Sheehan syndrome

MADISON - A representative of the state's major utilities is urging a legislative committee to kill a bill that would create an "electrical bill of rights."

Assembly Bill 529 could increase utility rates by more than 50 percent with no guarantee it would resolve any animal or human health problems claimed by its supporters, said Bill Skewes, executive director of the Wisconsin Utilities Association.

Under the bill, which was the subject of a public hearing Tuesday, electric utilities could face lawsuits, fines and trespassing charges if they fail to quickly repair electrical system problems that might pose a public health or safety risk.

Testimony before the Assembly Energy and Utilities Committee remained sharply divided over whether forms of electrical exposure addressed in the bill pose any health risk or if they can be eliminated without creating another safety threat.

The bill would allow property owners or renters to sue over an "objectionable flow of current," defined in the bill as electricity that flows for more than five seconds on a grounding wire or other conductor that normally doesnt carry electricity. If the problem is not fixed within 30 days, a court might award triple damages.

Supporters who testified at the hearing blamed electrical exposure for sickening cattle and causing health problems in people, such as cancer, chronic-fatigue syndrome and dehydration. Those claims were dismissed by utility representatives and researchers, who said the claims lack scientific support.

Supporters say the bill would help reduce "ground current," which is electricity that travels through the earth instead of on wires on its way back to a utility from a utility customer's property.

Ground current is similar to stray voltage in that it's electricity traveling outside a wire. Unlike stray voltage, however, which must pass directly through an animal, ground curtent merely is present in the ground and not regulated by the state.

Supporters of the bill said ground current can find its way into homes and barns through pipes and grounded equipment, exposing people and animals to minute levels of electricity.

Problems won't go away unless utilities are forced to take action, said Marilyn Wilson of Madison. Wilson blamed the presence of high frequencies of electricity in her home for causing chronic fatigue syndrome. Symptoms dissipated as devices were installed in her home to reduce exposure, Wilson said.

Eliminating all current from the grounding wires of an electrical distribution system is impossible because of he nature of electricity, said Chuck DeNardo, chief engineer for Milwaukee-based We Energies.

One way to eliminate the current would be to create an ungrounded distribution system, but that poses a major safety threat and would violate state and national electrical codes, DeNardo said. Under another suggested solution, utilities would have to install isolating devices at 500,000 grounding points statewide to accommodate terms of the bill. Either of those options would be extremely expensive and might do nothing to reduce health problems, DeNardo said.

Copyright La Crosse Tribune Jan 08, 2004
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