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Utility Regulatory Assets and Liabilities and Regulatory Matters | 3 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2018
Regulated Operations [Abstract] |
Utility Regulatory Assets and Liabilities and Regulatory Matters | Note 8 — Utility Regulatory Assets and Liabilities and Regulatory Matters For a description of the Company’s regulatory assets and liabilities other than those described below, see Note 8 in the Company’s 2018 Annual Report. Other than removal costs, UGI Utilities does not recover a rate of return on its regulatory assets. The following regulatory assets and liabilities associated with UGI Utilities are included in our accompanying Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets:
|  | December 31, 2018 |  | September 30, 2018 |  | December 31, 2017
Regulatory assets: |  |  |  |  |  |
Income taxes recoverable |  | $ | 115.2 |  |  | $ | 110.1 |  |  | $ | 126.5 |
Underfunded pension and postretirement plans |  | 85.3 |  |  | 87.1 |  |  | 138.3 |
Environmental costs |  | 58.5 |  |  | 58.8 |  |  | 60.8 |
Removal costs, net |  | 31.3 |  |  | 32.0 |  |  | 31.4 |
Other |  | 8.5 |  |  | 13.0 |  |  | 5.8 |
Total regulatory assets |  | $ | 298.8 |  |  | $ | 301.0 |  |  | $ | 362.8 |
Regulatory liabilities (a): |  |  |  |  |  |
Postretirement benefits |  | $ | 17.3 |  |  | $ | 17.8 |  |  | $ | 17.3 |
Deferred fuel and power refunds |  | 22.2 |  |  | 36.7 |  |  | 12.7 |
State tax benefits — distribution system repairs |  | 23.5 |  |  | 22.6 |  |  | 19.1 |
PAPUC temporary rates order |  | 24.8 |  |  | 24.4 |  |  | — |
Excess federal deferred income taxes |  | 280.9 |  |  | 285.2 |  |  | 303.9 |
Other |  | 4.8 |  |  | 3.5 |  |  | 4.5 |
Total regulatory liabilities |  | $ | 373.5 |  |  | $ | 390.2 |  |  | $ | 357.5 |
(a) | Regulatory liabilities are recorded in “Other current liabilities” and “Other noncurrent liabilities” on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets.
Deferred fuel and power refunds. Gas Utility’s and Electric Utility’s tariffs contain clauses that permit recovery of all prudently incurred purchased gas and power costs through the application of PGC rates in the case of Gas Utility and DS tariffs in the case of Electric Utility. The clauses provide for periodic adjustments to PGC and DS rates for differences between the total amount of purchased gas and electric generation supply costs collected from customers and recoverable costs incurred. Net undercollected costs are classified as a regulatory asset and net overcollections are classified as a regulatory liability. Gas Utility uses derivative instruments to reduce volatility in the cost of gas it purchases for retail core-market customers. Realized and unrealized gains or losses on natural gas derivative instruments are included in deferred fuel costs or refunds. Net unrealized gains (losses) on such contracts at December 31, 2018, September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 were $0.8, $2.9 and $(1.7), respectively. PAPUC Temporary Rates Order. On May 17, 2018, the PAPUC ordered each regulated utility currently not in a general base rate case proceeding, including UGI Gas, PNG and CPG, to reduce their rates through the establishment of a negative surcharge applied to bills rendered on or after July 1, 2018. The temporary negative surcharge will be reconciled at the end of each fiscal year to actual tax savings realized. Any difference in the amount of bill credit received by customers and the amount of benefits received by the Company during the period the negative surcharge is in effect is reconciled in the calculation of a new negative surcharge effective January 1 of the subsequent calendar year. The negative surcharge will remain in place until the effective date of new rates established in the utility’s next general base rate proceeding. For the merged Gas Utility, such negative surcharge reduced base rate revenues by 5.78%, 3.90% and 8.19%, respectively, for the UGI South, UGI North and UGI Central rate districts for the three months ended December 31, 2018 and is subject to reconciliation during the period the negative surcharges remain in effect. In its May 17, 2018 Order, the PAPUC also required Pennsylvania utilities to establish a regulatory liability for tax benefits that accrued during the period beginning January 1, 2018 through June 30, 2018, resulting from the reduced federal tax rate. The rate treatment of this regulatory liability, plus accrued interest, for each Gas Utility rate district will be addressed in a future proceeding and the Company cannot predict the ultimate treatment of this liability. In UGI Gas’s base rate proceeding filed January 28, 2019 (see “Base Rate Filings” below), UGI Gas has proposed a 4.5% negative surcharge applicable to all customer distribution service bills to return $26.2 of tax benefits experienced by UGI Utilities over the period January 1, 2018 to June 30, 2018, inclusive of interest, thereby satisfying a requirement to make a proposal for distributing those benefits within three years of the May 17, 2018 Order. The negative surcharge will become effective for a twelve-month period beginning on the effective date of the new base rates. For Pennsylvania utilities that were in a general base rate proceeding, including Electric Utility, no negative surcharge applies. The tax benefits that accrued during the period January 1, 2018 through October 26, 2018, the date before Electric Utility’s base rate case became effective (see below), were refunded to Electric Utility ratepayers through a one-time bill credit. Excess federal deferred income taxes. This regulatory liability is the result of remeasuring UGI Utilities’ federal deferred income tax liabilities on utility plant due to the enactment of the TCJA on December 22, 2017 (see Note 6). In order for our utility assets to continue to be eligible for accelerated tax depreciation, current law requires that excess federal deferred income taxes resulting from the remeasurement be amortized no more rapidly than over the remaining lives of the assets that gave rise to the excess federal deferred income taxes, ranging from 1 year to approximately 65 years. This regulatory liability has been increased to reflect the tax benefit generated by the amortization of the excess deferred federal income taxes and is being amortized and credited to tax expense. Other Regulatory Matters Utility Merger. On March 8, 2018 and March 13, 2018, UGI Utilities filed merger authorization requests with the PAPUC and MDPSC, respectively, to merge PNG and CPG into UGI Utilities, with a targeted effective date of October 1, 2018. After receiving all necessary FERC, MDPSC, and PAPUC approvals, CPG and PNG were merged into UGI Utilities effective October 1, 2018. Consistent with the MDPSC order issued July 25, 2018, and the PAPUC order issued September, 26, 2018, the former CPG, PNG and UGI Utilities, Inc. Gas Division service territories became the UGI Central, UGI North and UGI South rate districts of the UGI Utilities, Inc. Gas Division, respectively, without any ratemaking change. UGI Utilities’ obligations under the settlement approved by the PAPUC include various non-monetary conditions requiring UGI Utilities to maintain separate accounting-type schedules for limited future ratemaking purposes. Base Rate Filings. On January 28, 2019, UGI Gas filed a request with the PAPUC to increase its operating revenues for residential, commercial and industrial customers by $71.1 annually. The requested rate increase applies to the consolidated UGI Central, UGI North and UGI South rate districts. The increased revenues would fund ongoing system improvements and operations necessary to maintain safe and reliable natural gas service and fund new programs designed to promote and reward customers’ efforts to increase efficient use of natural gas. Additionally, UGI Gas has proposed a 4.5% negative surcharge applicable to all customer distribution service bills to return $26.2 of tax benefits experienced by UGI Utilities over the period January 1, 2018 to June 30, 2018, inclusive of interest. As proposed, the negative surcharge will become effective for a twelve-month period beginning on the effective date of the new base rates. UGI Gas is requesting that the new gas rates become effective March 29, 2019. However, the PAPUC typically suspends the effective date for general base rate proceedings for a period not to exceed nine months after the filing date to allow for investigation and public hearings. UGI Utilities cannot predict the timing or the ultimate outcome of the rate case review process. On January 26, 2018, Electric Utility filed a rate request with the PAPUC to increase its annual base distribution revenues by $9.2, which was later reduced by Electric Utility to $7.7 to reflect the impact of the TCJA and other adjustments. The increased revenues would fund ongoing system improvements and operations necessary to maintain safe and reliable electric service. On October 25, 2018, the PAPUC approved a final order providing for a $3.2 annual base distribution rate increase for Electric Utility, effective October 27, 2018. As part of the final order, Electric Utility provided customers with a one-time $0.2 billing credit associated with 2018 TCJA tax benefits. On November 26, 2018, the Pennsylvania Office of Consumer Advocate filed an appeal to the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court challenging the PAPUC’s acceptance of the UGI Utilities’ use of a fully projected future test year and handling of consolidated federal income tax benefits. UGI Utilities cannot predict the ultimate outcome of this appeal. On January 19, 2017, PNG (now the UGI North rate district of Gas Utility) filed a rate request with the PAPUC to increase PNG’s annual base operating revenues for residential, commercial and industrial customers by $21.7 annually. The increased revenues would fund ongoing system improvements and operations necessary to maintain safe and reliable natural gas service. On June 30, 2017, all active parties supported the filing of a Joint Petition for Approval of Settlement of all issues with the PAPUC providing for an $11.3 PNG annual base distribution rate increase. On August 31, 2017, the PAPUC approved the Joint Petition and the increase became effective October 20, 2017. Manor Township, Pennsylvania Natural Gas Incident Complaint. In connection with a July 2, 2017, explosion in Manor Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, that resulted in the death of one UGI Utilities employee and injuries to two UGI Utilities employees and one sewer authority employee, and destroyed two residences and damaged several other homes, the BIE filed a formal complaint at the PAPUC in which BIE alleged that UGI Utilities committed multiple violations of federal and state gas pipeline regulations in connection with its emergency response leading up to the explosion, and it requested that the PAPUC order UGI Utilities to pay approximately $2.1 in civil penalties, which is the maximum allowable fine. On November 16, 2018, UGI Utilities filed its formal written answer contesting the BIE complaint. The matter remains pending before the PAPUC.

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