ALBANY — The New York State Public Service Commission (Commission) today announced it would hold informational forums and public statement hearings in Yonkers and New York City to receive comments on a proposal by Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc. (Con Edison) to increase electric and gas rates for customers.

Under New York State Law, the Commission must consider a utility's proposal and may adopt or reject it in whole or in part, or adopt changes not proposed by the Company. An Administrative Law Judge will preside over the gathering of public comments and all evidence relating to the proposal. Public statement hearings will be held to obtain comments from the public concerning Con Edison’s proposals.

Opportunities for public information and comment will be held, as follows:

On January 31, 2019, Con Edison filed a request with the Commission for approval of a major change in the amount of revenues it collects from customers through the rates they pay for electric and gas delivery service. Con Edison proposes to increase its electric delivery revenues by approximately $485 million, which would result in an average customer delivery bill increase of 8.6% for the 12-month period beginning January 1, 2019. The Company also proposes to increase its gas delivery revenues over the same period by approximately $210 million, which would result in an average customer delivery bill increase of 14.5%.

It is not necessary to be present at the start of the hearing, to make an appointment in advance, or to present written material in order to speak at the hearing. Persons will be called to speak after completing a participation card. The hearings will remain open for at least an hour and will continue until everyone wishing to speak has been heard or other reasonable arrangements have been made. A verbatim transcript of the hearings will be made for inclusion in the record of these proceedings. The comment period will close on September 30, 2019.

Disabled persons requiring special accommodations should call the Department of Public Service’s Human Resources Management Office at (518) 474-2520 as soon as possible. TDD users may request a sign language interpreter by placing a call through the New York Relay Service at 711. Individuals with difficulty understanding or reading English are encouraged to call the Commission at 1-800-342-3377 for free language assistance services regarding this notice.

Other Ways to Comment

For those who cannot attend or prefer not to speak at a public statement hearing, there are several other ways to provide your comments to the Commission. Comments should refer to “Cases 19-E-0065 and 19-G-0066 – Consolidated Edison.”

Via the Internet or Mail: Comments may be entered directly into the case file by locating the case via the home page of the Commission’s website, www.dps.ny.gov, by clicking on “Search” and entering 19-E-0065 or 19-G-0066 in the “Search by Case Number” field. In the opening page under either case number, a commenter should click on the “Post Comments” button located at the top of the page and leave the comment by completing the form to which he or she is then directed.

The public may also submit comments electronically to Hon. Kathleen H. Burgess, Secretary, at secretary@dps.ny.gov or by mail or delivery to Secretary Burgess at the New York State Public Service Commission, Three Empire State Plaza, Albany, New York 12223-1350.Toll-Free Opinion Line: Individuals may choose to submit comments by calling the Commission’s Opinion Line at 1?800-335-2120. This line is set up to receive in-state calls 24?hours a day. These calls are not transcribed but a summary is provided to the administrative law judges who will report to the Commission.

Comments will become part of the record considered by the Commission. Written comments may be read on the Web site by searching Case 19-E-0065 or 19-G-0066 and clicking on the “Public Comments” tab.