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Regulatory assets and liabilities (Tables) | 3 Months Ended
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Mar. 31, 2021
Regulatory Assets and Liabilities Disclosure [Abstract] |
Regulatory Assets | The following table summarizes the individual components of unamortized regulatory assets and liabilities:
| Estimated Recovery or Refund Period as of March 31, 2021 | * | March 31, 2021 | March 31, 2020 | December 31, 2020 |  |
|  |  | (In thousands)
Regulatory assets: |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Current: |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Natural gas costs recoverable through rate adjustments | Up to 1 year |  | $ | 76,782 |  | $ | 39,805 |  | $ | 42,481 |  |  |
Cost recovery mechanisms | Up to 1 year |  | 7,130 |  | 6,686 |  | 10,645 |  |  |
Conservation programs | Up to 1 year |  | 6,679 |  | 6,303 |  | 7,117 |  |  |
Other | Up to 1 year |  | 7,861 |  | 2,412 |  | 8,284 |  |  |
|  |  | 98,452 |  | 55,206 |  | 68,527 |  |  |
Noncurrent: |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Pension and postretirement benefits | ** |  | 155,924 |  | 157,051 |  | 155,942 |  |  |
Plant retirement | - |  | 73,498 |  | 41,080 |  | 65,919 |  |  |
Plant costs/asset retirement obligations | Over plant lives |  | 72,250 |  | 67,475 |  | 71,740 |  |  |
Manufactured gas plant site remediation | - |  | 26,002 |  | 15,699 |  | 26,429 |  |  |
Cost recovery mechanisms | Up to 10 years |  | 15,508 |  | 11,891 |  | 16,245 |  |  |
Natural gas costs recoverable through rate adjustments | Up to 3 years |  | 15,158 |  | 33,027 |  | 21,539 |  |  |
Taxes recoverable from customers | Over plant lives |  | 10,800 |  | 11,082 |  | 10,785 |  |  |
Long-term debt refinancing costs | Up to 39 years |  | 4,268 |  | 4,133 |  | 4,426 |  |  |
Other | Up to 18 years |  | 6,509 |  | 6,751 |  | 6,356 |  |  |
|  |  | 379,917 |  | 348,189 |  | 379,381 |  |  |
Total regulatory assets |  |  | $ | 478,369 |  | $ | 403,395 |  | $ | 447,908 |  |  |
Regulatory liabilities: |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Current: |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Natural gas costs refundable through rate adjustments | Up to 1 year |  | $ | 16,344 |  | $ | 32,181 |  | $ | 18,565 |  |  |
Taxes refundable to customers | Up to 1 year |  | 3,092 |  | 4,002 |  | 3,557 |  |  |
Electric fuel and purchased power deferral | Up to 1 year |  | 2,001 |  | 7,188 |  | 3,667 |  |  |
Other | Up to 1 year |  | 12,829 |  | 16,701 |  | 5,661 |  |  |
|  |  | 34,266 |  | 60,072 |  | 31,450 |  |  |
Noncurrent: |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Taxes refundable to customers | Over plant lives |  | 224,795 |  | 240,148 |  | 227,850 |  |  |
Plant removal and decommissioning costs | Over plant lives |  | 169,430 |  | 174,120 |  | 167,171 |  |  |
Pension and postretirement benefits | ** |  | 16,965 |  | 18,040 |  | 16,989 |  |  |
Other | Up to 21 years |  | 17,870 |  | 10,897 |  | 16,065 |  |  |
|  |  | 429,060 |  | 443,205 |  | 428,075 |  |  |
Total regulatory liabilities |  |  | $ | 463,326 |  | $ | 503,277 |  | $ | 459,525 |  |  |
Net regulatory position |  |  | $ | 15,043 |  | $ | (99,882) |  | $ | (11,617) |  |  |
*Estimated recovery or refund period for amounts currently being recovered or refunded in rates charged 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:
| Estimated Recovery or Refund Period as of March 31, 2021 | * | March 31, 2021 | March 31, 2020 | December 31, 2020 |  |
|  |  | (In thousands)
Regulatory assets: |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Current: |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Natural gas costs recoverable through rate adjustments | Up to 1 year |  | $ | 76,782 |  | $ | 39,805 |  | $ | 42,481 |  |  |
Cost recovery mechanisms | Up to 1 year |  | 7,130 |  | 6,686 |  | 10,645 |  |  |
Conservation programs | Up to 1 year |  | 6,679 |  | 6,303 |  | 7,117 |  |  |
Other | Up to 1 year |  | 7,861 |  | 2,412 |  | 8,284 |  |  |
|  |  | 98,452 |  | 55,206 |  | 68,527 |  |  |
Noncurrent: |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Pension and postretirement benefits | ** |  | 155,924 |  | 157,051 |  | 155,942 |  |  |
Plant retirement | - |  | 73,498 |  | 41,080 |  | 65,919 |  |  |
Plant costs/asset retirement obligations | Over plant lives |  | 72,250 |  | 67,475 |  | 71,740 |  |  |
Manufactured gas plant site remediation | - |  | 26,002 |  | 15,699 |  | 26,429 |  |  |
Cost recovery mechanisms | Up to 10 years |  | 15,508 |  | 11,891 |  | 16,245 |  |  |
Natural gas costs recoverable through rate adjustments | Up to 3 years |  | 15,158 |  | 33,027 |  | 21,539 |  |  |
Taxes recoverable from customers | Over plant lives |  | 10,800 |  | 11,082 |  | 10,785 |  |  |
Long-term debt refinancing costs | Up to 39 years |  | 4,268 |  | 4,133 |  | 4,426 |  |  |
Other | Up to 18 years |  | 6,509 |  | 6,751 |  | 6,356 |  |  |
|  |  | 379,917 |  | 348,189 |  | 379,381 |  |  |
Total regulatory assets |  |  | $ | 478,369 |  | $ | 403,395 |  | $ | 447,908 |  |  |
Regulatory liabilities: |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Current: |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Natural gas costs refundable through rate adjustments | Up to 1 year |  | $ | 16,344 |  | $ | 32,181 |  | $ | 18,565 |  |  |
Taxes refundable to customers | Up to 1 year |  | 3,092 |  | 4,002 |  | 3,557 |  |  |
Electric fuel and purchased power deferral | Up to 1 year |  | 2,001 |  | 7,188 |  | 3,667 |  |  |
Other | Up to 1 year |  | 12,829 |  | 16,701 |  | 5,661 |  |  |
|  |  | 34,266 |  | 60,072 |  | 31,450 |  |  |
Noncurrent: |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Taxes refundable to customers | Over plant lives |  | 224,795 |  | 240,148 |  | 227,850 |  |  |
Plant removal and decommissioning costs | Over plant lives |  | 169,430 |  | 174,120 |  | 167,171 |  |  |
Pension and postretirement benefits | ** |  | 16,965 |  | 18,040 |  | 16,989 |  |  |
Other | Up to 21 years |  | 17,870 |  | 10,897 |  | 16,065 |  |  |
|  |  | 429,060 |  | 443,205 |  | 428,075 |  |  |
Total regulatory liabilities |  |  | $ | 463,326 |  | $ | 503,277 |  | $ | 459,525 |  |  |
Net regulatory position |  |  | $ | 15,043 |  | $ | (99,882) |  | $ | (11,617) |  |  |
*Estimated recovery or refund period for amounts currently being recovered or refunded in rates charged 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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- Definition Tabular disclosure of regulatory liabilities. Detailed information about liabilities that result from rate actions of a regulator. Rate actions of a regulator can impose a liability on a regulated enterprise resulting in a regulatory liability. + References Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 980 -SubTopic 405 -Section 25 -Paragraph 1 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6500807&loc=d3e48068-110394 + Details
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