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Telephonic commenter raises smart meter and lithium-battery safety concerns at PUC of Nevada meeting
Summary
A telephonic public commenter, identified as Miss DeFazio, told the commission she believes smart meters and lithium batteries pose fire risks and cited NRS 241.035(D); commissioners did not take action on the comment.
Telephonic public comment at the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada meeting included a presentation from a caller identified as Miss DeFazio who expressed safety concerns about electric utility smart meters and lithium-ion batteries.
Miss DeFazio began her remarks by referencing NRS 241.035 subsection D and then criticized what she described as the utility’s approach to ratepayer protections and liability. She asserted that smart meters contain lithium batteries that can ignite and that such fires have caused prolonged highway closures in the past. She cited an incident-report claim and referenced a statement attributed to Thomas Tuchstone, identified in her remarks as deputy chief of the Clark County Fire Department, about challenges with lithium-ion battery fires.
“...They aggressively pursued smart meters, and guess what? Here comes version 2. In the filing, there are PEs and doubting the necessity for coverage. The meters have lithium batteries in them. They are flammable,” Miss DeFazio said on the record. She also said, referencing a report she cited, that one incident required large volumes of water to extinguish and closed I-15 for many hours.
The commission did not take action on the issues raised; the public comment period closed after Miss DeFazio’s allotted time. At the end of her remarks a commissioner advised her that her time had expired.
