The City Council of Portland, OR has voted on a resolution related to health impacts of wireless technologies, including among other things resolving to ask their Congressional delegation to ask the FCC to take a look at citizens’ concerns about health effects. The Council, recognizing that the FCC, not local governments, has jurisdiction, is recommending “the FCC to work in cooperation with the FDA and other relevant federal agencies to revisit and update studies on potential health concerns arising from RF wireless emissions in light of the national proliferation of wireless use”. Other agenda items of the Council (see video link below) include requesting that antenna siting priority be given to industrial, not residential, areas, and that residents be given notice and opportunity for meetings regarding planned antenna sitings. The Council also reconfirmed the city’s policy of co-location of antennas. The City Council called for amendments/extensions to permits with AT&T (ATT), Clearwire (CLWR), LCW Wireless, Sprint (S) and T-Mobile West (DT).

 

Commissioner Amanda Fritz said that citizens concerns about distressing vibrations and humming from telecommunications could be handled under existing standards. The City Council has directed its Council Clerk to cause a copy of the approved Resolution to be sent to all members of the FCC, to the FDA Commissioner and to all members of the Oregon Congressional Delegation.

 

Agenda Items were numbers: #676—682 (May 20, 2009 – PM Session).
Video Link to Council meeting (begin 77 minutes into the video):

 

Commissioner Amanda Fritz’s Commentary: http://www.portlandonline.com/fritz/index.cfm?a=247126&c=49233

 

According to Elizabeth Kelly, Managing Secretariat of the International Commission for Electromagnetic Safety (ICEMS), “This vote is an outcome of years of open debate, led initially by former Portland City Mayor, Vera Katz”. She says, “This resolution represents the first such action by a U.S. City Council.”

 

www.ElectromagneticHealth.org encourages all City Councils and state Governors to follow the lead of Portland, OR and request the same of the FCC. Together pressure can be put on the federal government to reverse the preemption clause of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 which now prevents state and local governments from limiting wireless on health and environmental grounds.

 

All citizens concerned about this issue, please sign ElectromagneticHealth.org’s EMF Petition to Congress at www.ElectromagneticHealth.org and take a stand on this important emerging health issue.

 

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ElectromagneticHealth.org is a national, grass roots advocacy organization working to educate the public and health practitioners about the hazards of electromagnetic fields, and to educate Congress on the changes that must be made at the federal level to protect public health.

 

We are asking that Congress:

 

1. Mandate the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) revisit its exposure guidelines for radiofrequency radiation (RF) immediately.? ?
2. Repeal Section 704 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which took away the rights of state and local governments to stop the erection of cell towers and wireless antennas in their communities based on “environmental” grounds (defined by FCC as “human health”).? ?
3. Declare a national moratorium on further wireless infrastructure build-out, including the Wi-Max roll-out currently underway, a joint venture of Sprint, Time Warner Cable, Google, Clearwire and others.? ?
4. Establish cell phone and wireless-free neighborhoods, transportation options, government buildings, and public spaces; require employers to establish wireless free zones; and, mandate the removal of cellular and wireless technologies from public schools and their properties.

 

Please help us put pressure on Congress to act swiftly, decisively and with full integrity to stem the emerging electromagnetic radiation pollution increasingly permeating the lives of the American people. Spread the word about the Petition to all proactive and responsible Americans you know.

 

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