XML 79 R19.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT
v3.20.1

Commitments and Contingencies | 3 Months Ended
--- | ---
Mar. 31, 2020
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
Commitments and Contingencies | Commitments and Contingencies Indemnities Edison International and SCE have various financial and performance guarantees and indemnity agreements which are issued in the normal course of business. Edison International and SCE have agreed to provide indemnifications through contracts entered into in the normal course of business. These are primarily indemnifications against adverse litigation outcomes in connection with underwriting agreements, and indemnities for specified environmental liabilities and income taxes with respect to assets sold or other contractual arrangements. Edison International's and SCE's obligations under these agreements may or may not be limited in terms of time and/or amount, and in some instances Edison International and SCE may have recourse against third parties. Edison International and SCE have not recorded a liability related to these indemnities. The overall maximum amount of the obligations under these indemnifications cannot be reasonably estimated. Contingencies In addition to the matters disclosed in these Notes, Edison International and SCE are involved in other legal, tax, and regulatory proceedings before various courts and governmental agencies regarding matters arising in the ordinary course of business. Edison International and SCE believe the outcome of these other proceedings will not, individually or in the aggregate, materially affect its financial position, results of operations and cash flows. Southern California Wildfires and Mudslides Multiple factors have contributed to increased wildfire activity, and faster progression of and increased damage from wildfires across SCE's service territory and throughout California. These include the buildup of dry vegetation in areas severely impacted by years of historic drought, lack of adequate clearing of hazardous fuels by responsible parties, higher temperatures, lower humidity, and strong Santa Ana winds. At the same time that wildfire risk has been increasing in Southern California, residential and commercial development has occurred and is occurring in some of the highest-risk areas. Such factors can increase the likelihood and extent of wildfires. SCE has determined that approximately 27% of its service territory is in areas identified as high fire risk. Over the past several years, wind-driven wildfires impacted portions of SCE's service territory, with wildfires in December 2017 and November 2018 causing loss of life, substantial damage to both residential and business properties, and service outages for SCE customers. The investigating government agencies, the Ventura County Fire Department ("VCFD") and California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection ("CAL FIRE"), have determined that the largest of the 2017 fires originated on December 4, 2017, in the Anlauf Canyon area of Ventura County (the investigating agencies refer to this fire as the "Thomas Fire"), followed shortly thereafter by a second fire that originated near Koenigstein Road in the City of Santa Paula (the "Koenigstein Fire"). While the progression of these two fires remains under review, the December 4, 2017 fires eventually burned substantial acreage in both Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. According to CAL FIRE, the Thomas and Koenigstein Fires, collectively, burned over 280,000 acres, destroyed or damaged an estimated 1,343 structures and resulted in two confirmed fatalities. The largest of the November 2018 fires, known as the "Woolsey Fire", originated in Ventura County and burned acreage in both Ventura and Los Angeles Counties. According to CAL FIRE, the Woolsey Fire burned almost 100,000 acres, destroyed an estimated 1,643 structures, damaged an estimated 364 structures and resulted in three confirmed fatalities. Two additional fatalities have been associated with the Woolsey Fire. As described below, multiple lawsuits related to the Thomas and Koenigstein Fires and the Woolsey Fire have been initiated against SCE and Edison International. Some of the Thomas and Koenigstein Fires lawsuits claim that SCE and Edison International have responsibility for the damages caused by mudslides and flooding in Montecito and surrounding areas in January 2018 (the "Montecito Mudslides") based on a theory alleging that SCE has responsibility for the Thomas and/or Koenigstein Fires and that the Thomas and/or Koenigstein Fires proximately caused the Montecito Mudslides. According to Santa Barbara County initial reports, the Montecito Mudslides destroyed an estimated 135 structures, damaged an estimated 324 structures, and resulted in 21 confirmed fatalities, with two additional fatalities presumed. In 2019, several wind-driven wildfires, including the "Saddle Ridge Fire," originated in Southern California (the "2019 Fires"). Based on currently available information and without considering insurance recoveries, it is reasonably possible that SCE will incur a material loss in connection with the Saddle Ridge Fire, but the range of possible losses that could be incurred cannot be estimated at this time. Edison International and SCE expect that any losses incurred will be covered by insurance, subject to a self-insured retention and co-insurance, and that the amount of any such loss after insurance recoveries will not be material. After expected insurance recoveries, SCE does not expect any of the 2019 Fires to have a material adverse effect on its financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. SCE has not recorded a charge for potential liabilities relating to the Saddle Ridge Fire because, based on currently available information, it has not determined that a loss is probable. Liability Overview The extent of liability for wildfire-related damages in actions against utilities depends on a number of factors, including whether the utility substantially caused or contributed to the damages and whether parties seeking recovery of damages will be required to show negligence in addition to causation. California courts have previously found utilities to be strictly liable for property damage along with associated interest and attorneys' fees, regardless of fault, by applying the theory of inverse condemnation when a utility's facilities were determined to be a substantial cause of a wildfire that caused the property damage. If inverse condemnation is held to be inapplicable to SCE in connection with a wildfire, SCE still could be held liable for property damages and associated interest if the property damages were found to have been proximately caused by SCE's negligence. If SCE were to be found negligent, SCE could also be held liable for, among other things, fire suppression costs, business interruption losses, evacuation costs, clean-up costs, medical expenses, and personal injury/wrongful death claims. Additionally, SCE could potentially be subject to fines for alleged violations of CPUC rules and state laws in connection with the ignition of a wildfire. Final determinations of liability for the Thomas Fire, the Koenigstein Fire, the Montecito Mudslides and the Woolsey Fire (each a "2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Event," and, collectively, the "2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Events"), including determinations of whether SCE was negligent, would only be made during lengthy and complex litigation processes. Even when investigations are still pending or liability is disputed, an assessment of likely outcomes, including through future settlement of disputed claims, may require a liability to be accrued under accounting standards. Based on information available to SCE and consideration of the risks associated with litigation, Edison International and SCE expect to incur a material loss in connection with the 2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Events. As of March 31, 2020, Edison International and SCE have estimated liabilities of $4.5 billion, remaining expected recoveries from insurance of $1.7 billion and through FERC electric rates of $113 million on their consolidated balance sheets related to the 2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Events. The accrued liability corresponds to the lower end of the reasonably estimated range of expected potential losses that may be incurred in connection with the 2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Events and is subject to change as additional information becomes available. Edison International and SCE will seek to offset any actual losses realized with recoveries from insurance policies in place at the time of the events and, to the extent actual losses exceed insurance, through electric rates. The CPUC and FERC may not allow SCE to recover uninsured losses through electric rates if it is determined that such losses were not reasonably or prudently incurred. See "Loss Estimates for Third Party Claims and Potential Recoveries from Insurance and through Electric Rates" below for additional information. External Investigations and Internal Review The VCFD and CAL FIRE have jointly issued reports concerning their findings regarding the causes of the Thomas Fire and the Koenigstein Fire. The reports did not address the causes of the Montecito Mudslides. SCE has also received a non-final redacted draft of a report from the VCFD regarding Woolsey Fire (the "Redacted Woolsey Report"). SCE received the Redacted Woolsey Report subject to a protective order in the litigation related to the Woolsey fire and, other than the information disclosed in this Form 10-Q, is not authorized to release the report or its contents to the public at this time. Based on a filing made by Ventura County in the Woolsey Fire litigation, SCE previously anticipated that the VCFD would release the final non-redacted report from the VCFD regarding the Woolsey Fire on or about April 1, 2020. SCE is currently uncertain as to when the final non-redacted report will be released. The VCFD and CAL FIRE findings do not determine legal causation of or assign legal liability for the Thomas, Koenigstein or Woolsey Fires; final determinations of legal causation and liability would only be made during lengthy and complex litigation. The CPUC's Safety and Enforcement Division ("SED") is also conducting investigations to assess SCE's compliance with applicable rules and regulations in areas impacted by the Thomas, Koenigstein and Woolsey Fires. SCE cannot predict when the SED's investigations will be completed. Edison International and SCE understand that the California Attorney General's Office has completed its investigation of the Thomas Fire without pursuing criminal charges. Edison International and SCE are aware of an ongoing investigation by the California Attorney General's Office of the Woolsey Fire for the purpose of determining whether any criminal violations have occurred. SCE could be subject to material fines, penalties, or restitution if it is determined that it failed to comply with applicable laws and regulations. SCE is not aware of any basis for felony liability with regards to the Thomas Fire, the Koenigstein Fire or the Woolsey Fire. SCE's internal review into the facts and circumstances of each of the 2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Events is complex and time consuming. SCE expects to obtain and review additional information and materials in the possession of third parties during the course of its internal reviews and the litigation processes. Thomas Fire On March 13, 2019, the VCFD and CAL FIRE jointly issued a report concluding, after ruling out other possible causes, that the Thomas Fire was started by SCE power lines coming into contact during high winds, resulting in molten metal falling to the ground. However, the report does not state that their investigation found molten metal on the ground. At this time, based on available information, SCE has not determined whether its equipment caused the Thomas Fire. Based on publicly available radar data showing a smoke plume in the Anlauf Canyon area emerging in advance of the report's indicated start time, SCE believes that the Thomas Fire started at least 12 minutes prior to any issue involving SCE's system and at least 15 minutes prior to the start time indicated in the report. SCE is continuing to assess the progression of the Thomas Fire and the extent of damages that may be attributable to that fire. Koenigstein Fire On March 20, 2019, the VCFD and CAL FIRE jointly issued a report finding that the Koenigstein Fire was caused when an energized SCE electrical wire separated and fell to the ground along with molten metal particles and ignited the dry vegetation below. As previously disclosed, SCE believes that its equipment was associated with the ignition of the Koenigstein Fire. SCE is continuing to assess the progression of the Koenigstein Fire and the extent of damages that may be attributable to that fire. Montecito Mudslides SCE's internal review includes inquiry into whether the Thomas and/or Koenigstein Fires proximately caused or contributed to the Montecito Mudslides, whether, and to what extent, the Thomas and/or Koenigstein Fires were responsible for the damages in the Montecito area and other factors that potentially contributed to the losses that resulted from the Montecito Mudslides. Many other factors, including, but not limited to, weather conditions and insufficiently or improperly designed and maintained debris basins, roads, bridges and other channel crossings, could have proximately caused, contributed to or exacerbated the losses that resulted from the Montecito Mudslides. At this time, based on available information, SCE has not been able to determine whether the Thomas Fire or the Koenigstein Fire, or both, were responsible for the damages in the Montecito area. In the event that SCE is determined to have caused the fire that spread to the Montecito area, SCE cannot predict whether, if fully litigated, the courts would conclude that the Montecito Mudslides were caused or contributed to by the Thomas and/or Koenigstein Fires or that SCE would be liable for some or all of the damages caused by the Montecito Mudslides. Woolsey Fire SCE's internal review into the facts and circumstances of the Woolsey Fire is ongoing. SCE has reported to the CPUC that there was an outage on SCE's electric system in the vicinity of where the Woolsey Fire reportedly began on November 8, 2018. SCE is aware of witnesses who saw fire in the vicinity of SCE's equipment at the time the fire was first reported. While SCE did not find evidence of downed electrical wires on the ground in the suspected area of origin, it observed a pole support wire in proximity to an electrical wire that was energized prior to the outage. The Redacted Woolsey Report states that the VCFD investigation team determined that electrical equipment owned and operated by SCE was the cause of the Woolsey Fire. Absent additional evidence, SCE believes that it is likely that its equipment was associated with the ignition of the Woolsey Fire. SCE expects to obtain and review additional information and materials in the possession of CAL FIRE and others during the course of its internal review and the Woolsey Fire litigation process, including SCE equipment that has been retained by CAL FIRE. Wildfire-related Litigation Multiple lawsuits related to the 2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Events naming SCE as a defendant have been filed by three categories of plaintiffs: individual plaintiffs, subrogation plaintiffs and public entity plaintiffs. A number of the lawsuits also name Edison International as a defendant and some of the lawsuits were filed as purported class actions. The lawsuits, which have been filed in the superior courts of Ventura, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles Counties in the case of the Thomas and Koenigstein Fires and the Montecito Mudslides, and in Ventura and Los Angeles Counties in the case of the Woolsey Fire, allege, among other things, negligence, inverse condemnation, trespass, private nuisance, personal injury, wrongful death, and violations of the California Public Utilities and Health and Safety Codes. SCE expects to be the subject of additional lawsuits related to the 2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Events. The litigation could take a number of years to be resolved because of the complexity of the matters and number of plaintiffs. The Thomas and Koenigstein Fires and Montecito Mudslides lawsuits are being coordinated in the Los Angeles Superior Court. The Woolsey Fire lawsuits have also been coordinated in the Los Angeles Superior Court. On October 4, 2018, the Superior Court denied Edison International's and SCE's challenge to the application of inverse condemnation to SCE with respect to the Thomas and Koenigstein Fires and, on February 26, 2019, the California Supreme Court denied SCE's petition to review the Superior Court's decision. In January 2019, SCE filed a cross-complaint against certain local public entities alleging that failures by these entities, such as failure to adequately plan for flood hazards and build and maintain adequate debris basins, roads, bridges and other channel crossings, among other things, caused, contributed to or exacerbated the losses that resulted from the Montecito Mudslides. These cross-claims in the Montecito Mudslides litigation were not released as part of the Local Public Entity Settlements (as defined below). Additionally, in September 2018, a derivative lawsuit for breach of fiduciary duties and unjust enrichment was filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court against certain current and former members of the Boards of Directors of Edison International and SCE. Edison International and SCE are identified as nominal defendants in the action. The derivative lawsuit generally alleges that the individual defendants violated their fiduciary duties by causing or allowing SCE to operate in an unsafe manner in violation of relevant regulations, resulting in substantial liability and damage from the Thomas and Koenigstein Fires and the Montecito Mudslides. The lawsuit is currently stayed. In November 2018, a purported class action lawsuit alleging securities fraud and related claims was filed in federal court against Edison International, SCE and certain current and former officers of Edison International and SCE. The plaintiff alleges that Edison International and SCE made false and/or misleading statements in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission by failing to disclose that SCE had allegedly failed to maintain its electric transmission and distribution networks in compliance with safety regulations, and that those alleged safety violations led to fires that occurred in 2017 and 2018, including the Thomas Fire and the Woolsey Fire. In January 2019, two separate derivative lawsuits alleging breach of fiduciary duties, securities fraud, misleading proxy statements, unjust enrichment, and related claims were filed in federal court against certain current and former members of the Boards of Directors and certain current and former officers of Edison International and SCE. Edison International and SCE are named as nominal defendants in those actions. The derivative lawsuits generally allege that the individual defendants breached their fiduciary duties and made misleading statements or allowed misleading statements to be made (i) between March 21, 2014 and August 10, 2015, with respect to certain ex parte communications between SCE and CPUC decision-makers concerning the settlement of the San Onofre Order Instituting Investigation proceeding (the "San Onofre OII") and (ii) from February 23, 2016 to the present, concerning compliance with applicable laws and regulations concerning electric system maintenance and operations related to wildfire risks. The lawsuits generally allege that these breaches of duty and misstatements led to substantial liability and damage resulting from the disclosure of SCE's ex parte communications in connection with the San Onofre OII settlement, and from the 2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Events. In the fourth quarter of 2019, SCE paid $360 million to a number of local public entities to resolve those parties' collective claims arising from the 2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Events (the "Local Public Entity Settlements"). Loss Estimates for Third Party Claims and Potential Recoveries from Insurance and through Electric Rates At both March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, Edison International's and SCE's balance sheets include accrued liabilities (established at the lower end of the reasonably estimated range of expected losses) of $4.5 billion for the 2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Events. In total, SCE has accrued estimated losses of $4.9 billion and paid $360 million in settlements and recovered $348 million from its insurance carriers through March 31, 2020 in relation to the 2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Events. Each reporting period, management reviews its loss estimates for remaining alleged and potential claims related to the 2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Events. The process for estimating losses associated with wildfire litigation claims requires management to exercise significant judgment based on a number of assumptions and subjective factors, including, but not limited to: estimates of known and expected claims by third parties based on currently available information, opinions of counsel regarding litigation risk, the status of and developments in the course of litigation, and prior experience litigating and settling wildfire litigation claims. As additional information becomes available, management's estimates and assumptions regarding the causes and financial impact of the 2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Events may change further. Such additional information is expected to become available from multiple external sources during the course of litigation and settlement discussions and from SCE's ongoing internal review, including, among other things, information regarding the extent of damages that may be attributable to any fire determined to have been substantially caused by SCE's equipment, information that may be obtained from the equipment in CAL FIRE's possession, and information pertaining to fire progression, suppression activities, damages alleged by plaintiffs and insurance claims made by third parties. As described above, the accrued liability as of March 31, 2020 corresponds to the lower end of the reasonably estimated range of expected losses that may be incurred in connection with the 2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Events and is subject to change as additional information becomes available. Edison International and SCE currently believe that it is reasonably possible that the amount of the actual loss will be greater than the amount accrued. However, Edison International and SCE are currently unable to reasonably estimate an upper end of the range of expected losses given the uncertainty as to the legal and factual determinations to be made during litigation, including uncertainty as to the contributing causes of the 2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Events, the complexities associated with fires that merge, whether inverse condemnation will be held applicable to SCE with respect to damages caused by the Montecito Mudslides, and the preliminary nature of the litigation processes. For events that occurred in 2017 and early 2018, principally the Thomas and Koenigstein Fires and Montecito Mudslides, SCE had $1.0 billion of wildfire-specific insurance coverage, subject to a self-insured retention of $10 million per occurrence. For the Woolsey Fire, SCE had an additional $1.0 billion of wildfire-specific insurance coverage, subject to a self-insured retention of $10 million per occurrence. Edison International and SCE record a receivable for insurance recoveries when recovery of a recorded loss is determined to be probable. The following table presents changes in expected insurance recoveries associated with the estimated losses for the 2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Events since December 31, 2019:
(in millions) |
Balance at December 31, 2019 | $ | 1,710 |
Insurance recoveries 1 | (58 | )
Balance at March 31, 2020 | $ | 1,652 |
1 Additional insurance recoveries of $15 million were received in April 2020. SCE will seek to recover uninsured costs resulting from the 2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Events through electric rates. Recovery of these costs is subject to approval by regulators. Under accounting standards for rate-regulated enterprises, SCE defers costs as regulatory assets when it concludes that such costs are probable of future recovery in electric rates. SCE utilizes objectively determinable evidence to form its view on probability of future recovery. The only directly comparable precedent in which a California investor-owned utility has sought recovery for uninsured wildfire-related costs is SDG&E's requests for cost recovery related to 2007 wildfire activity, where the FERC allowed recovery of all FERC-jurisdictional wildfire-related costs while the CPUC rejected recovery of all CPUC-jurisdictional wildfire-related costs based on a determination that SDG&E did not meet the CPUC's prudency standard. As a result, while SCE does not agree with the CPUC's decision, it believes that the CPUC's interpretation and application of the prudency standard to SDG&E creates substantial uncertainty regarding how that standard will be applied to an investor-owned utility in future wildfire cost-recovery proceedings for fires ignited prior to July 12, 2019. SCE will continue to evaluate the probability of recovery based on available evidence, including judicial, legislative and regulatory decisions, including any CPUC decisions illustrating the interpretation and/or application of the prudency standard when making determinations regarding recovery of uninsured wildfire-related costs. While the CPUC has not made a determination regarding SCE's prudency relative to any of the 2017/2018 Wildfire/Mudslide Events, SCE is unable to conclude, at this time, that uninsured CPUC-jurisdictional wildfire-related costs are probable of recovery through electric rates. SCE would record a regulatory asset at the time it obtains sufficient information to support a conclusion that recovery is probable. SCE will seek recovery of the CPUC portion of any uninsured wildfire-related costs through its WEMA or its CEMA. In July 2019, SCE filed a CEMA application with the CPUC to seek recovery of, among other things, approximately $6 million in costs incurred to restore service to customers and to repair, replace and restore buildings and SCE's facilities damaged or destroyed as a result of the Thomas and Koenigstein Fires. SCE continues to incur costs for reconstructing its system and restoring service to structures that were damaged or destroyed by these two fires and plans to file additional applications with the CPUC to recover such costs. See "Recovery of Wildfire-Related Costs" below. Through the operation of its FERC Formula Rate, and based upon the precedent established in SDG&E's recovery of FERC-jurisdictional wildfire-related costs, SCE believes it is probable it will recover its FERC-jurisdictional wildfire and mudslide related costs and recorded total regulatory assets of $149 million within the FERC balancing account. This was the FERC portion of the estimated losses accrued. As of March 31, 2020, collections have reduced the amount remaining in the FERC balancing account to $113 million. Current Wildfire Insurance Coverage SCE has approximately $1.2 billion of wildfire-specific insurance coverage for events that may occur during the period June 1, 2019 through June 30, 2020, subject to up to $115 million of co-insurance and $50 million of self-insured retention, which results in net coverage of approximately $1.0 billion. Various coverage limitations within the policies that make up SCE's wildfire insurance coverage could result in additional material self-insured costs in the event of multiple wildfire occurrences during a policy period or with a single wildfire with damages in excess of the policy limits. SCE is in the process of procuring wildfire-specific insurance coverage for the period that will begin on July 1, 2020. SCE's cost of obtaining wildfire insurance coverage has increased significantly as a result of, among other things, the number of recent and significant wildfire events throughout California and the application of inverse condemnation to investor-owned utilities. In addition, disruptions in the insurance or capital markets, resulting from COVID-19 or other causes, could result in reduced insurance and reinsurance capacity, or constrain insurance companies from offering Edison International and/or SCE acceptable premiums and/or limits. As such, while SCE is required to maintain reasonable insurance coverage under AB 1054, SCE may not be able to obtain a reasonable amount of wildfire insurance, at a reasonable cost, for the next policy period or future policy periods. As of March 31, 2020, SCE had regulatory assets of approximately $375 million related to wildfire insurance costs and believes that such amounts are probable of recovery. While SCE believes that amounts deferred are probable of recovery, there is no assurance that SCE will be allowed to recover costs that have been incurred, or costs incurred in the future for additional wildfire insurance, in electric rates. SCE tracks insurance premium costs related to wildfire liability insurance policies as well as other wildfire-related costs in its WEMA. In July 2019, SCE filed a WEMA application with the CPUC to seek recovery of $478 million in wildfire insurance premium costs that have been incurred or will be incurred before July 1, 2020, in excess of premiums approved in the 2018 GRC. The application also seeks recovery of the corresponding financing costs. Recovery of Wildfire-Related Costs Pre-AB 1054 Cost Recovery California courts have previously found investor-owned utilities to be strictly liable for property damage, regardless of fault, by applying the theory of inverse condemnation when a utility's facilities were determined to be a substantial cause of a wildfire that caused the property damage. The rationale stated by these courts for applying this theory to investor-owned utilities is that property damages resulting from a public improvement, such as the distribution of electricity, can be spread across the larger community that benefited from such improvement through recovery of uninsured wildfire-related costs in electric rates. However, in November 2017, the CPUC issued a decision denying SDG&E's request to include in its rates uninsured wildfire-related costs arising from several 2007 wildfires, finding that SDG&E did not meet the prudency standard because it did not prudently manage and operate its facilities prior to or at the outset of the 2007 wildfires. In July 2018, the CPUC denied both SDG&E's application for rehearing on its cost recovery request and a joint application for rehearing filed by SCE and PG&E limited to the applicability of inverse condemnation principles in the same proceeding. The California Court of Appeal, the California Supreme Court and the United States Supreme Court have denied SDG&E's petitions for review of the CPUC's denial of SDG&E's application. Edison International and SCE continue to pursue regulatory and legal strategies, and anticipate pursuing legislative strategies in the longer term, to address the application of a strict liability standard to wildfire-related property damages without the guaranteed ability to recover resulting costs in electric rates. 2019 Wildfire Legislation In July 2019, AB 1054 was signed by the Governor of California and became effective immediately. The summary of the wildfire legislation below is based on SCE's interpretation of AB 1054. A lawsuit challenging the validity of AB 1054 was filed in federal court on July 19, 2019. Edison International and SCE are unable to predict the outcome of this lawsuit. Wildfire Insurance Fund AB 1054 provided for the Wildfire Insurance Fund to reimburse utilities for payment of third-party damage claims arising from certain wildfires that exceed, in aggregate in a calendar year, the greater of $1.0 billion or the utility's insurance coverage. The Wildfire Insurance Fund was established in September 2019 when both SCE and SDG&E made their initial contributions to the fund. The Wildfire Insurance Fund is available for claims related to wildfires ignited after July 12, 2019 that are determined to have been caused by a utility by the responsible government investigatory agency. SCE and SDG&E have collectively made their initial contributions totaling approximately $2.7 billion to the Wildfire Insurance Fund. While PG&E has committed to make an initial contribution of approximately $4.8 billion to the Wildfire Insurance Fund upon emergence from bankruptcy, its participation in, and contributions to, the fund are subject to it resolving its bankruptcy proceeding and meeting certain other conditions prior to June 30, 2020. SCE and SDG&E are also collectively expected to make aggregate contributions of approximately $1.1 billion to the Wildfire Insurance Fund through annual contributions to the fund over a 10-year period, of which SCE and SDG&E have made their initial annual contributions totaling approximately $107 million. If PG&E participates in the Wildfire Insurance Fund, it is expected to make aggregate contributions of approximately $1.9 billion to the fund through annual contributions over the same 10-year period. In addition to PG&E's, SCE's and SDG&E's contributions to the Wildfire Insurance Fund, PG&E, SCE and SDG&E are expected to collect $6.1 billion, $6.1 billion and $1.3 billion, respectively, from their ratepayers over a 15-year period through a dedicated rate component. Based on a decision adopted by the CPUC in October 2019 in the Order Instituting Rulemaking to Consider Authorization of a Non-Bypassable Charge to Support the Wildfire Insurance Fund, PG&E's ratepayers will not be required to contribute to the fund if PG&E does not participate in the Wildfire Insurance Fund. The amount collected from ratepayers may be directly contributed to the Wildfire Insurance Fund or used to support the issuance of up to $10.5 billion in bonds by the California Department of Water Resources, the proceeds of which would be contributed to the fund. In addition to funding contributions to the Wildfire Insurance Fund, the amount collected from utility ratepayers will pay for, among other things, any interest and financing costs related to any bonds that are issued by the California Department of Water Resources to support the contributions to the Wildfire Insurance Fund. SCE made an initial contribution of approximately $2.4 billion to the Wildfire Insurance Fund in September 2019 and has committed to make ten annual contributions of approximately $95 million per year to the fund, by no later than January 1 of each year. SCE made its first annual contribution to the Wildfire Insurance Fund in December 2019. Edison International supported SCE's initial contribution to the Wildfire Insurance Fund by raising $1.2 billion from the issuance of Edison International equity. SCE raised the remaining $1.2 billion from the issuance of long-term debt. SCE's contributions to the Wildfire Insurance Fund will not be recoverable through electric rates and will be excluded from the measurement of SCE's CPUC-jurisdictional authorized capital structure. SCE will also not be entitled to cost recovery for any borrowing costs incurred in connection with its contributions to the Wildfire Insurance Fund. Participating investor-owned utilities will be reimbursed from the Wildfire Insurance Fund for eligible claims, subject to the fund administrator's review. SCE will reimburse the fund for any withdrawn amounts if SCE receives payment of such amounts under an indemnification agreement or from an insurance provider or other third-party. SCE will also be required to reimburse the fund for withdrawn amounts that the CPUC disallows, subject, in some instances, to the AB 1054 Liability Cap (as defined below). If the utility has maintained a valid safety certification and its actions or inactions that resulted in the wildfire are not found to constitute conscious or willful disregard of the rights and safety of others, the aggregate requirement to reimburse the fund over a trailing three calendar year period is capped at 20% of the equity portion of the utility's transmission and distribution rate base in the year of the prudency determination ("AB 1054 Liability Cap"). Based on SCE's 2020 rate base and assuming the equity portion of SCE's capital structure is 52% (SCE's CPUC authorized capital structure), SCE's requirement to reimburse the Wildfire Insurance Fund for eligible claims disallowed in 2020 would be capped at approximately $3.0 billion. SCE will not be allowed to recover borrowing costs incurred to reimburse the fund for amounts that the CPUC disallows. The Wildfire Insurance Fund, and consequently the AB 1054 Liability Cap, will terminate when the administrator determines that the fund has been exhausted. AB 1054 Prudency Standard As a result of the establishment of the Wildfire Insurance Fund, AB 1054 created a new standard that the CPUC must apply when assessing the prudency of a utility in connection with a request for recovery of wildfire costs for wildfires ignited after July 12, 2019. Under AB 1054, the CPUC is required to find a utility to be prudent if the utility's conduct related to the ignition was consistent with actions that a reasonable utility would have undertaken under similar circumstances, at the relevant point in time, and based on the information available at that time. Prudent conduct under the AB 1054 standard is not limited to the optimum practice, method, or act to the exclusion of others, but rather encompasses a spectrum of possible practices, methods, or acts consistent with utility system needs, the interest of the ratepayers, and the requirements of governmental agencies. AB 1054 also provides that the CPUC may determine that wildfire costs may be recoverable, in whole or in part, by taking into account factors within and outside the utility's control, including humidity, temperature, and winds. Further, utilities with a valid safety certification will be presumed to have acted prudently related to a wildfire ignition unless a party in the cost recovery proceeding creates serious doubt as to the reasonableness of the utility's conduct, at which time, the burden shifts back to the utility to prove its conduct was reasonable. If a utility does not have a valid safety certification, it will have the burden to prove, based on a preponderance of evidence, that its conduct was prudent. The new prudency standard will survive the termination of the Wildfire Insurance Fund. Utilities participating in the Wildfire Insurance Fund are not required to reimburse the fund for amounts withdrawn from the fund that the CPUC finds were prudently incurred and can recover such prudently incurred wildfire costs through electric rates if the fund has been exhausted. Capital Expenditure Requirement Under AB 1054, approximately $1.6 billion of spending by SCE on wildfire risk mitigation capital expenditures made after August 1, 2019, cannot be included in the equity portion of SCE's rate base ("AB 1054 Excluded Capital Expenditures"). SCE can apply for an irrevocable order from the CPUC to finance these AB 1054 Excluded Capital Expenditures, including through the issuance of securitized bonds, and can recover any prudently incurred financing costs. SCE expects to finance this capital requirement by issuing securitized bonds. As of March 31, 2020, SCE has spent $601 million on AB 1054 Excluded Capital Expenditures. Wildfire Mitigation Plan and Safety Certification Under AB 1054, SCE is required to submit a wildfire mitigation plan to the CPUC annually for review and approval. Beginning in 2020, each such plan is required to cover at least a three-year period. SCE filed its 2020 Wildfire Mitigation Plan in February 2020. Under AB 1054, SCE can obtain an annual safety certification upon the submission of certain required safety information, including an approved wildfire mitigation plan. On July 25, 2019, SCE obtained its initial safety certification that will be valid for twelve months. Notwithstanding its twelve month term, if SCE requests a new safety certification prior to the expiration of its initial safety certification, then its initial safety certification will remain valid until the CPUC acts on its request for a new safety certification. Environmental Remediation SCE records its environmental remediation liabilities when site assessments and/or remedial actions are probable and a range of reasonably likely cleanup costs can be estimated. SCE reviews its sites and measures the liability quarterly, by assessing a range of reasonably likely costs for each identified site using currently available information, including existing technology, presently enacted laws and regulations, experience gained at similar sites, and the probable level of involvement and financial condition of other potentially responsible parties. These estimates include costs for site investigations, remediation, operation and maintenance, monitoring, and site closure. Unless there is a single probable amount, SCE records the lower end of this reasonably likely range of costs (reflected in "Other long-term liabilities") at undiscounted amounts as timing of cash flows is uncertain. At March 31, 2020, SCE's recorded estimated minimum liability to remediate its 23 identified material sites (sites with a liability balance at March 31, 2020, in which the upper end of the range of the costs is at least $1 million) was $241 million, including $176 million related to San Onofre. In addition to these sites, SCE also has 14 immaterial sites with a liability balance as of March 31, 2020, for which the total minimum recorded liability was $3 million. Of the $244 million total environmental remediation liability for SCE, $235 million has been recorded as a regulatory asset. SCE expects to recover $40 million through an incentive mechanism that allows SCE to recover 90% of its environmental remediation costs at certain sites (SCE may request to include additional sites) and $195 million through a mechanism that allows SCE to recover 100% of the costs incurred at certain sites through customer rates. SCE's identified sites include several sites for which there is a lack of currently available information, including the nature and magnitude of contamination, and the extent, if any, that SCE may be held responsible for contributing to any costs incurred for remediating these sites. Thus, no reasonable estimate of cleanup costs can be made for these sites. The ultimate costs to clean up SCE's identified sites may vary from its recorded liability due to numerous uncertainties inherent in the estimation process, such as: the extent and nature of contamination; the scarcity of reliable data for identified sites; the varying costs of alternative cleanup methods; developments resulting from investigatory studies; the possibility of identifying additional sites; and the time periods over which site remediation is expected to occur. SCE believes that, due to these uncertainties, it is reasonably possible that cleanup costs at the identified material sites and immaterial sites could exceed its recorded liability by up to $109 million and $8 million, respectively. The upper limit of this range of costs was estimated using assumptions least favorable to SCE among a range of reasonably possible outcomes. SCE expects to clean up and mitigate its identified sites over a period of up to 30 years. Remediation costs for each of the next five years are expected to range from $7 million to $18 million. Costs incurred for both the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019 were $2 million. Based upon the CPUC's regulatory treatment of environmental remediation costs incurred at SCE, SCE believes that costs ultimately recorded will not materially affect its results of operations, financial position, or cash flows. There can be no assurance, however, that future developments, including additional information about existing sites or the identification of new sites, will not require material revisions to estimates. Nuclear Insurance SCE is a member of Nuclear Electric Insurance Limited ("NEIL"), a mutual insurance company owned by entities with nuclear facilities. NEIL provides insurance for nuclear property damage, including damages caused by acts of terrorism up to specified limits, and for accidental outages for active facilities. The amount of nuclear property damage insurance purchased for San Onofre and Palo Verde exceeds the minimum federal requirement of $50 million and $1.1 billion, respectively. If NEIL losses at any nuclear facility covered by the arrangement were to exceed the accumulated funds for these insurance programs, SCE could be assessed retrospective premium adjustments of up to approximately $52 million per year. Federal law limits public offsite liability claims for bodily injury and property damage from a nuclear incident to the amount of available financial protection, which is currently approximately $13.9 billion for Palo Verde and $560 million for San Onofre. SCE and other owners of San Onofre and Palo Verde have purchased the maximum private primary insurance available through a Facility Form issued by American Nuclear Insurers. SCE withdrew from participation in the secondary insurance pool for San Onofre for offsite liability insurance effective January 5, 2018. Based on its ownership interests in Palo Verde, SCE could be required to pay a maximum of approximately $65 million per nuclear incident for future incidents. However, it would have to pay no more than approximately $10 million per future incident in any one year. Based on its ownership interests in San Onofre and Palo Verde prior to January 5, 2018, SCE could be required to pay a maximum of approximately $255 million per nuclear incident and a maximum of $38 million per year per incident for liabilities arising from events prior to January 5, 2018, although SCE is not aware of any such events. Spent Nuclear Fuel Under federal law, the DOE is responsible for the selection and construction of a facility for the permanent disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. The DOE has not met its contractual obligation to accept spent nuclear fuel. Extended delays by the DOE have led to the construction of costly alternatives and associated siting and environmental issues. Currently, both San Onofre and Palo Verde have interim storage for spent nuclear fuel on site sufficient for their current license period. In June 2010, the United States Court of Federal Claims issued a decision granting SCE and the San Onofre co-owners damages of approximately $142 million (SCE's share $112 million) to recover costs incurred through December 31, 2005 for the DOE's failure to meet its obligation to begin accepting spent nuclear fuel from San Onofre. SCE received payment from the federal government in the amount of the damage award. In April 2016, SCE, as operating agent, settled a lawsuit on behalf of the San Onofre owners against the DOE for $162 million (SCE's share $124 million, which included reimbursement for approximately $2 million in legal and other costs), to compensate for damages caused by the DOE's failure to meet its obligation to begin accepting spent nuclear fuel for the period from January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2013. In August 2018, the CPUC approved SCE's proposal to return the SCE share of the award to customers based on the amount that customers actually contributed for fuel storage costs; resulting in approximately $106 million of the SCE share being returned to customers and the remaining $17 million being returned to shareholders. Of the $106 million, $72 million was applied against the remaining San Onofre Regulatory Asset in accordance with the Revised San Onofre Settlement Agreement. The April 2016 settlement also provided for a claim submission/audit process for expenses incurred from 2014 – 2016, where SCE may submit a claim for damages caused by the DOE failure to accept spent nuclear fuel each year, followed by a government audit and payment of the claim. This process made additional legal action to recover damages incurred in 2014 –2016 unnecessary. The first such claim covering damages for 2014 – 2015 was filed on September 30, 2016 for approximately $56 million. In February 2017, the DOE reviewed the 2014 – 2015 claim submission and reduced the original request to approximately $43 million (SCE's share was approximately $34 million). SCE accepted the DOE's determination, and the government paid the 2014 – 2015 claim under the terms of the settlement. In October 2017, SCE filed a claim covering damages for 2016 for approximately $58 million. In May 2018, the DOE approved reimbursement of approximately $45 million (SCE's share was approximately $35 million) of SCE's 2016 damages, disallowing recovery of approximately $13 million. SCE accepted the DOE's determination, and the government paid the 2016 claim under the terms of the settlement. The damages awards are subject to CPUC review as to how the amounts will be refunded among customers, shareholders, or to offset other costs. In November 2019, SCE filed a new complaint against the DOE to recover damages incurred from January 1, 2017 through July 31, 2018. Tehachapi Transmission Project The Tehachapi Transmission Project consists of new and upgraded electric transmission lines and substations between eastern Kern County and San Bernardino County and was undertaken to bring renewable resources in Kern County to energy consumers in the Los Angeles basin and the California energy grid. The project consists of eleven segments. Segments 1-3 were placed in service beginning in 2009 through 2013. Segments 4-11 were placed in service in December 2016. In December 2019, the CPUC filed a protest alleging that $419 million of costs associated with the Tehachapi Transmission Project are imprudent and should be disallowed from SCE's FERC rate base because these costs exceeded the maximum reasonable cost identified by the CPUC when it granted the project's certificate of public convenience and necessity. The CPUC requested that FERC set this issue for hearings.

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

X
- Definition The entire disclosure for commitments and contingencies. + References Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 450 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/topic&trid=2127136 Reference 2: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 440 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/topic&trid=2144648 + Details
Name: | us-gaap_CommitmentsAndContingenciesDisclosureTextBlock
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | nonnum:textBlockItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration