XML 41 R29.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT
v3.21.2

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES | 9 Months Ended
--- | ---
Sep. 30, 2021
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES | COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES We and our subsidiaries have significant commitments and contingencies arising from our operations, including those related to unconditional purchase obligations, environmental matters, and enforcement and litigation matters. Unconditional Purchase Obligations Our electric utilities have obligations to distribute and sell electricity to their customers, and our natural gas utilities have obligations to distribute and sell natural gas to their customers. The utilities expect to recover costs related to these obligations in future customer rates. In order to meet these obligations, we routinely enter into long-term purchase and sale commitments for various quantities and lengths of time. The wind generation facilities that are part of our non-utility energy infrastructure segment have obligations to distribute and sell electricity through long-term offtake agreements with their customers for all of the energy produced. In order to support these sales obligations, these companies enter into easements and other service agreements associated with the wind generating facilities. Our minimum future commitments related to these purchase obligations as of September 30, 2021, including those of our subsidiaries, were approximately $10.8 billion. Environmental Matters Consistent with other companies in the energy industry, we face significant ongoing environmental compliance and remediation obligations related to current and past operations. Specific environmental issues affecting us include, but are not limited to, current and future regulation of air emissions such as sulfur dioxide, NOx, fine particulates, mercury, and GHGs; water intake and discharges; management of coal combustion products such as fly ash; and remediation of impacted properties, including former manufactured gas plant sites. Air Quality National Ambient Air Quality Standards Ozone After completing its review of the 2008 ozone standard, the EPA released a final rule in October 2015, creating a more stringent standard than the 2008 NAAQS. The 2015 ozone standard lowered the 8-hour limit for ground-level ozone. In December 2020, the EPA completed its 5-year review of the ozone standard and issued a final decision to retain, without any changes, the existing 2015 standard. Under Executive Order 13990, the Biden Administration ordered that all agencies review existing regulations, orders, guidance documents, policies, and similar actions promulgated, issued, or adopted between January 20, 2017 and January 20, 2021. Consequently, the December 2020 decision to retain the 2015 ozone standards with no changes is currently under review by the EPA. The EPA issued final nonattainment area designations for the 2015 ozone standard in April 2018. The following counties within our Wisconsin service territories were designated as partial nonattainment: Door, Kenosha, Sheboygan, Manitowoc, and Northern Milwaukee/Ozaukee. This re-designation was challenged in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals in Clean Wisconsin et al. v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. A decision was issued in July 2020 remanding the rule to the EPA for further evaluation. As a result of the July 2020 remand, in June 2021, the EPA published its final action to revise the boundaries for 13 counties associated with six nonattainment areas, including several in Illinois and Wisconsin. Under the new designations, all of Milwaukee and Ozaukee counties are now listed as nonattainment and portions of Racine, Waukesha, and Washington counties have been added to the nonattainment area. Additionally, the Chicago, Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin nonattainment area now includes an expanded portion of Kenosha county, and the partial nonattainment areas of Sheboygan, Door, and Manitowoc counties have also been expanded. Preliminary 2019-2021 monitoring data indicates that the Milwaukee, Sheboygan, and Chicago nonattainment areas will likely be adjusted to "moderate" nonattainment for the 2015 standard. In February 2021, the WDNR proposed draft revisions to the Wisconsin Administrative Code to adopt the 2015 ozone standard and incorporate by reference the federal air pollution monitoring requirements related to the NAAQS. The Natural Resources Board adopted the rule as proposed during their June 2021 meeting and the rule is now in legislative review. We believe that we are well positioned to meet the requirements associated with the 2015 ozone standard and do not expect to incur significant costs to comply with associated state or federal rules. Particulate Matter In addition to the 2015 ozone standard, in December 2020, the EPA completed its 5-year review of the 2012 standard for particulate matter, including fine particulate matter. The EPA determined that no revisions were necessary to the current standard. This determination was also subject to review under Executive Order 13990 and in June 2021, the EPA announced it would reconsider the December 2020 decision. Under the Biden Administration's policy review, the EPA concluded that the scientific evidence and information from the December 2020 determination supports revising the level of the annual standard for the particulate matter NAAQS to below the current level of 12 micrograms per cubic meter, while retaining the 24-hour standard. A proposed rule-making is expected in summer 2022, and a final rule is expected in spring 2023. All counties within our service territories are in attainment with the current 2012 standards. Climate Change The ACE rule, effective since September 2019, was vacated by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals in January 2021. The ACE rule replaced the Clean Power Plan and provided existing coal-fired generating units with standards for achieving GHG emission reductions. In a memorandum issued to the EPA regional administrators in February 2021, the EPA stated that the D.C. Circuit Court decision meant that no existing rule regulates GHG emissions from electric generating units. The EPA is currently reviewing its options for such regulations and has signaled that a draft rule will not be ready until 2022 at the earliest. In October 2021, the Supreme Court agreed to review the D.C. Circuit Court's ruling vacating the EPA's ACE rule. The Supreme Court will review a number of issues regarding the scope of the EPA's regulatory authority to utilize Section 111(d) of the CAA to address CO 2 emissions. Arguments are expected to take place in early 2022 with a decision expected by the summer of 2022. In January 2021, the EPA finalized a rule to revise the New Source Performance Standards for GHG emissions from new, modified, and reconstructed fossil-fueled power plants. The rule became effective in March 2021; however, the EPA asked the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals to vacate and remand the final rule, which was granted by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals in April 2021. Despite this uncertainty, we continue to move forward on the ESG Progress Plan, which is heavily focused on reducing GHG emissions. Our ESG Progress Plan includes the retirement of older, fossil-fueled generation, to be replaced with zero-carbon-emitting renewables and clean natural gas-fueled generation by 2025. By the end of 2020, we were able to reduce CO 2 emissions from our electric generation fleet by more than 50% below 2005 levels. As a result, we announced new goals in May 2021. We committed to a 60% reduction in carbon emissions from our electric generation fleet by 2025 and an 80% reduction by the end of 2030, both from a 2005 baseline. We expect to achieve these goals by making operating refinements, retiring less efficient generating units, and executing our capital plan. Over the longer term, the target for our generation fleet is net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. We have already retired more than 1,800 MW of coal-fired generation since the beginning of 2018. As part of the ESG Progress Plan, we expect to retire approximately 1,600 MW of additional fossil-fueled generation by 2025, which includes the planned retirements in 2023-2024 of OCPP Units 5-8 and the jointly-owned Columbia Units 1-2. We continue to reduce methane emissions by improving our natural gas distribution system. Our initial 2030 goal called for a 30% reduction in methane emissions from a 2011 baseline. Given advancements with renewable natural gas, we set a new target across our natural gas distribution operations to achieve net-zero methane emissions by the end of 2030. Cross-State Air Pollution Rule Update Rule Revision In 2015, the EPA determined that several upwind states had failed to submit state implementation plans that addressed their "Good Neighbor" obligations (i.e., the states projected NOx emissions significantly contribute to a continuing downwind nonattainment and/or maintenance problem); therefore, by statute, the EPA was required to issue a federal implementation plan. In March 2021, the EPA finalized a CSAPR update rule revision that keeps nine of the 21 CSAPR affected states (including Wisconsin) in a Group 2 NOx ozone season trading program and found that the prior CSAPR update is sufficient to meet Wisconsin's "Good Neighbor" obligations. No further NOx reductions will be needed within these nine states. This rule became effective June 29, 2021 and did not have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations. Water Quality Clean Water Act Cooling Water Intake Structure Rule In August 2014, the EPA issued a final regulation under Section 316(b) of the Clean Water Act that requires the location, design, construction, and capacity of cooling water intake structures at existing power plants to reflect the BTA for minimizing adverse environmental impacts. The federal rule became effective in October 2014 and applies to all of our existing generating facilities with cooling water intake structures, except for the ERGS units, which were permitted under the rules governing new facilities. In 2016, the WDNR initiated a state rulemaking process to incorporate the federal Section 316(b) requirements into the Wisconsin Administrative Code. This new state rule became effective in June 2020, and the WDNR will apply this rule when establishing BTA requirements for cooling water intake structures at existing facilities. These BTA requirements are incorporated into Wisconsin Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits for WE and WPS facilities. We have received BTA determinations for OC 5 through OC 8 and Valley power plant. Although we currently believe that existing technology at the Port Washington Generating Station satisfies the BTA requirements, a final determination will not be made until the discharge permit is renewed for this facility, which is expected to be in the second quarter of 2022. We have received interim BTA determinations for Weston Units 2, 3, and 4. A final BTA decision for the Weston facility is expected during its next permit renewal in late 2023. As a result of past capital investments completed to address Section 316(b) compliance at WE and WPS, we believe our fleet overall is well positioned to continue to meet this regulation and do not expect to incur significant additional compliance costs. Steam Electric Effluent Limitation Guidelines The EPA's final 2015 ELG rule took effect in January 2016 and was modified in 2020 to revise the treatment technology requirements related to BATW and wet FGD wastewaters at existing facilities. This rule created new requirements for several types of power plant wastewaters. The two new requirements that affect WE and WPS relate to discharge limits for BATW and wet FGD wastewater. Our power plant facilities already have advanced wastewater treatment technologies installed that meet many of the discharge limits established by this rule. There will, however, need to be facility modifications to meet water permit requirements for the BATW systems at Weston Unit 3 and OC 7 and OC 8. Wastewater treatment system modifications also will be required for wet FGD discharges and site wastewater from the OCPP and ERGS units. Based on engineering cost estimates, we expect that compliance with the ELG rule will require approximately $110 million in capital investment. In February 2021, we applied for PSCW approval of this project. In July 2021, the EPA announced that it intends to initiate rulemaking to revise the ELG Rule as modified in 2020. The EPA has stated that the ELG Rule will continue to be implemented and enforced while the agency pursues this rulemaking process. The EPA plans to propose a revised rule in the fall of 2022. Waters of the United States In September 2021, the EPA and the United States Army Corps of Engineers together announced they have halted implementation of the April 2020 Navigable Waters Protection Rule and are interpreting "Waters of the United States" consistent with the pre-2015 regulatory regime until further notice. The pre-2015 approach involves applying factors established through case law and agency precedents to determine whether a wetland or surface drainage feature is subject to federal jurisdiction. We continue to move forward on company projects subject to federal permits and will monitor these actions to better understand potential future impacts. Land Quality Manufactured Gas Plant Remediation We have identified sites at which our utilities or a predecessor company owned or operated a manufactured gas plant or stored manufactured gas. We have also identified other sites that may have been impacted by historical manufactured gas plant activities. Our natural gas utilities are responsible for the environmental remediation of these sites, some of which are in the EPA Superfund Alternative Approach Program. We are also working with various state jurisdictions in our investigation and remediation planning. These sites are at various stages of investigation, monitoring, remediation, and closure. In addition, we are coordinating the investigation and cleanup of some of these sites subject to the jurisdiction of the EPA under what is called a "multisite" program. This program involves prioritizing the work to be done at the sites, preparation and approval of documents common to all of the sites, and use of a consistent approach in selecting remedies. At this time, we cannot estimate future remediation costs associated with these sites beyond those described below. The future costs for detailed site investigation, future remediation, and monitoring are dependent upon several variables including, among other things, the extent of remediation, changes in technology, and changes in regulation. Historically, our regulators have allowed us to recover incurred costs, net of insurance recoveries and recoveries from potentially responsible parties, associated with the remediation of manufactured gas plant sites. Accordingly, we have established regulatory assets for costs associated with these sites. We have established the following regulatory assets and reserves for manufactured gas plant sites:
(in millions) |  | September 30, 2021 |  | December 31, 2020
Regulatory assets |  | $ | 601.9 |  |  | $ | 638.2 |
Reserves for future environmental remediation |  | 510.3 |  |  | 532.9 |
Enforcement and Litigation Matters We and our subsidiaries are involved in legal and administrative proceedings before various courts and agencies with respect to matters arising in the ordinary course of business. Although we are unable to predict the outcome of these matters, management believes that appropriate reserves have been established and that final settlement of these actions will not have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations. Consent Decrees Wisconsin Public Service Corporation – Weston and Pulliam Power Plants In November 2009, the EPA issued an NOV to WPS, which alleged violations of the CAA's New Source Review requirements relating to certain projects completed at the Weston and Pulliam power plants from 1994 to 2009. WPS entered into a Consent Decree with the EPA resolving this NOV. This Consent Decree was entered by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin in March 2013. With the retirement of Pulliam Units 7 and 8 in October 2018, WPS completed the mitigation projects required by the Consent Decree and received a completeness letter from the EPA in October 2018. We are working with the EPA on a closeout process for the Consent Decree. Joint Ownership Power Plants – Columbia and Edgewater In December 2009, the EPA issued an NOV to Wisconsin Power and Light Company, the operator of the Columbia and Edgewater plants, and the other joint owners of these plants, including Madison Gas and Electric, WE (former co-owner of an Edgewater unit), and WPS. The NOV alleged violations of the CAA's New Source Review requirements related to certain projects completed at those plants. WPS, along with Wisconsin Power and Light Company, Madison Gas and Electric, and WE, entered into a Consent Decree with the EPA resolving this NOV. This Consent Decree was entered by the United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin in June 2013. As a result of the continued implementation of the Consent Decree related to the jointly owned Columbia and Edgewater plants, the Edgewater 4 generating unit was retired in September 2018. Wisconsin Power and Light Company has started the process to close out this Consent Decree.

X
- References No definition available. + Details
Name: | us-gaap_CommitmentsAndContingenciesDisclosureAbstract
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition The entire disclosure for commitments and contingencies. + References Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 450 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/topic&trid=2127136 Reference 2: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 440 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/topic&trid=2144648 Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 954 -SubTopic 440 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (a) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6491277&loc=d3e6429-115629 Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 440 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 4 -Subparagraph (c) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=123406679&loc=d3e25336-109308 Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 440 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 4 -Subparagraph (a) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=123406679&loc=d3e25336-109308 + Details
Name: | us-gaap_CommitmentsAndContingenciesDisclosureTextBlock
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | dtr-types:textBlockItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration