Press Release

NEW YORK, June 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc. (Con Edison) (NYSE:ED) was honored today by the U.S. Coast Guard with the William M. Benkert Award for Excellence in Marine Environmental Protection for the company's vigilance in safeguarding the marine environment of New York City and the Hudson Valley.

The William M. Benkert Award is the Coast Guard's premier marine environmental protection award. It is designed to recognize outstanding achievements extending far beyond compliance with industrial and regulatory standards and acknowledges excellence in all aspects of marine environmental protection. Con Edison received the highest score possible in the area of performance measurement.

"Consolidated Edison has a number of superlative management practices and outreach programs to highlight environmental awareness. It is fitting that Consolidated Edison receive this award, for it awards its own corporate citizens openly for leadership in environmental excellence," said Rear Admiral George Naccara, U.S. Coast Guard, 1st District Commander.

At today's dockside ceremony in the New York Harbor, Rear Admiral Naccara outlined the stringent criteria used for award participants. The Coast Guard evaluation included four key areas: Environmental management systems, internal and external stakeholder focus, plus environmental measuring. Con Edison excelled as the first place winner in the large business facility operations category for the national Benkert award.

"We have worked hard to build a corporate culture that embodies environmental protection as a personal value for every employee, and to advance our environmental protection program to more effectively identify and to better manage environmental risks. This award validates our efforts," said M. Peter Lanahan, vice president of Environment, Health and Safety for Con Edison.

Con Edison has built an environment, health and safety system and culture that extends into every organization and assigns a critical role to every employee, from the chairman to the newest line mechanic. An important part of this effort has been the company's development of a series of innovative programs that empower employees to act, that ensure incidents are reported and addressed, and that guarantee that lessons learned are communicated throughout the company.

Over the past two years, Con Edison has participated in six drills with the Coast Guard and other agencies to ensure a prompt, coordinated response that would help minimize any environmental incident. These drills reflect Con Edison's spirit of cooperation and willingness to work with the Coast Guard and other regulators toward the common goal of a cleaner environment.

Con Edison is one of the nation's largest utility companies, with approximately $7 billion in annual revenues and approximately $14 billion in assets. The company, a subsidiary of Consolidated Edison Inc., (NYSE: ED) provides electric, gas and steam service to more than three million customers in New York City and Westchester County, New York. For additional financial, operations and customer service information, visit Con Edison's web site at http://www.coned.com. SOURCE Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc.

CONTACT: D. Joy Faber of Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc., 212-460-4111/