XML 28 R18.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT
v3.24.3

Regulatory assets and liabilities | 9 Months Ended
--- | ---
Sep. 30, 2024
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:
| Estimated Recovery or Refund Period as of September 30, 2024 | * | September 30, 2024 | September 30, 2023 | December 31, 2023
|  |  | (In thousands)
Regulatory assets: |  |  |  |  |
Current: |  |  |  |  |
Natural gas costs recoverable through rate adjustments | Up to 1 year |  | $ | 111,946 |  | $ | 107,101 |  | $ | 98,844 |
Environmental compliance programs | Up to 1 year |  | 80,198 |  | 3,972 |  | 5,525 |
Conservation programs | Up to 1 year |  | 19,059 |  | 14,411 |  | 14,425 |
Demand cost deferral | Up to 1 year |  | 13,898 |  | 13,254 |  | 5,207 |
Electric fuel and purchased power deferral | Up to 1 year |  | 4,497 |  | 17,775 |  | 33,918 |
Cost recovery mechanisms | Up to 1 year |  | 4,332 |  | 9,461 |  | 9,153 |
Other | Up to 1 year |  | 7,078 |  | 3,274 |  | 5,420 |
|  |  | 241,008 |  | 169,248 |  | 172,492 |
Noncurrent: |  |  |  |  |
Pension and postretirement benefits | ** |  | 142,511 |  | 144,448 |  | 142,511 |
Cost recovery mechanisms | Up to 25 years |  | 82,907 |  | 68,539 |  | 85,944 |
Plant costs/asset retirement obligations | Over plant lives |  | 45,249 |  | 43,520 |  | 46,009 |
Manufactured gas plant site remediation | - |  | 25,789 |  | 24,577 |  | 26,127 |
Taxes recoverable from customers | Over plant lives |  | 12,316 |  | 12,266 |  | 12,249 |
Natural gas costs recoverable through rate adjustments | Up to 2 years |  | 11,707 |  | 64,914 |  | 55,493 |
Electric fuel and purchased power deferral | Up to 2 years |  | 8,335 |  | — |  | — |
Environmental compliance programs | - |  | 2,858 |  | 36,605 |  | 66,806 |
Long-term debt refinancing costs | Up to 36 years |  | 2,159 |  | 2,747 |  | 2,600 |
Plant to be retired | - |  | 22 |  | 19,947 |  | 772 |
Other | Up to 15 years |  | 9,725 |  | 11,406 |  | 8,588 |
|  |  | 343,578 |  | 428,969 |  | 447,099 |
Total regulatory assets |  |  | $ | 584,586 |  | $ | 598,217 |  | $ | 619,591 |
Regulatory liabilities: |  |  |  |  |
Current: |  |  |  |  |
Environmental compliance programs | Up to 1 year |  | $ | 77,392 |  | $ | — |  | $ | — |
Natural gas costs refundable through rate adjustments | Up to 1 year |  | 54,197 |  | 20,445 |  | 43,161 |
Provision for rate refund | Up to 1 year |  | 8,868 |  | 2,717 |  | 6,866 |
Margin sharing | Up to 1 year |  | 3,945 |  | 2,697 |  | 5,243 |
Conservation programs | Up to 1 year |  | 2,662 |  | 1,976 |  | 2,130 |
Cost recovery mechanisms | Up to 1 year |  | 2,634 |  | 5,754 |  | 6,284 |
Taxes refundable to customers | Up to 1 year |  | 2,195 |  | 1,513 |  | 2,149 |
Other | Up to 1 year |  | 5,175 |  | 9,911 |  | 4,928 |
|  |  | 157,068 |  | 45,013 |  | 70,761 |
Noncurrent: |  |  |  |  |
Plant removal and decommissioning costs | Over plant lives |  | 224,839 |  | 220,499 |  | 220,147 |
Taxes refundable to customers | Over plant lives |  | 184,715 |  | 194,804 |  | 193,578 |
Cost recovery mechanisms | Up to 18 years |  | 28,397 |  | 20,012 |  | 21,791 |
Accumulated deferred investment tax credit | Over plant lives |  | 17,679 |  | 14,800 |  | 15,740 |
Pension and postretirement benefits | ** |  | 6,043 |  | 7,120 |  | 6,044 |
Environmental compliance programs | - |  | — |  | 36,126 |  | 61,941 |
Other | Up to 14 years |  | 2,117 |  | 1,751 |  | 1,809 |
|  |  | 463,790 |  | 495,112 |  | 521,050 |
Total regulatory liabilities |  |  | $ | 620,858 |  | $ | 540,125 |  | $ | 591,811 |
Net regulatory position |  |  | $ | (36,272) |  | $ | 58,092 |  | $ | 27,780 |
*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. At September 30, 2024 and 2023, and December 31, 2023, approximately $178.8 million, $211.8 million and $194.3 million, respectively, of regulatory assets were not earning a rate of return; however, these regulatory assets are expected to be recovered from customers in future rates. These assets are largely comprised of the unfunded portion of pension and postretirement benefits, asset retirement obligations, certain pipeline integrity costs and the estimated future cost of manufactured gas plant site remediation. 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 written off and included in the statement of income or accumulated other comprehensive loss in the period in which the discontinuance of regulatory accounting occurs.

X
- References No definition available. + Details
Name: | us-gaap_RegulatoryAssetsAndLiabilitiesDisclosureAbstract
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- 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
Name: | us-gaap_ScheduleOfRegulatoryAssetsAndLiabilitiesTextBlock
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | dtr-types:textBlockItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration