On Jan. 12, MPSC issued an order requiring utilities to file information with MPSC about “smart meter” rollout plans, including estimated cost, funding, estimated savings, and non-monetary benefits, scientific information, and whether an opt out would be provided (included how costs associated with opt outs might be recovered.) The deadline for that filing was March 16, which DTE met. Public comment on that was open through April 16. The information filed in response to MPSC’s order will all be complied into a report, supplemented with independent review of relevant literature, and produced by June 29. At that point, MPSC commissioners will have a document on the basis of which they could issue further orders or weigh future rate cases brought by DTE before the MPSC.

Also in the mix is pending House Bill 5439, which would legislatively provide for an opt-out by consumers and regulate how data collected by the meters is used.

Our smart meter was installed a few weeks ago. I called customer service just now to test whether a simple phone call could do the trick. According to the customer service representative I talked to, there’s currently no provision for opting out either before or after the fact. However, she indicated that talks are taking place between DTE and the Michigan Public Service Commission about providing customers the ability to opt out. To be clear, I’m not actually interested in having the “smart meter” removed; I was just following up on Jim’s suggestion.

Hilarious…classic Ann Arbor.

[link]

with this pull quote

“To combat the potential issue at the University, members of the Central Student Government — formerly known as the Michigan Student Assembly — are working on a proposal to implement medical amnesty at the University, a policy that would protect students from receiving an MIP if they call for alcohol-related medical attention for another person while also under the influence.”

While you were looking into that, I checked the web to see if Bio Tech Agronomics was affiliated with WeCare Organics, the firm running the City’s compost facility. I could not find any connection between the two in the brief time I spent on it.

WeCare Organics blends biosolids into compost in other cities, and has affiliates that transport biosolids and make fertilizer products from blends of compost and biosolids. Some people expressed concern that WeCare would introduce biosolids into Ann Arbor’s compost, but assurances were provided around the Council table that this would not happen and as far as I know, it hasn’t happened.

Assuming a weight of about 8 pounds a gallon, that works out to ((US$ 0.0321) / 8) * 2000 = 8.02500 U.S. dollars per ton.

From minutes of a March 2012 meeting of the “organics subcommittee” of the solid waste unit (comparing the cost of processing organics versus landfilling them) it looks like the city currently pays $26 per ton to put material in a landfill.

If the City is paying, how much more or less is this cost per gallon ($0.0321) than the cost of landfilling it?