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REGULATION | 12 Months Ended
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Sep. 30, 2017
Regulated Operations [Abstract] |
REGULATION | 4. REGULATION The EDECA is the legal framework for New Jersey’s public utility and wholesale energy landscape. NJNG is required, pursuant to a written order by the BPU under EDECA, to open its residential markets to competition from third-party natural gas suppliers. Customers can choose the supplier of their natural gas commodity in NJNG’s service territory. As required by EDECA, NJNG’s rates are segregated into two primary components the commodity portion, which represents the wholesale cost of natural gas, including the cost for interstate pipeline capacity to transport the gas to NJNG’s service territory, and the delivery portion, which represents the transportation of the commodity portion through NJNG’s gas distribution system to the end-use customer. NJNG does not earn utility gross margin on the commodity portion of its natural gas sales. NJNG earns utility gross margin through the delivery of natural gas to its customers, regardless of whether it or a third-party supplier provides the wholesale natural gas commodity. Under EDECA, the BPU is required to audit the state’s energy utilities every two years. The primary purpose of the audit is to ensure that utilities and their affiliates offering unregulated retail services do not have an unfair competitive advantage over nonaffiliated providers of similar retail services. A combined competitive services and management audit of NJNG commenced in August 2013. A draft management audit report was accepted by the BPU on July 23, 2014, for public comment. To date, NJNG has implemented all audit recommendations with the approval of BPU staff and is waiting for final BPU approval. NJNG is subject to cost-based regulation, therefore, it is permitted to recover authorized operating expenses and earn a reasonable return on its utility capital investments based on the BPU’s approval. The impact of the ratemaking process and decisions authorized by the BPU allows NJNG to capitalize or defer certain costs that are expected to be recovered from its customers as regulatory assets, and to recognize certain obligations representing amounts that are probable future expenditures as regulatory liabilities in accordance with accounting guidance applicable to regulated operations. NJNG’s recovery of costs is facilitated through its base rates, BGSS and other regulatory tariff riders. NJNG is required to make an annual filing to the BPU by June 1 of each year for review of its BGSS, CIP and other programs and related rates. Annual rate changes are requested to be effective at the beginning of the following fiscal year. In addition, NJNG is permitted to request approval of certain rate or program changes on an interim basis. All rate and program changes are subject to proper notification and BPU review and approval. In September 2016, the BPU approved NJNG's base rate case, effective October 2016, which included an increase in base rates in the amount of $45 million. The base rate increase includes a return on common equity of 9.75 percent, a common equity ratio of 52.5 percent and a depreciation rate of 2.4 percent. The approval also included the rate mechanism and five-year extension of SAFE II, rate recovery of NJ RISE capital investment costs through June 30, 2016, recovery of NJNG’s SAFE I, NGV and LNG capital investments and recovery of other costs previously deferred in regulatory assets. Regulatory assets and liabilities included on the Consolidated Balance Sheets as of September 30, are comprised of the following:
(Thousands) | 2017 | 2016
Regulatory assets-current |  |
Conservation Incentive Program | $ | 17,669 |  | $ | 36,957 |
New Jersey Clean Energy Program | 14,202 |  | 14,232 |
Underrecovered gas costs | 9,910 |  | — |
Derivatives at fair value, net | 9,010 |  | 3,097 |
Total current regulatory assets | $ | 50,791 |  | $ | 54,286 |
Regulatory assets-noncurrent |  |
Environmental remediation costs: |  |
Expended, net of recoveries | $ | 28,547 |  | $ | 19,595 |
Liability for future expenditures | 149,000 |  | 172,000 |
Deferred income taxes | 21,795 |  | 20,273 |
Derivatives at fair value, net | — |  | 23,384 |
SAVEGREEN | 16,302 |  | 25,208 |
Postemployment and other benefit costs | 141,433 |  | 157,027 |
Deferred Superstorm Sandy costs | 13,030 |  | 15,201 |
Other noncurrent regulatory assets | 5,812 |  | 8,606 |
Total noncurrent regulatory assets | $ | 375,919 |  | $ | 441,294 |
Regulatory liability-current |  |
Derivatives at fair value, net | 78 |  | — |
Overrecovered gas costs | — |  | 9,469 |
Total current regulatory liabilities | $ | 78 |  | $ | 9,469 |
Regulatory liabilities-noncurrent |  |
Cost of removal obligation | $ | 7,902 |  | $ | 30,549 |
New Jersey Clean Energy Program | 5,795 |  | 10,657 |
Other noncurrent regulatory liabilities | 664 |  | 205 |
Derivatives at fair value, net | 146 |  | — |
Total noncurrent regulatory liabilities | $ | 14,507 |  | $ | 41,411 |
Recovery of regulatory assets is subject to BPU approval, and therefore, if there are any changes in regulatory positions that indicate recovery is not probable, the related cost would be charged to income in the period of such determination. The BPU’s decision and order approving NJNG’s new base rates resulted in no changes to the recovery of NJNG’s regulatory assets. Conservation Incentive Program The CIP permits NJNG to recover utility gross margin variations related to customer usage resulting from customer conservation efforts and mitigates the impact of weather on its gross margin. Such utility gross margin variations are recovered in the year following the end of the CIP usage year, without interest, and are subject to additional conditions, including an earnings test, a revenue test and an evaluation of BGSS related savings. This program has no expiration date. New Jersey Clean Energy Program The NJCEP is a statewide program that encourages energy efficiency and renewable energy. Funding amounts are determined by the BPU’s Office of Clean Energy and all New Jersey utilities are required to share in the annual funding obligation. The current NJCEP program is for the State of New Jersey’s fiscal year ending June 2018. NJNG recovers the costs associated with its portion of the NJCEP obligation through its NJCEP rider. Derivatives Derivatives are utilized by NJNG to manage the price risk associated with its natural gas purchasing activities and to participate in certain BGSS incentive programs. The gains and losses associated with NJNG’s derivatives are recoverable through its BGSS, as noted above, without interest. See Note 5. Derivative Instruments. Environmental Remediation Costs NJNG is responsible for the cleanup of certain former gas manufacturing facilities. Actual expenditures are recovered from customers, with interest, over seven year rolling periods, through a RAC rate rider. Recovery for NJNG’s estimated future liability will be requested and/or recovered when actual expenditures are incurred. See Note 14. Commitments and Contingent Liabilities. Deferred Income Taxes In 1993, NJNG adopted the provisions of ASC 740, Income Taxes, which changed the method used to determine deferred tax assets and liabilities. Upon adoption, NJNG recognized a transition adjustment and corresponding regulatory asset representing the difference between NJNG’s existing deferred tax amounts compared with the deferred tax amounts calculated in accordance with the change in method prescribed by ASC 740. NJNG recovers the regulatory asset associated with these tax impacts through future base rates, without interest. SAVEGREEN NJNG administers certain programs that supplement the state’s NJCEP and that allow NJNG to promote clean energy to its residential and commercial customers, as described further below. NJNG will recover related expenditures and a weighted average cost of capital on the unamortized balance through a tariff rider, as approved by the BPU, over a two to 10-year period depending upon the specific program incentive. Postemployment and Other Benefit Costs Postemployment and Other Benefit Costs represents NJNG’s underfunded postemployment benefit obligations that the Company began recognizing in fiscal 2006, as a result of changes in the accounting provisions of ASC 715, Compensation and Benefits, as well as a $2.4 million fiscal 2010 tax charge resulting from a change in the deductibility of federal subsidies associated with Medicare Part D, both of which are deferred as regulatory assets and are recoverable, without interest, in base rates. In the September 2016 base rate case decision and order, the BPU approved the recovery of the tax charge over a seven-year amortization period. See Note 11. Employee Benefit Plans. Deferred Superstorm Sandy Costs In October 2012, portions of NJNG’s distribution system incurred significant damage as a result of Superstorm Sandy. NJNG filed a petition with the BPU in November 2012 requesting deferred accounting for uninsured incremental O&M costs associated with its restoration efforts, which was approved in May 2013. In October 2014, the BPU approved, as prudent and reasonable, the deferred O&M storm costs. The deferred Superstorm Sandy costs were approved for recovery through NJNG’s new base rates effective October 2016, over a seven-year amortization period. Other Regulatory Assets Other regulatory assets consists primarily of deferred costs associated with certain components of NJNG’s SBC, as discussed further below, and NJNG’s compliance with federal and state mandated PIM provisions. NJNG’s related costs to maintain the operational integrity of its distribution and transmission main are recoverable, subject to BPU review and approval. Through September 30, 2016, NJNG was limited to recording a regulatory asset associated with PIM that did not exceed $700,000 per year. In addition, to the extent that project costs were lower than the approved PIM annual expense of $1.4 million, NJNG recorded a regulatory liability to be refunded as a credit to customers’ gas costs when the net cumulative liability exceeded $1 million. As of September 30, 2017, NJNG recorded $3.8 million of PIM in other regulatory assets. The deferred PIM costs were approved for recovery through NJNG’s new base rates effective October 2016, over a seven-year amortization period. As of October 1, 2016, NJNG will no longer defer costs associated with PIM. Over and Underrecovered Gas Costs NJNG recovers its cost of gas through the BGSS rate component of its customers’ bills. NJNG’s cost of gas includes the purchased cost of the natural gas commodity, fees paid to pipelines and storage facilities, adjustments as a result of BGSS incentive programs and hedging transactions. Overrecovered gas costs represent a regulatory liability that generally occurs when NJNG’s BGSS rates are higher than actual costs and requests approval to be returned to customers including interest, when applicable, in accordance with NJNG’s approved BGSS tariff. Conversely, underrecovered gas costs generally occur during periods when NJNG’s BGSS rates are lower than actual costs, in which case NJNG records a regulatory asset and requests amounts to be recovered from customers in the future. Cost of Removal Obligation NJNG accrues and collects for cost of removal in base rates on its utility property, without interest. NJNG’s regulatory liability represents customer collections in excess of actual expenditures, which the Company will return to customers as a reduction to depreciation expense until it is depleted. The following is a description of certain regulatory proceedings during fiscal 2016 and 2017: BGSS and CIP BGSS rates are normally revised on an annual basis. In addition, to manage the fluctuations in wholesale natural gas costs, NJNG has the ability to make two interim filings during each fiscal year to increase residential and small commercial customer BGSS rates on a self-implementing and provisional basis. NJNG is also permitted to refund or credit back a portion of the commodity costs to customers at any time given five days notice when the natural gas commodity costs decrease in comparison to amounts projected or to amounts previously collected from customers. Concurrent with the annual BGSS filing, NJNG files for an annual review of its CIP. NJNG’s annual BGSS and CIP filings are summarized as follows:
• | June 2015 BGSS/CIP filing — In February 2016, the BPU approved NJNG’s proposal to continue its existing BGSS rate and to increase its CIP rates resulting in a $1.1 million annual recovery increase, effective October 2015. NJNG also provided bill credits to residential and small commercial customers from November 2015 through February 2016, as a result of the decline in the wholesale price of natural gas, which totaled $61.6 million.
• | June 2016 BGSS/CIP filing — In September 2016, the BPU approved NJNG's filing to increase its CIP rates resulting in a $43.9 million annual recovery increase and to decrease its annual BGSS rate for residential and small commercial customers resulting in a $22.6 million annual recovery decrease, effective October 2016. This petition also included proposed bill credits to residential and small commercial customers during the months of November 2016 through February 2017, as a result of a decline in the wholesale price of natural gas. In September 2016, NJNG notified the BPU that the estimated bill credits would be approximately $48 million; however, customer usage was lower due to warmer weather during winter months and therefore, a total of $42 million in bill credits were issued during fiscal 2017.
• | June 2017 BGSS/CIP filing — On September 22, 2017, the BPU provisionally approved NJNG's petition to maintain its BGSS rate for residential and small commercial customers, increase its balancing charge rate, which will result in a $3.7 million increase to the annual revenues credited to BGSS and decrease its CIP rates, which will result in a $16.2 million annual recovery decrease, effective October 2017.
BGSS Incentive Programs NJNG is eligible to receive financial incentives for reducing BGSS costs through a series of utility gross margin-sharing programs that include off-system sales, capacity release, storage incentive programs and the FRM program (through October 2015). The Company is permitted to annually propose a process to evaluate and discuss alternative incentive programs, should performance of the existing incentives or market conditions warrant re-evaluation. In October 2015, the BPU issued an order approving the continuation of the BGSS Incentive Programs with modification to the storage incentive program, beginning with the 2015 storage injection period, and termination of the FRM Program, effective November 2015. Energy Efficiency Programs SAVEGREEN conducts home energy audits and provides various grants, incentives and financing alternatives, which are designed to encourage the installation of high efficiency heating and cooling equipment and other energy efficiency upgrades to promote energy efficiency incentives to its residential and commercial customers while stimulating state and local economies through the creation of jobs. Depending on the specific initiative or approval, NJNG recovers costs associated with the programs over a two to 10-year period through a tariff rider mechanism. As of September 30, 2017, the BPU has approved total SAVEGREEN investments of approximately $219.3 million, of which, $149.7 million in grants, rebates and loans have been provided to customers, with a total annual recovery of approximately $20 million. The recovery includes a weighted average cost of capital on the unamortized balance that ranges from 6.69 percent, with a return on equity of 9.75 percent, to 7.76 percent, with a return on equity of 10.3 percent. SAVEGREEN investments and costs are filed with the BPU on an annual basis. In June 2016, the BPU approved NJNG's petition to extend its current program, which was set to expire on July 31, 2017, to December 31, 2018. In October 2016, the BPU approved NJNG's filing to maintain its existing recovery rate. On October 20, 2017, the BPU approved NJNG's filing to decrease its EE recovery rate, which will result in an annual decrease of $3.9 million, effective November 1, 2017. Societal Benefits Clause The SBC is comprised of three primary riders that allow NJNG to recover costs associated with USF, which is a permanent statewide program for all natural gas and electric utilities for the benefit of income-eligible customers, MGP remediation and the NJCEP. NJNG has submitted the following filings to the BPU, which include a report of program expenditures incurred each program year:
• | 2015 SBC filings — In September 2015, the BPU approved the annual USF compliance filing decreasing the statewide USF rate, resulting in an annual $3.9 million decrease to USF recoveries, effective October 2015. In June 2016, the BPU approved NJNG's additional filing to recover remediation expenses incurred through June 30, 2015, increase the RAC with an annual recovery of $9.4 million and to decrease the NJCEP factor, effective July 9, 2016.
• | 2016 SBC filing — In September 2016, the BPU approved NJNG's annual USF compliance filing proposing to increase the statewide USF rate, resulting in a $1.3 million annual increase in USF recoveries, effective October 2016.
• | 2017 SBC filing — On September 22, 2017, the BPU approved NJNG's annual USF compliance filing to decrease the statewide USF rate, which will result in a $2.6 million annual decrease, effective October 1, 2017. On November 17, 2017, NJNG filed it's annual SBC application requesting to recover remediation expenses incurred through June 30, 2017, a reduction in the RAC, which will decrease the annual recovery to $7 million and to increase the NJCEP factor, effective April 1, 2018.
Infrastructure Programs NJNG has significant annual capital expenditures associated with the management of its natural gas distribution and transmission system, including new utility plant for customer growth and its associated PIM and infrastructure programs. NJNG continues to implement BPU-approved infrastructure projects that are designed to enhance the reliability of NJNG’s gas distribution system, including SAFE and NJ RISE. SAFE/NJ RISE In October 2012, the BPU approved NJNG’s petition to implement SAFE I, investing up to $130 million, exclusive of AFUDC, over a four-year period to replace portions of NJNG’s gas distribution unprotected steel, cast iron infrastructure and associated services to improve the safety and reliability of the gas distribution system. The recovery of SAFE I capital investments and the rate mechanism and five-year extension of SAFE II were approved through NJNG’s base rate case, effective October 2016. The estimated cost for SAFE II is approximately $200 million, excluding AFUDC and related costs to be recovered are approximately $157.5 million. As a condition of approval of the extension, NJNG is required to file a base rate case no later than November 2019. In July 2014, the BPU approved NJ RISE, which consists of six capital investment projects estimated to cost $102.5 million over a five-year period, excluding AFUDC, for gas distribution storm hardening and mitigation projects, along with incremental depreciation expense. In October 2015, the BPU approved a base rate increase to recover capital costs through July 2015, resulting in a $390,000 annual recovery increase, effective November 2015, and earned a weighted average cost of capital of 6.74 percent, including a return on equity of 9.75 percent. NJ RISE investments through June 30, 2016, were approved for recovery through NJNG’s new base rates, effective October 2016. Requests for recovery of future NJ RISE capital costs will occur in conjunction with SAFE II, commencing with the rate recovery filing that was submitted in March 2017, with a weighted cost of capital of 6.9 percent, including a return on equity of 9.75 percent. On March 30, 2017, NJNG filed its annual petition with the BPU requesting a base rate increase for the recovery of NJ RISE and SAFE II capital investment costs related to the period ending June 30, 2017, based on estimates, pursuant to the September 2016 base rate case. On July 20, 2017, NJNG filed an update to this petition with actuals, requesting a $4.1 million annual increase in recoveries, which was approved by the BPU, effective October 1, 2017. NGV refueling stations In June 2012, the BPU approved a pilot program for NJNG to invest up to $10 million to build NGV refueling stations. NJNG has opened all three of its NGV stations to the public and its capital investments were approved for recovery through the new base rates, effective October 2016. SRL The SRL is an approximate 30-mile, 30-inch transmission main designed to support improved system integrity and reliability in the southern portion of NJNG’s service territory, estimated to cost between $180 million and $200 million. In January 2016, the BPU issued an order approving NJNG’s modified proposed SRL pipeline installation, operation and route selection. In March 2016, the BPU issued an order designating the SRL route and exempting the SRL from municipal land use ordinances, regulations, permits and license requirements. In February 2017, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection issued a permit authorizing construction of the SRL within the jurisdiction of the Coastal Area Facility Review Act as well as a Freshwater Wetlands permit. On September 14, 2017, the NJ Pinelands Commission approved construction of NJNG’s SRL. All approvals and permits have been appealed by third parties. Other Regulatory Initiatives In May 2016, NJNG included a proposal in its base rate case to recover certain capital costs and incremental operation and maintenance costs related to a March 2016 BPU Order regarding new cyber security requirements. In June 2016, NJNG’s liquefaction project became operational, allowing NJNG to convert natural gas into LNG and to fill NJNG’s existing LNG storage tanks. Costs for this project along with other plant upgrades were approximately $36.5 million. Costs associated with both initiatives were approved for recovery through NJNG’s new base rates, effective October 2016.

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