Opponents of the Eugene Water and Electric Board's smart meter policies have dropped their federal lawsuit against the utility provider.
Smart meters transmit real-time utility data using radio waves, helping to detect leaks or power outages. Currently, 98% of EWEB customers in Eugene have one.
However, some customers have pushed back against the devices, citing privacy and security concerns. Others claim that smart meters will harm people with sensitivity to electronic emissions.
According to the World Health Organization, there’s no evidence that people who report “electro-magnetic hypersensitivity” detect those signals more acutely, or that the exposure is the direct cause of their symptoms.
Earlier this year, EWEB issued an ultimatum: the hold-outs could either let workers install a smart meter in a non-communicating mode, or have their power shut off.
In response, a group of customers sued the utility, accusing it of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act and several other statutes.
But in July, a federal judge signaled that the customers' arguments about privacy and accommodations were unlikely to succeed. The court also declined to block EWEB from removing customers from the grid while the case continued.
Following that ruling, the plaintiffs terminated the lawsuit last month. Sabrina Siegel, one of the EWEB customers involved, said the case was too expensive to keep going.
After the Lawsuit
In an email to KLCC, EWEB spokesperson Aaron Orlowski said the utility has resumed meter upgrades following the end of the lawsuit.
"All customers who were previously on hold have now been notified that EWEB intends to proceed with smart meter installation," he wrote.
Siegel said she's still refusing to agree to a smart meter, as as she said electronic emissions cause her tinnitus, headaches and brain fog. Instead, she plans to sell her home and move to another community.
"It's just so unfortunate the way EWEB has bulldozed us, and been so insensitive," said Siegel. "Our kids go to school together. We're community members. And their tactics have been very heartless."
Siegel said she may have to live without power if her utilities are shut off before her move is complete. She said she's reached out for an extension from EWEB, but hasn't heard back.
“It is a little nerve-wracking," said Siegel, "because you wake up every day and wonder, 'are we going to have electricity today?'”
Orlowski said the utility couldn't comment on individual customers' situations.
He said EWEB hopes to complete smart meter installations in Eugene and begin work in its McKenzie Valley service area in 2025. It's part of the utility's plan to create a smart grid that can accommodate more solar and wind-based energy.
