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Regulatory Matters - Regulatory Assets and Liabilities (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions | 9 Months Ended |
--- | --- | ---
Sep. 30, 2016 | Dec. 31, 2015
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items] |  |  |
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities Currently Earning a Return |  | No regulatory assets or liabilities are currently earning a return. |
Current Regulatory Assets |  | $ 16.8 | $ 10.6
Non-Current Regulatory Assets |  | 358.9 | 372.0
Total Regulatory Assets |  | 375.7 | 382.6
Non-Current Regulatory Liabilities |  | 122.9 | 105.0
Wholesale and Retail Contra AFUDC [Member] |  |  |
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items] |  |  |
Non-Current Regulatory Liabilities | [1] | 56.9 | 58.0
North Dakota Investment Tax Credits [Member] |  |  |
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items] |  |  |
Non-Current Regulatory Liabilities | [2] | 27.9 | 12.8
Income Taxes [Member] |  |  |
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items] |  |  |
Non-Current Regulatory Liabilities | [3] | 20.0 | 6.1
Plant Removal Obligations [Member] |  |  |
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items] |  |  |
Non-Current Regulatory Liabilities |  | 15.6 | 22.1
Defined Benefit Pension and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Member] |  |  |
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items] |  |  |
Non-Current Regulatory Liabilities | [4] | 0.0 | 0.9
Deferred Fuel Adjustment Clause [Member] |  |  |
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items] |  |  |
Current Regulatory Assets | [5] | 16.8 | 10.6
Defined Benefit Pension and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Member] |  |  |
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items] |  |  |
Non-Current Regulatory Assets | [4] | 213.9 | 219.3
Income Taxes [Member] |  |  |
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items] |  |  |
Non-Current Regulatory Assets | [3] | 65.1 | 64.2
Cost Recovery Riders [Member] |  |  |
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items] |  |  |
Non-Current Regulatory Assets | [6] | 39.9 | 58.0
Asset Retirement Obligations [Member] |  |  |
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items] |  |  |
Non-Current Regulatory Assets | [7] | 24.8 | 21.6
PPACA Income Tax Deferral [Member] |  |  |
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items] |  |  |
Non-Current Regulatory Assets |  | 5.0 | 5.0
Other |  |  |
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items] |  |  |
Non-Current Regulatory Assets |  | 10.2 | 3.9
Non-Current Regulatory Liabilities |  | $ 2.5 | $ 5.1
[1] | Wholesale and Retail Contra AFUDC represents the regulatory offset to AFUDC Equity and Debt recorded during the construction period of our cost recovery rider projects prior to placing the projects in service. The regulatory liability will decrease over the remaining depreciable lives of the related assets.
[2] | North Dakota investment tax credits expected to be realized from the Bison Wind Energy Center that will be credited to Minnesota Power’s regulated retail customers over the remaining life of the Bison Wind Energy Center through future renewable cost recovery rider filings.
[3] | These assets and liabilities are offsets to deferred income taxes recognized on certain regulatory temporary differences, which will reverse over the remaining lives of those temporary differences.
[4] | Defined benefit pension and other postretirement items included in our Regulated Operations, which are otherwise required to be recognized in accumulated other comprehensive income as actuarial gains and losses as well as prior service costs and credits, are recognized as regulatory assets or regulatory liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheet. The asset or liability will decrease as the deferred items are amortized and recognized as components of net periodic benefit cost. (See Note 12. Pension and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans.)
[5] | Current regulatory assets are included in Prepayments and Other on the Consolidated Balance Sheet.
[6] | The cost recovery rider regulatory assets are revenues not yet collected from our customers primarily due to capital expenditures related to the Bison Wind Energy Center, investment in CapX2020 projects, and the Boswell Unit 4 environmental upgrade and are recognized in accordance with the accounting standards for alternative revenue programs. The cost recovery rider regulatory assets as of September 30, 2016, will be recovered over the next two years.
[7] | Asset retirement obligations will accrete and be amortized over the lives of the related property with asset retirement obligations.

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- Definition Regulatory Assets and Liabilities [Line Items] + References No definition available. + Details
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- Definition The amount for the individual regulatory asset as itemized in a table of regulatory assets as of the end of the period. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 980 -SubTopic 340 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6499975&loc=d3e44250-110382 + Details
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- Definition Carrying amount as of the balance sheet date of capitalized costs of regulated entities that are expected to be recovered through revenue sources within one year or the normal operating cycle, if longer. Such costs are capitalized if they meet both of the following criteria: a. It is probable that future revenue in an amount at least equal to the capitalized cost will result from inclusion of that cost in allowable costs for rate-making purposes. b. Based on available evidence, the future revenue will be provided to permit recovery of the previously incurred cost rather than to provide for expected levels of similar future costs. If the revenue will be provided through an automatic rate-adjustment clause, this criterion requires that the regulator's intent clearly be to permit recovery of the previously incurred cost. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 980 -SubTopic 340 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6499975&loc=d3e44250-110382 + Details
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- Definition Carrying amount as of the balance sheet date of capitalized costs of regulated entities that are not expected to be recovered through revenue sources within one year or the normal operating cycle if longer. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 980 -SubTopic 340 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6499975&loc=d3e44250-110382 + Details
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