MENG and Meeks CALL for CON Edison to Compensate Queens Residents Impacted by Power Outages During the Heatwave

July 10, 2026 Press Release QUEENS, NY – U.S. Reps Grace Meng (D-Queens) and Gregory Meeks (D-Queens) today called on the head of Con Edison to compensate Queens residents who lost power last week during the heatwave that hit New York City. In a letter to Chief Executive Officer Timothy Cawley, the lawmakers urged the utility to consider issuing bill credits to those affected by prolonged outages and power shutoffs. “Our impacted constituents deserve to be reimbursed for the hardships they endured from the outages and shutoffs that occurred through no fault of their own,” said Meng and Meeks . “We understand the extreme heat and heavy demand for power caused equipment issues. But those who suffered with no power during the heatwave have already been struggling with high electricity rates and other skyrocketing costs as families work to make ends meet. We hope Con Edison will do the right thing and quickly provide needed bill credits to people in our districts.” A copy of the letter can be viewed here , and the text of the correspondence is below. ------------------- Timothy Cawley Chief Executive Officer Consolidated Edison, Inc. 4 Irving Place New York, New York 10003 Dear Mr. Cawley, As Congressional Representatives of Queens, we write to express our deep concerns about the power shutdown and outages across our districts on July 3, 2026, during the ongoing heatwave in New York City. We respectfully request that Con Edison consider issuing bill credits to households and residents who experienced outages due to technical failures and extreme heat this past weekend. Our constituents deserve compensation for the hardship and difficulties they experienced during the power outage caused by events beyond their control. On Friday, July 3, 2026, Con Edison, which receives federal funding, temporarily shut off power for nearly 10,000 residential and commercial customers in the district due to unspecified equipment problems caused by the heat. Con Edison issued the shutdown after scattered outages already occurred across parts of New York City. During the shutdown, thousands of our constituents were forced to go without power while trapped under a “heat dome.” For hours, residents went without air conditioning or refrigeration, putting many at risk of spoiled food or medication, and in danger of heat exhaustion. We understand the extreme heat and heavy demand for power caused equipment issues, and we appreciate the Con Edison crews who worked tirelessly to assess the damage and make quick repairs. We commend Con Edison’s efficient efforts to restore power and to set up a mobile information center and dry ice distribution in South Ozone Park. This was an adequate first step to addressing the immediate needs of residents, and the next step is to quickly fulfill claims filed for items damaged due to the loss of power, and to consider issuing bill credits for those who experienced the outage. This power outage and heatwave come amid already high increases in utility bills. Our constituents should not bear the burden of this failure when they are already struggling with the rising cost of living. Thank you for your time and consideration of these serious concerns, and we look forward to your response. Sincerely,