City of Longmont's Own Data Shows Backslide on Energy Goals After $14M Smart Meter Program As Residents Speak Out On Health Concerns
Residents to City: Smart Meters Are Harming Us — And Not Helping the Planet
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE— March 31, 2025
Longmont Residents Demand Reassessment of $14 Million Smart Meter Program Amid Health, Safety, and Fiscal Concerns
Longmont, CO — A coalition of concerned Longmont residents will speak at Tuesday’s City Council meeting, urging City officials to amend the Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) program to allow residents the right to retain or restore electromechanical analog meters without financial penalty. Among the residents is Zoiy Galloay, who says she was forced to leave her home due to severe health impacts following the installation of a smart meter.
“I was driven from my own home after suffering dozens of health problems like my nails falling off, convulsions, heart palpitations, severe headaches, and more,” said Galloay. “Longmont Power & Communications is denying me the disability modifications that I require to remain safe, healthy, and housed. They are denying me the right to live inside of the City of Longmont as a whole.”
Galloay suffers from electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS), a disabling condition that worsened after AMI deployment. She will offer public testimony alongside two other affected residents — Doe Kelly and Kimberly Edmundson — both of whom have experienced similar health impacts from smart meter exposure.
The residents are also releasing audio recordings of the utility company telling those with EHS-disabilities that they shouldn't live in a society because of their medical problems. “I was told on multiple occasions that if I believed the smart meter was harming me, I shouldn’t have electricity or be part of society. One utility representative even laughed at me. That’s when I started recording the conversations,” said Galloay.
Despite the $14 million smart meter investment, Longmont’s progress toward its Sustainability and Climate Action goals has gone backward — dropping 5% between 2023 and 2024. This decline is publicly cited and discussed at the 1:11:11 mark in the February 19, 2025 meeting of the City’s Sustainability Advisory Board:
When asked to explain the regression, City staff pointed to underperformance on energy efficiency targets — the very outcomes smart meters were supposed to improve. In a moment of striking honesty, staff acknowledged that the AMI system hasn’t meaningfully shifted energy use: “We have more information… but knowing when you use energy and how much doesn’t change the fact that you’re still using it.”
This frank admission raises a critical question: If smart meters aren’t reducing energy use, why are residents being forced to accept them — even when they cause documented harm?
In response to this discrepancy, Sustainability Advisory Board member Ethan Augreen is calling for accountability. “Longmont needs an evidence-based review of this program’s cost-benefit outcomes,” said Augreen. “Taxpayers deserve transparency and assurance that large-scale infrastructure investments deliver measurable results without unintended harm.”
A 2017 scientific review by Kivrak et al. concluded that EMF exposure “triggers oxidative stress in various tissues” and can cause symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, decreased learning ability, and cognitive impairment. These findings mirror what many Longmont residents report after smart meter installation.
(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6025786)
Galloay says that residents were not given informed consent about the health risks associated with AMI meters. “The meters should be opt-in only and Longmont residents should not be penalized for having health concerns,” she stated. “The only opt-out option offered is another smart meter that still emits harmful radiation. It lacks standard UL safety certification and is just as dangerous for me as the AMI meters. How can the city claim to uphold a vision for an 'Equitable Society' while refusing to help a disabled woman, like myself, who has been harmed by the city’s reckless agenda?”
The group is calling on City Council to amend the program so that anyone who wants an analog meter has the right to one, devoid of extra fees. They are also inviting members of the media to report on the public testimony and investigate what they view as a significant failure of policy and process.
The group, including several women who have also advocated to remove cell phones from classrooms, is working under the banner of "Longmont for Safe Technology." Their broader mission is to protect children and vulnerable residents from preventable harm.
The public and the media are encouraged to attend the Longmont City Council meeting at 7 pm on Tuesday, April 1 at 350 Kimbark St. Supporters will stand in solidarity with Zoiy, calling for the City of Longmont to grant her the disability modifications she requires to remain unharmed in her house and for an immediate policy amendment to make AMI meters opt-in only.
Learn More:
https://smartmetertownhall.weebly.com/
Media Contact:
Ethan Augreen
(303) 725-0734 / eaugreen@gmail.com
Exhibit:
The City of Longmont’s 2024 report (#1 below) shows 45% of all Sustainability and Climate Action targets are on-track — compared to 50% in the 2023 report (#2 below) — a year-to-year decline of 5%.
#1— 2024 report
#2 — 2023 Report
