There appears to be an opposition movement building throughout Texas, as some residents are giving smart meter deployment a sour welcome.
According to an Associated Press report, Houston-area woman Thelma Taormina even pulled a pistol out on a utility worker who was trying to install a meter on her home last summer.
AP reports Taormina said at a recent public hearing on the technology, "This is Texas. We have rights to choose what appliances we want in our home."
Other Texas residents have reportedly joined the backlash against smart meters, enclosing their old meters in metal cages, threatening installers, and protesting at public hearings and events.
"We're concerned about the safety of utility workers and other public service personnel legitimately doing their jobs," Floyd LeBlanc - a spokesperson for utility CenterPoint, which serves the Houston area - told AP. LeBlanc added that CenterPoint has ordered its workers to avoid confrontation and leave the premises when a resident rejects a smart meter installation.
