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Regulatory assets and liabilities | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2012
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities Disclosure [Abstract] |
Regulatory assets and liabilities | Regulatory Assets and Liabilities The following table summarizes the individual components of unamortized regulatory assets and liabilities as of December 31:
| Estimated Recovery Period |  | * | 2012 |  | 2011 |
|  |  | (In thousands)
Regulatory assets: |  |  |  |
Pension and postretirement benefits (a) | (e) |  |  | $ | 166,477 |  | $ | 171,492 |
Deferred income taxes | ** |  |  | 121,781 |  | 119,189 |
Manufactured gas plant sites remediation (a) | Up to 5 years |  |  | 15,828 |  | 8,150 |
Plant costs (a) | Over plant lives |  |  | 10,348 |  | 10,256 |
Long-term debt refinancing costs (a) | Up to 25 years |  |  | 9,144 |  | 10,112 |
Taxes recoverable from customers (a) | — |  |  | 9,078 |  | 12,433 |
Costs related to identifying generation development (a) | Up to 14 years |  |  | 5,773 |  | 9,817 |
Other (a) (b) | Largely within 1 year |  |  | 12,765 |  | 17,560 |
Total regulatory assets |  |  |  | 351,194 |  | 359,009 |
Regulatory liabilities: |  |  |  |  |
Plant removal and decommissioning costs (c) |  |  |  | 296,037 |  | 289,972 |
Deferred income taxes** |  |  |  | 82,077 |  | 84,963 |
Natural gas costs refundable through rate adjustments (d) |  |  |  | 35,328 |  | 45,064 |
Taxes refundable to customers (c) |  |  |  | 24,212 |  | 31,837 |
Other (c) (d) |  |  |  | 12,828 |  | 8,393 |
Total regulatory liabilities |  |  |  | 450,482 |  | 460,229 |
Net regulatory position |  |  |  | $ | (99,288 | ) | $ | (101,220 | )
* Estimated recovery period for regulatory assets currently being recovered in rates charged to customers. ** Represents deferred income taxes related to regulatory assets and liabilities. The deferred income tax assets are not earning a rate of return. (a) Included in deferred charges and other assets on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. (b) Included in prepayments and other current assets on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. (c) Included in other liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. (d) Included in other accrued liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. (e) Recovered as expense is incurred. The regulatory assets are expected to be recovered in rates charged to customers. A portion of the Company's regulatory assets are not earning a return; however, these regulatory assets are expected to be recovered from customers in future rates. Excluding deferred income taxes, as of December 31, 2012 and 2011, approximately $215.6 million and $216.4 million, respectively, of regulatory assets were not earning a rate of return. If, for any reason, the Company's regulated businesses cease to meet the criteria for application of regulatory accounting for all or part of their operations, the regulatory assets and liabilities relating to those portions ceasing to meet such criteria would be removed from the balance sheet and included in the statement of income as an extraordinary item in the period in which the discontinuance of regulatory accounting occurs.

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- Definition The entire disclosure for detailed information about regulatory assets and liabilities, including current and noncurrent assets created when regulatory agencies permit the deferral of costs to the balance sheet that would otherwise be required to appear on the company's income statement and would be charged against current expenses or revenues, as well as current and noncurrent liabilities created when regulatory agencies permit. + References No definition available. + Details
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