Climate Policy Engagement Analysis
Climate Policy Engagement Overview: Consolidated Edison (Con Edison) appears to engage with a mix of positive and negative positions on US climate policy, with an advocacy presence at the federal level and in New York. Although the company has taken legal action to support GHG emissions standards, it demonstrates inconsistent positions on the long-term role of fossil gas. Con Edison’s CEO serves on the board of directors for the American Gas Association (AGA), a group that strategically opposes US climate policy and has maintained a widespread campaign against building electrification.
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: Con Edison appears to have limited, though positive top-line messaging on climate policy. In its 2023 sustainability report released June 2024, the company stated support for “efforts by local, state, and federal agencies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.” In the same report, Con Edison also stated support for a net-zero economy in New York state by 2050. On its corporate website, last checked September 2024, the company expressed full support for the Paris Agreement.
Engagement with Climate-Related Policy: Con Edison appears to engage positively on US climate-related policy. At the federal level, the company has taken legal action in support of various GHG emissions standards: in August 2024, it signed a joint document urging the Supreme Court to oppose applications for a stay of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s finalized carbon standards for power plant emissions; previously, in January 2022, Con Edison submitted a joint merits brief to the Supreme Court on West Virginia v. EPA that advocated for the authority of the agency to regulate GHG emissions. In June 2023, the company submitted comments in support of the EPA’s proposed Phase 3 GHG emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles, and further recommended that the standards be aligned with the stringency of the Advanced Clean Trucks rule adopted in New York and New Jersey. Con Edison has also supported energy efficiency standards, submitting October 2022 joint comments in support of the Department of Energy’s proposal to raise the ambition of energy conservation standards for gas and propane furnaces.
Positioning on Energy Transition: Con Edison demonstrates a mix of positive and negative positions on the energy transition, with conflicting engagement on the role of fossil gas. At the federal level, the company engaged multiple times on the EPA’s power plant rules with the Clean Energy Group, submitting December 2023 comments and August 2023 comments that broadly supported the agency’s intent to regulate power sector GHG emissions while appearing to advocate for flexible compliance measures that would prolong the role of fossil gas.
In New York, although the company has taken more positive positions on building electrification proposals compared to its industry peers, it still appears to advocate for a long-term role for the gas infrastructure system. Con Edison circulated a March 2023 policy memo and a March 2022 policy memo that advocated for building electrification legislative proposals in the New York state draft budget; previously, as reported by a Reuters December 2021 article, the company supported the New York City Council’s vote in December 2021 to limit fossil gas in new buildings. Con Edison also joined the Natural Resources Defense Council in July 2022 in urging the New York Climate Action Council to include ambitious building electrification and energy efficiency provisions in the state’s climate plan. However, Con Edison has advocated to include such fuels as “renewable natural gas” and hydrogen into New York policies without setting clear conditions on deploying CCS or methane abatement measures: for example, in July 2022 joint comments on the New York draft climate plan, the company joined National Grid and Avangrid subsidiaries in advocating for these fuels as an “alternative to full electrification;” previously, in November 2021, Con Edison submitted testimony on the New York City’s gas ban bill in which it stated that it supports building code amendments that reduce fossil fuel use, while advocating for the final version of the legislation to “not preclude the use of low-carbon fuels.”
Industry Association Governance: Con Edison has a dedicated Political Engagement webpage where it discloses its industry association memberships but omits details of each group’s engagement on specific climate policies. The company lists its membership to the American Gas Association, which strategically blocks US climate policy at various levels of government, but neglects to disclose that its CEO, Timothy P. Crawley, serves on the group’s Board of Directors. Con Edison is also a member of the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), which demonstrates a mix of positions on US climate policy and has been repeatedly opposing the ambition of the EPA’s power plant rules.