Addressing Environmental
Justice

Our Commitment

At Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc. (CECONY) and Orange & Rockland Utilities, Inc (O&R) we are privileged to serve some of the most diverse communities in the world. We understand the importance of serving the greater good by considering the potential environmental impacts of our activities and investments on all customers. Our commitment to Environmental Justice (EJ) is reflected in our Clean Energy Commitment and Environmental Justice Commitment and demonstrated by the intentional, purposeful, and collective work of our employees. CECONY and O&R established an internal EJ Working Group and Executive Steering Committee to develop educational resources and a roadmap for institutionalizing EJ considerations into everything we do. This group will also inform and enable consistent conversations with external stakeholders.

In the coming years, the Company will:

• Benchmark with EJ best practices to evaluate opportunities to enhance community engagement strategies
• Develop internal GIS mapping of Disadvantaged Communities (DACs) in our service territory
• Consider how GIS information can inform capital planning and investment opportunities in a consistent way
• Evaluate the impact of our activities on DACs in our service territory

Legal Landscape

There has been an increase in policy, regulatory, and advocacy actions at the federal, state, and local levels to address historical environmental inequities for DACs and to promote equitable allocation of the costs and benefits stemming from the clean energy transition and climate resilience investments. In addition to the New York State Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), recent policymaking and regulatory actions from the federal government, New York City, and New Jersey aims to address environmental justice (EJ). The shared goal of the CLCPA and the Biden Administration’s Justice40 Initiative is for 40 percent of the overall benefits of clean energy investments to flow to EJ communities and other DACs.

Trends

The consideration of EJ is expected to grow as a key factor in infrastructure development and siting decisions over the coming decade and we expect to see a trend toward including EJ as a decision factor for competitive solicitations and in regulatory proceedings. We understand that some of the main concerns of EJ groups are eliminating the use of fossil fuels, closing “peaker plants,” and creating a just transition that creates job opportunities and maintains energy affordability for DACs. As the EJ and climate justice landscape develop, we will continue to listen to our stakeholders and address important concerns with open minds, robust dialogue, and mutual respect. We will appropriately adapt our approach as we move forward into the clean energy future. We’re also seeing EJ merging into the broader climate justice and social justice movements, and the term “environmental and social justice” (ESJ) has emerged.