Rhode Island homeowners and a spokesman for public utilities company National Grid testified before the Rhode Island House Committee on Corporations yesterday about a proposed bill that would regulate the placement of gas meters on private residences.
The bill would require all public utility companies to consult with property owners before relocating any gas regulator or meter. The bill - H-5088 - also states that utility companies are "prohibited from installing gas regulators and/or gas meters on the visible front of any residential property" unless "there exists no prudent and feasible alternative to such location."
Many property owners oppose the exterior installation of gas meters because of issues of safety, expense and aesthetics.
Advocating for the passage of the bill were representatives from the West Broadway and Fox Point neighborhood associations, Coleman Realtors, the Providence Preservation Society, the Newport Restoration Foundation and Rhode Island's State Historic
Preservation Office.
For these groups, who have struggled for several months to prevent National Grid from installing meters on the exteriors of local properties, the bill represents "a way to solve a real problem," Edward Sanderson, director of the State Historic Preservation Office, said during the hearing.
National Grid testified against the passage of the bill, maintaining that the installation of outdoor gas meters is necessary for safety and convenience. National Grid's representative at the meeting, Frank McMahon, explained the problems associated with leaving gas meters inside a residential structure.
"There are safety issues. There are convenience issues to both the homeowner and National Grid, and there are emergency shut-off issues," he said.
At an Aug. 27 hearing in front of the Public Utilities Commission, a National Grid representative was directly asked about the safety issues involved in the inside placement of a gas meter.
"The meter can be inside, but the regulator should be outside," said the representative, Thomas Teehan, according to a transcript of the hearing. Gas meters provide a reading of a home's gas usage, while a regulator controls the pressure of gas entering the home.
Jessica Jennings, a member of the West Broadway Neighborhood Association, urged the committee to pass the bill. She called the safety issues a "myth," adding that "it's always been safe" to have meters inside the home.
Michael Young, a real estate agent for Coleman Realtors, told the committee that he believed exterior gas meters would negatively affect property values.
"Our main concern is for the value of the homes. This is a very difficult market we're currently existing in," he said.
Jennings also said reinstalling the meters would prove costly.
"It's obviously more expensive to move the meters," she said, citing National Grid's proposed budget for its Accelerated Replacement Program, which allocates $12.8 million to the replacement of gas equipment.
Rep. Steven Costantino, D-Dist. 8, chairperson of the House Finance Committee, has supported the bill since he helped introduce it on Jan. 14.
"We just want the owners consulted," he said.
McMahon admitted that National Grid needed to improve its relationship with property owners. "We're here today because of poor communication," he said. "We don't disagree that there needs to be better communication with people about where meters go. National Grid recognizes that this has been a contentious issue."
If the committee passes the bill, it will go to a vote in the full House.
