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Richmond, VA-(12/01/2022—Virginia Environmental Justice Collaborative—
A former contractor of a multi-million-dollar electric company was allegedly let go after lodging a complaint on the grounds of hazardous working conditions and unfulfilled pay raises promised at hire. A formal charge ensued by the worker thereafter.
In a separate matter, the man behind this controversial situation also claims he and his family are experiencing severe hardships due to the state-mandated electrical policy where old electric meters are removed from homes and replaced with what’s called “smart meters.” These new structures are said to be more efficient and accurate. Since then, he has been telling his story to anyone who will listen, to include local and state political representatives, utility watchdog agencies and employee advocacy organizations.
Milton Williams, as he is known, admits he feels remorseful for unknowingly participating in an alleged conspiracy while working as a meter installer and puller beforehand.
“I feel terrible for being a part of installing these dangerous devices throughout Virginia without knowing. So, I refuse to allow them (electric company) to install a life- threatening device in my home. I removed the smart meter that was installed while I was asleep. Without a knock on the door, they replaced it,” he explained.
According to Williams, shortly thereafter, he replaced the smart meter in April 2021 with an Analog one and as a result of his refusal to accept the smart meter, the electric company cut the line, sent a bill to him for $5900 and then another a few days later for $900. Customer service Supervisor at Dominion Energy, who is in charge of revenue protections stated the Williams was informed as to why the power was disconnected due to unlawful power usage at his home location.
“This company sent their employees out again even though we paid our bill every month. If we had not done so, the power would have been shut off a long time ago,” Williams continued to say. “Their main motivation was to cut the power off because I wouldn’t obey them.”
In response, a notice sent to him from Dominion Energy reads in part, “We recently discovered that the …address has an unauthorized meter installed in the meter base. This is in direct violation of our Terms and Conditions on file with the Commonwealth of Virginia’s state Corporation Commission. To resolve this issue, we need immediate access to the meter base and return of the Dominion Energy meter that was removed. If access is denied and our meter is not returned the company reserves the right to disconnect service."
Williams alleges Dominion Energy took this action last year. Apparently, the new technologies are intended to comply with the Clean Economy Act of 2020 and FERC Order 2222, which call for greater use of electric vehicles, smart meters, and renewable energy. The company achieves its goal of zero carbon and methane emissions by 2050, due to developments in the field of smart grids.
Still, Williams maintains these "radiation devices" should be properly labeled, but they are not. Even though the level of radiation is higher than that of a microwave oven or cell phone, the owners or occupants are not actually notified of the possibility of exposure to this radiation.
These meters allegedly, generate radiation almost continuously, and the houses in which they are installed are exposed to high-frequency electromagnetic radiation in the kilohertz range.
The Virginia Environmental Collaborative (VEJC) contacted Dominion Energy for a comment on this matter but did not get an official response by press time.
VEJC has established an emergency hot line to document those experiencing similar issues with Dominion’s "smart meters.” The Utility Hotline contact is: 804-313-9363.
The goal of the Virginia Environmental Justice Collaborative (VEJC) is to reduce the disproportionate impact of environmental hazards by educating, empowering, and mobilizing grassroots organizations and individuals to speak up for themselves and by building an alliance to promote fair policies and practices. The organization's mission is to improve the health and well-being of communities of color, low-income, and pollution-affected Virginia communities.
For Immediate Release
Contact: Queen Shabazz
Phone: 804-370—1143
Email: zshabazz8@gmail.com