Tarrytown, NY – In a joint letter issued today to NYS Department of Public Service (DPS) CEO Rory Christian, Assemblymember MaryJane Shimsky and the Assembly Westchester delegation have urged Christian to reject Con Edison’s current proposal to increase electric rates by 11.4% and natural gas rates by 13.3% in 2026.

In their letter, the Westchester delegation wrote: “This year’s proposed increase is unconscionable in light of Con Edison’s substantial earnings evidenced by an 11.8% increase in third quarter per share earnings and Con Edison’s CEO’s compensation package exceeding $16 million. It is both unfair and unsustainable for those who have no other choice but to pay for Con Edison’s service. Rather than attempting to squeeze everyday New Yorkers yet again, Con Edison must either economize or self- fund a greater portion of the costs for its planned maintenance and improvement projects.”

“Con Edison’s customers are struggling, reeling from high electricity and gas bills. There is ample evidence of this,” the delegation continued. “As of January 2025, 439,101 Con Edison residential accounts were behind on their utility bill by 60 days or more for a total of $904,470,245. Con Edison sent 127,115 termination notices to people indicating that they were at risk for service termination for nonpayment of their bills (during the cold January weather). This is a veritable crisis and is unacceptable.” [See attached letter for full text.]

Assemblymember Shimsky stated: “Con Edison’s proposed increases are simply unaffordable for too many of our residents. I will continue to fight these proposals at every opportunity, in the public sphere and directly with the Department of Public Service.”

 Several bills designed to rein in utility costs are currently before the Legislature, including:

• A.1028 - would have State regulators set delivery rates for utility companies at the lowest amount possible and would require that excess revenue be returned to the ratepayers.

• A.5402 - would restrict utilities from passing onto the ratepayers the costs associated with raising their rates, including the millions spent on lawyers and consultants in these cases.

• A.4870A (NY HEAT Act) - would cap energy costs for low- and moderate-income ratepayers and end ratepayer subsidization of new gas lines.

“As a cosponsor of all three bills, I will continue to advocate for their passage during the legislative session,” said Assemblymember Shimsky. “It will take months of review before the Public Service Commission reaches its decision on Con Ed's proposed electric and gas rates for 2026. I encourage my constituents to submit individual complaints with the Department of Public Service at their soonest opportunity.”

Con Edison ratepayers may submit public comment to DPS at one of four upcoming public hearings or using the written comment online form, as follows:

Public Hearings: Virtual hearings for public comment will be held on April 8 and April 9, at 1 PM and 5:30 PM. Those wishing to speak at one of these hearings must register at least one day in advance. Learn more and register at tinyurl.com/DPSConEdPublicHearings.

Written Comment: To submit written comment, visit dps.ny.gov/file-search, enter Case Number 25- E-0072 (electric service) or 25-G-0073 (gas service), and click Post Comments in the upper right to access the comments form.