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Rate and Regulatory Matters | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2019
Regulated Operations [Abstract] |
Rate and Regulatory Matters | Note 2 - Rate and Regulatory Matters Rate Matters Middlesex - In November 2019, Middlesex filed a petition with the NJBPU seeking approval to reset its Purchased Water Adjustment Clause (PWAC) tariff rate currently in effect to recover additional costs of $0.5 million for the purchase of treated water from a non-affiliated regulated water utility regulated by the NJBPU. A PWAC is a rate mechanism that allows for recovery of increased purchased water costs between base rate case filings. The PWAC is reset to zero once those increased costs are included in base rates. We cannot predict whether the NJBPU will ultimately approve, deny or reduce the amount of our request. In December 2018, the NJBPU approved Middlesex’s petition to establish its PWAC tariff rate to recover additional annual costs of less than $0.1 million, primarily for the purchase of treated water from a non-affiliated water utility. The PWAC tariff rate became effective on January 1, 2019. In March 2018, Middlesex’s petition to the NJBPU seeking permission to increase its base water rates was concluded, based on a negotiated settlement, resulting in an increase in annual operating revenues of $5.5 million. The approved base water rates were designed to recover increased operating costs as well as a return on invested capital in rate base of $245.5 million, based on an authorized return on common equity of 9.6%. As part of the settlement, Middlesex received approval for regulatory accounting treatment of accumulated deferred income tax benefits associated with required adoption of tangible property regulations issued by the Internal Revenue Service. The settlement agreement allowed for a four-year amortization period for $28.7 million of deferred income tax benefits as well as immediate and prospective recognition of the tangible property regulations’ tax benefits in future years. The rate increase became effective April 1, 2018. Tidewater - Effective January 1, 2020, Tidewater increased its DEPSC-approved Distribution System Improvement Charge (DSIC) rate, which is expected to generate revenues of approximately $0.5 million annually. A DSIC is a rate-mechanism that allows water utilities to recover investments in, and generate a return on, qualifying capital improvements made between base rate proceedings. In November 2019, Tidewater completed a $1.8 million DEPSC-approved purchase of the water utility assets of J.H. Wilkerson and Son, Inc. and transfer of the Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity in order for Tidewater to serve the approximate 1,000 customers currently connected to eight community water systems located mostly in eastern Sussex County, Delaware. The DEPSC also authorized Tidewater to maintain the existing customer rates. Effective March 1, 2019, Tidewater received approval from the DEPSC to reduce its rates to reflect the lower corporate income tax rate enacted by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (the Tax Act), resulting in a 3.35% rate decrease for certain customer classes. Pinelands - In October 2019, Pinelands Water and Pinelands Wastewater concluded their base rate case matters when the NJBPU approved a negotiated settlement amongst the parties for a $0.5 million increase in annual base rates, effective November 4, 2019. In March 2019, Pinelands had filed their petitions seeking permission to increase base rates by approximately $0.7 million per year. The requests were necessitated by capital infrastructure investments both companies had made, and increased operations and maintenance costs. Southern Shores - Effective January 1, 2020, the DEPSC approved the renewal of a multi-year agreement for water service to a 2,200 unit condominium community in Sussex County, Delaware. Under the agreement, current rates will remain in effect until December 31, 2024, but should there be unanticipated capital expenditures or regulatory related changes in operating expenses exceeding certain thresholds during this time period, rates are permitted to be adjusted to reflect such cost changes. Thereafter, rate increases, if any, cannot exceed the lesser of the regional Consumer Price Index or 3%. The new agreement expires on December 31, 2029. 47 Index Twin Lakes - In July 2019, Twin Lakes filed a petition with the PAPUC seeking permission to increase base rates by approximately $0.2 million per year. This request was necessitated by capital infrastructure investments Twin Lakes has made and increased operations and maintenance costs. The matter has been fully litigated and is subject to a decision by an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ). We cannot predict what decision the ALJ will render or whether the PAPUC will ultimately approve or deny in part or in its entirety the ALJ decision. A decision by the PAPUC is not expected before March 31, 2020. Regulatory Matters We have recorded certain costs as regulatory assets because we expect full recovery of, or are currently recovering, these costs in the rates we charge customers. These deferred costs have been excluded from rate base and, therefore, we are not earning a return on the unamortized balances. These items are detailed as follows:
|  | (Thousands of Dollars) |  |
|  | December 31, |  | Remaining
Regulatory Assets |  | 2018 |  | 2017 |  | Recovery Periods
Retirement Benefits |  | $ | 44,281 |  |  | $ | 39,158 |  |  | Various
Income Taxes |  |  | 60,151 |  |  |  | 55,232 |  |  | Various
Rate Cases, Tank Painting, and Other |  |  | 6,047 |  |  |  | 4,846 |  |  | 2-10 years
Total |  | $ | 110,479 |  |  | $ | 99,236 |  |  |
Retirement benefits include pension and other retirement benefits that have been recorded on the Consolidated Balance Sheet in accordance with the guidance provided in ASC 715, Compensation – Retirement Benefits. These amounts represent obligations in excess of current funding, which the Company believes will be fully recovered in rates set by the regulatory authorities. The recovery period for income taxes is dependent upon when the temporary differences between the tax and book treatment of various items reverse. In December 2017, the Tax Act was signed into law making significant changes to the Internal Revenue Code, including a corporate tax rate decrease from 35% to 21% effective for tax years beginning after December 31, 2017. The tariff rates charged to customers in the Company’s regulated companies include recovery of income taxes at the statutory rate at the time those rates are approved by the respective state public utility commissions that regulate each of our regulated subsidiaries. As of December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, the Company has recorded regulatory liabilities of $31.5 million and $31.7 million, respectively for excess income taxes collected through rates due to the lower income tax rate under the Tax Act. These regulatory liabilities are overwhelmingly related to utility plant depreciation deduction timing differences, which are subject to Internal Revenue Service (IRS) normalization rules. The IRS rules limit how quickly the excess taxes attributable to accelerated taxes can be returned to customers. The conclusion of Middlesex’s and Pinelands’ base rate cases and the resulting rates implemented in April 2018 and November 2019, respectively, reflect the impact of the Tax Act on their revenue requirements. In February 2019, Tidewater received approval from the DEPSC to reduce its rates to reflect the lower corporate income tax rate enacted by the Tax Act (see Rate Matters-Tidewater above). As part of Middlesex’s March 2018 base water rate settlement with the NJBPU, Middlesex received approval for regulatory accounting treatment of accumulated deferred income tax benefits associated with the adoption of tangible property regulations issued by the IRS (see Rate Matters-Middlesex above), and, as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, the Company has recorded $24.2 million and $34.6 million of related regulatory liabilities. The Company uses composite depreciation rates for its regulated utility assets, which is currently an acceptable method under generally accepted accounting principles and is widely used in the utility industry. Historically, under the composite depreciation method, the anticipated costs of removing assets upon retirement are provided for over the life of those assets as a component of depreciation expense. The Company recovers certain asset retirement costs through rates charged to customers as an approved component of depreciation expense. As of December 31, 2019 and 2018, the Company has approximately $13.4 million and $12.8 million, respectively, of expected costs of removal recovered currently in rates in excess of actual costs incurred as regulatory liabilities.

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