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Regulatory assets and liabilities (Tables) | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2020
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities Disclosure [Abstract] |
Regulatory assets | The following table summarizes the individual components of unamortized regulatory assets and liabilities as of December 31:
| Estimated Recovery or Refund Period | * | 2020 |  | 2019 |
|  |  | (In thousands)
Regulatory assets: |  |  |  |
Current: |  |  |  |
Natural gas costs recoverable through rate adjustments | Up to 1 year |  | $ | 42,481 |  | $ | 42,823 |
Cost recovery mechanisms | Up to 1 year |  | 10,645 |  | 6,288 |
Conservation programs | Up to 1 year |  | 7,117 |  | 6,963 |
Other | Up to 1 year |  | 8,284 |  | 7,539 |
|  |  | 68,527 |  | 63,613 |
Noncurrent: |  |  |  |
Pension and postretirement benefits | ** |  | 155,942 |  | 157,069 |
Plant costs/asset retirement obligations | Over plant lives |  | 71,740 |  | 66,000 |
Plant to be retired | - |  | 65,919 |  | 32,931 |
Manufactured gas plant sites remediation | - |  | 26,429 |  | 15,126 |
Natural gas costs recoverable through rate adjustments | Up to 2 years |  | 21,539 |  | 46,381 |
Cost recovery mechanisms | Up to 10 years |  | 16,245 |  | 13,108 |
Taxes recoverable from customers | Over plant lives |  | 10,785 |  | 11,486 |
Long-term debt refinancing costs | Up to 40 years |  | 4,426 |  | 4,286 |
Other | Up to 18 years |  | 6,356 |  | 7,397 |
|  |  | 379,381 |  | 353,784 |
Total regulatory assets |  |  | $ | 447,908 |  | $ | 417,397 |
Regulatory liabilities: |  |  |  |
Current: |  |  |  |
Natural gas costs refundable through rate adjustments | Up to 1 year |  | $ | 18,565 |  | $ | 23,825 |
Electric fuel and purchased power deferral | Up to 1 year |  | 3,667 |  | 5,824 |
Taxes refundable to customers | Up to 1 year |  | 3,557 |  | 3,472 |
Other | Up to 1 year |  | 5,661 |  | 9,814 |
|  |  | 31,450 |  | 42,935 |
Noncurrent: |  |  |  |
Taxes refundable to customers | Over plant lives |  | 227,850 |  | 246,034 |
Plant removal and decommissioning costs | Over plant lives |  | 167,171 |  | 173,722 |
Pension and postretirement benefits | ** |  | 16,989 |  | 18,065 |
Other | Up to 21 years |  | 16,065 |  | 9,549 |
|  |  | 428,075 |  | 447,370 |
Total regulatory liabilities |  |  | $ | 459,525 |  | $ | 490,305 |
Net regulatory position |  |  | $ | (11,617) |  | $ | (72,908) |
*Estimated recovery or refund period for amounts currently being recovered or refunded in rates to customers. ** Recovered as expense is incurred or cash contributions are made.
Regulatory liabilities | The following table summarizes the individual components of unamortized regulatory assets and liabilities as of December 31:
| Estimated Recovery or Refund Period | * | 2020 |  | 2019 |
|  |  | (In thousands)
Regulatory assets: |  |  |  |
Current: |  |  |  |
Natural gas costs recoverable through rate adjustments | Up to 1 year |  | $ | 42,481 |  | $ | 42,823 |
Cost recovery mechanisms | Up to 1 year |  | 10,645 |  | 6,288 |
Conservation programs | Up to 1 year |  | 7,117 |  | 6,963 |
Other | Up to 1 year |  | 8,284 |  | 7,539 |
|  |  | 68,527 |  | 63,613 |
Noncurrent: |  |  |  |
Pension and postretirement benefits | ** |  | 155,942 |  | 157,069 |
Plant costs/asset retirement obligations | Over plant lives |  | 71,740 |  | 66,000 |
Plant to be retired | - |  | 65,919 |  | 32,931 |
Manufactured gas plant sites remediation | - |  | 26,429 |  | 15,126 |
Natural gas costs recoverable through rate adjustments | Up to 2 years |  | 21,539 |  | 46,381 |
Cost recovery mechanisms | Up to 10 years |  | 16,245 |  | 13,108 |
Taxes recoverable from customers | Over plant lives |  | 10,785 |  | 11,486 |
Long-term debt refinancing costs | Up to 40 years |  | 4,426 |  | 4,286 |
Other | Up to 18 years |  | 6,356 |  | 7,397 |
|  |  | 379,381 |  | 353,784 |
Total regulatory assets |  |  | $ | 447,908 |  | $ | 417,397 |
Regulatory liabilities: |  |  |  |
Current: |  |  |  |
Natural gas costs refundable through rate adjustments | Up to 1 year |  | $ | 18,565 |  | $ | 23,825 |
Electric fuel and purchased power deferral | Up to 1 year |  | 3,667 |  | 5,824 |
Taxes refundable to customers | Up to 1 year |  | 3,557 |  | 3,472 |
Other | Up to 1 year |  | 5,661 |  | 9,814 |
|  |  | 31,450 |  | 42,935 |
Noncurrent: |  |  |  |
Taxes refundable to customers | Over plant lives |  | 227,850 |  | 246,034 |
Plant removal and decommissioning costs | Over plant lives |  | 167,171 |  | 173,722 |
Pension and postretirement benefits | ** |  | 16,989 |  | 18,065 |
Other | Up to 21 years |  | 16,065 |  | 9,549 |
|  |  | 428,075 |  | 447,370 |
Total regulatory liabilities |  |  | $ | 459,525 |  | $ | 490,305 |
Net regulatory position |  |  | $ | (11,617) |  | $ | (72,908) |
*Estimated recovery or refund period for amounts currently being recovered or refunded in rates to customers. ** Recovered as expense is incurred or cash contributions are made.

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- Definition Tabular disclosure of assets that are created when regulatory agencies permit public utilities to defer certain costs included in rate-setting to the balance sheet. + References Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef -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 Reference 2: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 980 -SubTopic 715 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6501251&loc=d3e52485-110419 Reference 3: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 980 -SubTopic 340 -Section 50 -Paragraph 2 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6499975&loc=d3e44264-110382 + Details
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