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Regulatory Matters | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2016
Regulated Operations [Abstract] |
Regulatory Matters | Regulatory Matters In accordance with accounting principles for rate-regulated enterprises, Registrant records regulatory assets, which represent probable future recovery of costs from customers through the ratemaking process, and regulatory liabilities, which represent probable future refunds that are to be credited to customers through the ratemaking process. At December 31, 2016, Registrant had approximately $56.9 million of regulatory assets, net of regulatory liabilities, not accruing carrying costs. Of this amount, $26.8 million relates to the underfunded position in Registrant's pension and other post-retirement obligations, $4.9 million relates to a memorandum account authorized by the CPUC to track unrealized gains and losses on BVES's purchase power contracts over the term of the contracts, and $20.1 million relates to deferred income taxes representing accelerated tax benefits flowed through to customers, which will be included in rates concurrently with recognition of the associated future tax expense. The remainder relates to other items that do not provide for or incur carrying costs. Regulatory assets represent costs incurred by GSWC for which it has received or expects to receive rate recovery in the future. In determining the probability of costs being recognized in other periods, GSWC considers regulatory rules and decisions, past practices, and other facts or circumstances that would indicate if recovery is probable. If the CPUC determines that a portion of GSWC’s assets are not recoverable in customer rates, GSWC must determine if it has suffered an asset impairment that requires it to write down the asset's value. Regulatory assets are offset against regulatory liabilities within each rate-making area. Amounts expected to be collected or refunded in the next twelve months have been classified as current assets and current liabilities by rate-making area. Regulatory assets, less regulatory liabilities, included in the consolidated balance sheets are as follows:
|  | December 31,
(dollars in thousands) |  | 2016 |  | 2015
GSWC |  |  |  |  |  |
Water Revenue Adjustment Mechanism and Modified Cost Balancing Account |  | $ | 47,340 |  |  | $ | 45,171 |
Costs deferred for future recovery on Aerojet case |  | 11,820 |  |  | 12,699 |
Pensions and other post-retirement obligations (Note 11) |  | 28,118 |  |  | 21,996 |
Derivative unrealized loss (Note 4) |  | 4,901 |  |  | 7,053 |
Flow-through taxes, net (Note 10) |  | 20,134 |  |  | 16,176 |
Low income rate assistance balancing accounts |  | 8,272 |  |  | 8,699 |
General rate case memorandum accounts |  | 13,929 |  |  | 4,433 |
Other regulatory assets |  | 17,633 |  |  | 21,235 |
Various refunds to customers |  | (5,866 | ) |  | (4,766 | )
Total |  | $ | 146,281 |  |  | $ | 132,696 |
Water General Rate Case On December 15, 2016, the CPUC issued a final decision on GSWC's water general rate case. GSWC filed a general rate case application in July 2014 for all of its water ratemaking areas and the general office to determine new rates for the years 2016 - 2018. The new rates approved by the CPUC were retroactive to January 1, 2016. The 2016 adopted revenues were lower than in 2015 due primarily to reductions in (i) supply costs caused by lower consumption, (ii) depreciation expense resulting from an updated depreciation study, and (iii) other operating expenses. In addition, in accordance with a settlement between GSWC and the CPUC's Office of Ratepayer Advocates, the decision used updated inflation index values to calculate operating expense increases for 2015 and 2016. These recent inflation indices were much lower than the inflation indices used in July 2014 when the water rate case application was filed. The decision also approved updated consumption levels used to calculate rates for 2016 - 2018, which reflect state-mandated conservation targets that were previously in place. While the 2016 adopted revenue requirement is lower than 2015, customer rates for 2016 were higher on a total company basis than in 2015 due to lower consumption levels. As a result, as of December 31, 2016, GSWC added $9.5 million to the general rate case memorandum accounts regulatory asset representing the rate difference between interim rates and final rates authorized by the CPUC, retroactive to January 1, 2016. Surcharges will be implemented to recover the retroactive rate difference over approximately 12 - 24-months. The decision also temporarily removed the cap for the current rate cycle on total Water Revenue Adjustment Mechanism/Modified Cost Balancing Account surcharges in any given calendar year of 10% of the last authorized revenue requirement. Finally, the decision approved recovery of previously incurred costs that were being tracked in CPUC-authorized memorandum accounts, which resulted in the recording of approximately $800,000 in other regulatory assets with a corresponding reduction to administrative and general expenses for 2016. Alternative-Revenue Programs: Under the Water Revenue Adjustment Mechanism (“WRAM”), GSWC records the difference between the adopted level of volumetric revenues as authorized by the CPUC for metered accounts (adopted volumetric revenues) and the actual volumetric revenues recovered in customer rates. While the WRAM tracks volumetric-based revenues, the revenue requirements approved by the CPUC include service charges, flat rate charges, and other items that are not subject to the WRAM. The adopted volumetric revenues consider the seasonality of consumption of water based upon historical averages. The variance between adopted volumetric revenues and actual billed volumetric revenues for metered accounts is recorded as a component of revenue with an offsetting entry to an asset or liability balancing account (tracked individually for each rate making area). The variance amount may be positive or negative and represents amounts that will be billed or refunded to customers in the future. The WRAM only applies to customer classes with conservation rates in place. The majority of GSWC’s water customers have conservation rate structures. Under the Modified Cost Balancing Account (“MCBA”), GSWC tracks adopted expense levels for purchased water, purchased power and pump taxes, as established by the CPUC. Variances (which include the effects of changes in both rate and volume) between adopted and actual purchased water, purchased power, and pump tax expenses are recorded as a component of the MCBA to be recovered from or refunded to GSWC’s customers at a later date. This is reflected with an offsetting entry to an asset or liability balancing account (tracked individually for each rate-making area). Unlike the WRAM, the MCBA applies to all customer classes. The recovery or refund of the WRAM is netted against the MCBA over- or under-collection for the corresponding rate-making area and bears interest at the current 90-day commercial-paper rate. During the year ended December 31, 2016, surcharges of $18.4 million were billed to customers to recover the WRAM/MCBA balances as of December 31, 2015. During 2016, GSWC recorded an additional $19.7 million under-collection in the WRAM account, net of the MCBA. The majority of this balance represents an under-collection of supply costs incurred and recorded in the MCBA due to a higher volume of purchased water as compared to adopted. As of December 31, 2016, GSWC had an aggregated regulatory asset of $47.3 million, which is comprised of a $34.7 million under-collection in the WRAM accounts and a $12.6 million under-collection in the MCBA accounts. In March 2017, GSWC is expected to file with the CPUC for recovery of the 2016 WRAM/MCBA balances. As required by the accounting guidance for alternative revenue programs, GSWC is required to collect its WRAM balances within 24 months following the year in which an under-collection is recorded. The CPUC has set the recovery period for under-collected WRAM balances that are up to 15% of adopted annual revenues at 18 months or less. For under-collected balances greater than 15%, the recovery period is 19 to 36 months. The recovery periods for the majority of GSWC's WRAM/MCBA balances are primarily within the 12 to 24 month period; however, there were some ratemaking areas that had recovery periods greater than 24 months. Based on the current CPUC-stipulated recovery periods, as of December 31, 2015, GSWC had estimated that approximately $1.4 million of its 2015 WRAM under-collection would not be collected within 24 months as required for revenue recognition under the accounting guidance for alternative revenue programs. As a result, during the fourth quarter of 2015, GSWC did not record $1.4 million of the 2015 WRAM under-collection balance as revenue. This amount is being recognized as revenue when it is determined that it will be collected within 24 months. Approximately $910,000 of the 2015 WRAM was recognized in 2016 with the remaining $510,000 to be recognized in future periods. Costs Deferred for Future Recovery: The CPUC authorized a memorandum account to allow for the recovery of costs incurred by GSWC related to contamination lawsuits brought against Aerojet-General Corporation ("Aerojet") and the state of California. In July 2005, the CPUC authorized GSWC to recover approximately $21.3 million of the Aerojet litigation memorandum account, through a rate surcharge, which will continue for no longer than 20 years. Beginning in October 2005, a surcharge went into effect to begin amortizing the memorandum account over a 20-year period. Aerojet also agreed to reimburse GSWC $17.5 million, plus interest accruing from January 1, 2004, for GSWC’s past legal and expert costs, which is included in the Aerojet litigation memorandum account. The reimbursement of the $17.5 million is contingent upon the issuance of land use approvals for development in a defined area within Aerojet property in Eastern Sacramento County and the receipt of certain fees in connection with such development. It is management’s intention to offset any proceeds from the housing development by Aerojet in this area against the balance in this litigation memorandum account. At this time, management believes the full balance of the Aerojet litigation memorandum account will be collected either from customers or Aerojet. Pensions and Other Postretirement Obligations: A regulatory asset has been recorded at December 31, 2016 and 2015 for the costs that would otherwise be charged to “other comprehensive income” within shareholders’ equity for the underfunded status of Registrant’s pension and other postretirement benefit plans because the cost of these plans has historically been recovered through rates. As discussed in Note 11, as of December 31, 2016, Registrant’s underfunded position for these plans that have been recorded as a regulatory asset totaled $26.8 million. Registrant expects this regulatory asset to be recovered through rates in future periods. Previous CPUC decisions in the water and electric general rate cases have authorized GSWC to continue using a two-way balancing account to track differences between the forecasted annual pension expenses adopted in rates and the actual annual expense to be recorded by GSWC in accordance with the accounting guidance for pension costs. The two-way balancing accounts bear interest at the current 90-day commercial paper rate. As of December 31, 2016, GSWC has a net $1.3 million under-collection in the two-way pension balancing accounts, consisting of a $1.9 million under-collection related to the general office and water regions, and a $617,000 over-collection related to BVES. Low Income Balancing Accounts: This regulatory asset reflects primarily the costs of implementing and administering the California Alternate Rates for Water program in GSWC’s water regions and the California Alternate Rate for Energy program in GSWC’s BVES division. These programs mandated by the CPUC provide a discount of a fixed dollar amount which is intended to represent a 15% discount based on a typical customer bill for qualified low-income water customers and 20% for qualified low-income electric customers. GSWC accrues interest on its low income balancing accounts at the prevailing rate for 90-day commercial paper. As of December 31, 2016, there is an aggregate $8.3 million under-collection in the low income balancing accounts. Surcharges have been implemented to recover the costs included in these balancing accounts. General Rate Case Memorandum Accounts: The balance in the general rate case memorandum accounts represents the revenue differences between interim rates and final rates authorized by the CPUC due to delays in receiving decisions on various general rate case applications. As of December 31, 2016, there is a net aggregate $13.9 million under-collection in these accounts, including the $9.5 million revenue difference between interim rates and final rates authorized by the CPUC in the December 2016 decision. The remainder of the balance relates to rate differences resulting from prior GRC delays. As part of the CPUC's December 2016 decision, GSWC has been authorized to implement 12 -24 month surcharges to collect the $13.9 million balance. Other Regulatory Assets: Other regulatory assets represent costs incurred by GSWC for which it has received or expects to receive rate recovery in the future. These regulatory assets are supported by regulatory rules and decisions, past practices, and other facts or circumstances that indicate recovery is probable. Other Regulatory Matters: Procurement Audits: In December 2011, the CPUC issued a final decision adopting a settlement between GSWC and the CPUC on its investigation of certain work orders and charges paid to a specific contractor. As part of the settlement reached with the CPUC on this matter, GSWC agreed to be subject to three separate independent audits of its procurement practices over a period of 10 years from the date the settlement was approved by the CPUC. The audits cover GSWC’s procurement practices for contracts with other contractors from 1994 forward. The first audit started in 2014 and covered the period from January 1, 1994 through September 30, 2013. In March 2015, the accounting firm engaged by the CPUC to conduct the first independent audit issued its final report to the CPUC’s Division of Water and Audits (“DWA”). The final report, which was issued on a confidential basis, included GSWC's responses to the accounting firm’s findings, as well as the firm’s responses to GSWC's comments. DWA informed GSWC that it does not intend to pursue further investigation, refunds, or penalties in respect of past procurement activities as a result of the final report. In its decision issued in December 2016 on GSWC's water GRC, the CPUC did not propose any further action related to the first independent audit report. Renewables Portfolio Standard: BVES is subject to the renewables portfolio standard (“RPS”) law, which requires meeting certain targets of purchases of energy from renewable energy resources. In December 2012, GSWC entered into a ten-year agreement with a third party to purchase renewable energy credits (“RECs”) whereby GSWC agreed to purchase approximately 582,000 RECs over a 10 -year period, which would be used towards meeting the CPUC’s RPS procurement requirements. As of December 31, 2016, GSWC believes it has purchased sufficient RECs to be in compliance for all periods through 2016. Accordingly, no provision for loss or potential penalties has been recorded in the financial statements as of December 31, 2016. GSWC intends to file its 2016 compliance report with the CPUC by the August 2017 deadline. The cost of these RECs has been included as part of the electric supply cost balancing account as of December 31, 2016. In October 2015, the governor of California signed a bill into law requiring, among other things, electric utilities to generate half of their electricity from renewable energy sources by 2030. The new requirement is in addition to the existing requirement for electric utilities to generate one third of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020. BVES is currently assessing various renewable energy opportunities to be in compliance with these requirements. Formal Complaint Filed at the CPUC: In June 2016, a third party filed a formal complaint with the CPUC against GSWC in connection with a water main break that occurred in 2014. The water main break caused damage to a commercial building. Repairs to the building have been delayed for a variety of reasons, including a dispute and litigation between two of GSWC's insurance carriers regarding their respective coverage obligations, as well as questions as to the nature and extent of the building’s damage and the costs associated therewith. The complaint filed with the CPUC requests, among other things, that the CPUC investigate the main break, the damage to the commercial building, and the delay of its repairs, and the complaint asks the CPUC to order GSWC to immediately complete repairs. GSWC believes it has reasonable defenses to the complaint filed with the CPUC. In July 2016, GSWC filed an answer to the formal complaint with the CPUC as well as a motion to dismiss the complaint. Previously, the owners of the commercial building filed suit in Ventura County Superior Court against GSWC for damages to the building. The trial of this lawsuit is expected to begin during the first half of 2017. At this time, GSWC believes it has sufficient insurance coverage to cover any judgment entered in the civil suit pending in Superior Court. However, GSWC cannot predict the outcome of the Superior Court litigation, the dispute and litigation between its insurers, or the CPUC proceeding.

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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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