A property-rights battle over gas meter location on Providence’s West Side may soon be over if state lawmakers reconcile differences in bills passed recently.
If made law, the legislation would prohibit exterior gas meter installation by an energy provider unless the owner of the property approves.
The bills are the result of a protest by Providence’s West Broadway Neighborhood Association, which said National Grid had installed gas meters to the exteriors of historic homes without owner consent. The homeowners argued that they should be consulted about whether the meters should be moved outside. National Grid had previously allowed some owners of historic homes on Providence’s East Side to keep the meters inside.
S-0107aa and H-5088aa – almost-identical bills – were passed this month by a 36-to-0 vote in the Senate and a 67-to-1 vote in the House. As of last week, the bills hadn’t been scheduled for committee votes in either chamber, WBNA Executive Director Kari Lang said. “We’re pretty close and we’re all pretty hopeful,” she said, “but it’s not a done deal.”
Gov. Donald L. Carcieri’s spokesman, Amy Kempe, said last week that it was unclear what action he would take if a bill passes.
Jessica Jennings, a board member at WBNA, said that the proposed change earned statewide support in the General Assembly because it touches on a number of issues. “I think that’s why it’s been really embraced,” she said. “For some people it is a safety issue. For some people it is a historic issue. For some people its property values and for others it’s just property rights.”
Jennings said there are similar battles going on right now in Illinois, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Buffalo, New York. Groups from some of those communities have contacted WBNA looking for help. “This is something that’s becoming a national issue and Little Rhody is setting a precedent if, as we hope, this becomes law,” she said.
“No one should come home to find that their home suddenly has an ugly new gas meter on the front of it,” Sen. Paul V. Jabour, a Providence Democrat and the bill’s Senate sponsor said. “And in the case of historic homes, a change like this is particularly offensive because it detracts from the home’s character.”
He added, “The utility should work with homeowners on where to locate the meter and every effort should be made to put it someplace that isn’t prominent.”
Jennings said National Grid has been “aggressive” in pushing for amendments to the bills.
National Grid spokesman David Graves said the energy provider doesn’t oppose the bill “in its entirety.
“Our position has always been that meters would be left inside if there was no feasible way of placing them outside,” Graves said in an interview last week. “That has always been our position.”
He added that there are cases when leaving the gas meters in the house is infeasible, such as when a basement has been built out.
“But, again, we always consult with the customer to find the best location,” Graves said.
National Grid has about 245,000 gas meters in Rhode Island and is mandated to inspect each at least once every three years. Ease of access to those meters had been one of the company’s stated reasons for moving the meters outside. Last fall, National Grid had been installing a high-pressure main in the Knight Street and Broadway neighborhoods and in the process began moving customer gas meters to the outside of homes, Graves said in October.
The aesthetics were an issue immediately, but safety was also one of WBNA’s concerns, Jennings said. She said those fears were realized this month, when a car hit a bank of external gas meters and caused a fire that injured six firefighters and a police officer, according to WBNA.
‘There are a lot of homes in Rhode Island that do have meters on the front of them,” Jennings said. •
