Devra Davis, Dr. Martin Blank, Dr. Stephen Sinatra, Libby Kelley and EON Founding Board Member, attorney Jim Turner.

Prof. Martin Blank of Columbia University explains how radio frequencies impact our cells.

Dr. Blank's research explains the mechanism of harm to the human body from electro-magnetic pollution.

Moana Nui APAC Counter Conference – the EON team covered the International Forum on Globalization’s (IFG) launch of a new Asia-Pacific resistance movement in November 2011. IFG was a co-producer of Moana Nui 2011, Honolulu, three days of public events (and marches) in opposition to the APEC/TPP (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation/Trans-Pacific Partnership) trade agreement meeting of 21 heads 
of state as they worked to divvy up the resources and lands of the huge Asia/Pacific region from the indigenous people.

[For more info, click here and here.]
Our report and photo gallery of the event are here.

EON's Mary Beth Brangan interviews a protester, Honolulu, Nov. 2011

‘Dirty Electricity’ – the hidden dangers of wireless technologies, appliances and ‘smart’ meters – in addition to their RF emissions – is their ‘switching mode power supply’ (SMPS) components that are interrupting the electrical flow many times per second and causing high frequency transients and harmonics to infiltrate our household electrical wiring. See the first two of our series: Dirty Electricitiy 101 – Dr. Sam Milham

Wireless Resistance – Campaigned in our home village against telecoms push to add more wireless pollution in our immediate environment by adding more antennas to our local firehouse.

EON on the Web
Our increasingly popular blogEon3EMFblog.net – covers both wireless and nuclear issues. For example, check out our recent posts.

Last month we launched a new blog, Planetarian Perspectives.net designed to look at all the issues we cover through the lens of what we call the planetarian paradigm. It will be further developed through the coming year.

Our YouTube channel brings 1,423 subscribers (and growing) unique coverage of our main issue areas: e-smog and health; nukes; election protection; food, water & pesticides; clean energy and planetarian perspectives – with 24 new video posts since June.

Our website – EOn3.net – offers a wide range of DVDs and information on those topics, too.

Folks also follow us on our Ecological Option Network FaceBook page and our EonNewsNet Twitter page.


Please help support our work

We can’t keep doing it in these ‘austerity’ times, without your continued support. If you and each of our growing body of fans, followers and subscribers chip in by clicking the buttons below, it will not only keep us going for the coming quarter, but help us increase our effectiveness.

Isn’t it worth whatever contribution you can afford to keep EON’s services going? Please show us you ‘give a click’ for independent, grassroots media. We need your help more than ever NOW! Thanks!

Click here to find out more about who we are and what we do.

EON is a California 501 (c) (3) organization. Your contributions are tax-deductible.
Please check out the range support options for every budget on our Donation Page or you can also send a check made out to EON to EON, POB 1047, Bolinas, CA
Or…just:



NUCLEAR RUSSIAN ROULETTE IN CALIFORNIA – Dan Hirsch on San Onofre

An aerial view of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) near San Clemente, CA.

Close Down California’s Nukes?
In the wake of the ongoing Fukushima disaster, growing numbers of Californians are beginning to seriously push for the closure of the four nuclear reactors all located in earthquake and tsunami zones at Diablo Canyon and San Onofre.

On Oct. 11, 2011 a forum on the issue was held in San Clemente, the town closest to San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS), operated by Southern California Edison, San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) and jointly owned with the city of Riverside.  San Onofre has the worst safety record and the most safety violations of any nuclear power station operated in the U.S.

An accident at San Onofre would impact the eight million people living from Los Angeles to San Diego and beyond.  Evacuation would be impossible.

The area that would have to evacuated if a 'Fukushima-like event' happened at SONGS.

In a program co-organized by San Clemente Greens SanClementeGreen.com and SanOnofreSafety.org(SOS), members of the City Council and a capacity audience of citizens listened to and questioned a list of speakers including Dr. Helen Caldicott ( IfYouLoveThisPlanet ) and nuclear power expert Arnie Gunderson (Fairewinds) (on live video feed).

Dan Hirsch addresses the City Council and a packed house in San Clemente, CA.

San Clemente citizens give Dan Hirsch a standing ovation.

The final speaker was Daniel Hirsch of CommitteeToBridgeTheGap.org, nuclear expert and  nuclear policy lecturer at UC Santa Cruz.

Days later the City Council unanimously voted to approve a staff report that made strong recommendations to deal with the many safety issues with SONGS and its radioactive waste. [See evacuation map and Nuclear Issue – City Council Unanimously Votes to Stand With Us on Most Concerns (except for immediate shutdown)
]

Here is what Hirsch had to say in two parts – Presentation and Q&A.

For more info:

CommitteeToBridgeTheGap.org

SanClementeGreen.com
SanOnofre.com
AceHoffman.org
ROSE residentsorganizedforasafeenvironment.wordpress.com
NIRS.org
BeyondNuclear.org
NukeFree.org

https://ifyoulovethisplanet.org

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To help keep EON’s work going, please check out all the support options on our Donation Page or you can also send a check made out to EON to EON, POB 1047, Bolinas, CA
Or…just:


Dirty Electricity 101 – Dr. Sam Milham

Electro-Magnetic Pollution
This edition features the first two in a new EON series of four videos on the work of Dr. Sam Milham, an M.D. epidemiologist and author of the book DIRTY ELECTRICITY.

Dr. Milham’s groundbreaking research demonstrates a strong correlation between the rise of the so-called ‘diseases of civilization’ and the historical spread of electrification.

He explains how the harmonics and frequency distortions generated by appliances like CFLs, halogens, dimmer switches and microwave antennas infiltrate the 60 cycle current running through household, school and office wiring can seriously impact human health.

This information is especially relevant in the context of the current controversy over wireless so-called ‘smart meters.’ Milham’s findings show that just turning the ‘radio off’ in the ‘smart meters’ will not solve the full problem of the human health risks posed by the devices – and already experienced and testified to by thousands of injured and outraged customers. Also contained in the poorly designed devices is at least one more source of electro-magnetic pollution; a ‘switching mode power supply’ (SMPS). known to be a source of ‘dirty electricity’ capable of making many people sick. [Find out more at SamMilham.com ]

This 30 minute video summarizes his work. It’s followed by a 16 minute briefing for those in a hurry.

‘Dirty Electricity’ and the Diseases of Civilization – Dr. Sam Milham

A Brief Introduction to ‘Dirty Electricity’ – Dr. Sam Milham

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To help keep EON’s work going, please check out all the support options on our Donation Page or you can also send a check made out to EON to EON, POB 1047, Bolinas, CA
Or…just:

PG&E Says Customers Should Be Able to Keep Analog Meters – But for a hefty price

PG&E Chairman, CEO and President Anthony Earley Jr., speaks during a news... ( Paul Sakuma )

Resistance Proves Fertile
In a decision that seems likely to raise eyebrows throughout the U.S. ‘smart meter’-obsessed, privately-owned utility industry, California’s Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), under its new CEO Anthony Earley, has taken a step to defuse their disastrous public relations nightmare.

The brave Santa Cruz rebels and our collective input appears to be beginning to have an impact. EON was among the other ‘parties’ in the PG&E proceeding on the ‘smart’ meter opt-out issue. The CPUC decision may be as early as mid-January.

Last week PG&E shut off electricity to multiple regularly paying customers who, because of being sickened by ‘smart’ meters, had electricians remove them and install analog meters. Families, young children and and an elderly woman were left in the cold of winter with no heat, lights or appliances.

Widely accused of being Scrooge and the Grinch that stole Christmas, PG&E is trying to appease the public and a growing customer rebellion against ‘smart’ meters and entered a filing with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) in which it offers customers the option of an analog meter.

However, PG&E is still insisting on a hefty up front and monthly fee for those trying to avoid being made sick. (Extortion anyone?) It is not clear whether the PG&E offer of a choice of an analog extends to those who already have a smart meter installed and they insist on closing the opt out process in mid January. PG&E is still ignoring the severe threat to those close to multiple meters on apartments, etc. and makes clear that solar customers can’t have analog meters.

No mention was made of customer demands that existing local government ordinances and moratoriums be honored so communities can have whole areas free from ‘smart’ meters’ dangerous levels of radiation.

According to the San Jose Mercury News, ‘”We need to listen to our customers,” PG&E CEO said Anthony Earley in an interview. “Why should we be fighting with our own customers over something like this?”

PG&E’s new proposal will now go to the California Public Utilities Commission, which could vote on it as early as next month.’

Here’s what the latest PG&E filing in the CPUC ‘smart meter’ opt-out proceeding has to say in part:

I. INTRODUCTION
Pursuant to Rule 14.3 of the California Public Utilities Commission’s (CPUC or Commission) Rules of Practice and Procedure, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) hereby responds to other parties’ comments on Commission President Peevey’s Proposed Decision Modifying PG&E’s SmartMeter Program to Include an Opt-Out Option (Proposed Decision or PD).

II. DISCUSSION
A. Consistent With Many Parties’ Opening Comments, PG&E Supports Offering Customers an Analog Meter Opt-Out Alternative in Addition to the Radio-Off Alternative Set Forth in the Proposed Decision
PG&E supports approval of an analog meter option, in addition to the non- communicating radio-off option, in response to customers’ and parties’ continued requests for an analog meter alternative in Opening Comments, as well as in customers’ direct communications to PG&E and the Commission. PG&E took note that in Opening Comments many parties assert that the only acceptable alternative to communicating SmartMetersTM is an analog meter opt-out alternative.

The Price of ‘Freedom to Choose’

PG&E To Allow Customers SmartMeter Opt-Out

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — In response to a backlash and battle with anti-SmartMeter customers, Pacific Gas and Electric Company announced on Monday that it is now willing to allow customers to replace their wireless SmartMeters with alternative options for recording energy use.

Once it’s officially approved by the California Public Utilities Commission, customers can say goodbye to their wireless SmartMeters and revert back to traditional analog mechanical meters.

“Some customers remain concerned about SmartMeter technology,” said Helen Burt, PG&E’s Senior Vice President. “They are clear that an analog meter is the option they prefer to address their unease with wireless technology.”
Read more

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PG&E Supports Analog Meters for Customers who Opt Out of SmartMeters
By David Kligman
Supplementing its original opt-out proposal to offer customers radio-off SmartMeters™, PG&E on Monday (Dec. 19) requested that the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) also provide customers the choice to use traditional analog, mechanical meters rather than wireless SmartMeters.

“I personally have talked to customers who choose not to use wireless technology,” said Helen Burt, PG&E senior vice president and chief customer officer. “And for those customers, analog meters are the choice they support, which is why we’re asking the CPUC to consider it.”

Independent studies repeatedly have affirmed the safety and accuracy of the SmartMeters. However, in response to comments from some customers, PG&E earlier this year proposed offering them a choice to turn off radios in the SmartMeters. The utility also provided customers with the option to delay the installation of new SmartMeters until the CPUC approves a way to opt out of the program.

Monday’s request to the CPUC is another proposed option for customers who don’t want a SmartMeter.

PG&E offers to let customers keep analog, mechanical meters
By Dana Hull

After months of protests by consumers worried that PG&E SmartMeters are negatively impacting their health, PG&E extended a big olive branch Monday, saying for the first time that customers should be able to keep their traditional analog meters.

“We need to listen to our customers,” PG&E CEO said Anthony Earley in an interview. “Why should we be fighting with our own customers over something like this?”

PG&E’s new proposal will now go to the California Public Utilities Commission, which could vote on it as early as next month. Read more

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To help keep EON’s work going, please check out all the support options on our Donation Page or you can also send a check made out to EON to EON, POB 1047, Bolinas, CA
Or…just: