Organization and Basis of Presentation

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2021

Text Block [Abstract]

Organization and Basis of Presentation

ORGANIZATION AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION

Chesapeake Utilities, incorporated in 1947 in Delaware, is a diversified energy company engaged in regulated and unregulated energy businesses.

Our regulated energy businesses consist of: (a) regulated natural gas distribution operations in central and southern Delaware, Maryland’s eastern shore and Florida; (b) regulated natural gas transmission operations on the Delmarva Peninsula, in Pennsylvania and in Florida; and (c) regulated electric distribution operations serving customers in northeast and northwest Florida.

Our unregulated energy businesses primarily include: (a) propane operations in the Mid-Atlantic region, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida; (b) our unregulated natural gas transmission/supply operation in central and eastern Ohio; (c) our CHP plant in Florida that generates electricity and steam; and (d) our subsidiary, based in Florida, that provides CNG, LNG and RNG transportation and pipeline solutions, primarily to utilities and pipelines throughout the eastern United States.

Our consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Chesapeake Utilities and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. We do not have any ownership interest in investments accounted for using the equity method or any interest in a variable interest entity. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. We have assessed and, if applicable, reported on subsequent events through the date of issuance of these consolidated financial statements. Where necessary to improve comparability, prior period amounts have been changed to conform to current period presentation.

Beginning in the third quarter of 2019, our management began executing a strategy to sell the operating assets of PESCO. In the fourth quarter of 2019, we closed on four separate transactions to sell PESCO's assets and contracts. As a result of these sales, we have fully exited the natural gas marketing business. Accordingly, PESCO’s historical financial results are reflected in our consolidated financial statements as discontinued operations, which required retrospective application to financial information for all periods presented. Refer to Note 4, Acquisitions for further information.

Covid-19 Effects

Effects of COVID-19

In March 2020, the CDC declared a national emergency due to the rapidly growing outbreak of COVID-19. In response to this declaration and the rapid spread of COVID-19 within the United States, federal, state and local governments throughout the country imposed varying degrees of restrictions on social and commercial activity to promote social distancing in an effort to slow the spread of the illness. These restrictions significantly impacted economic conditions in the United States in 2020 and continued into 2021. Chesapeake Utilities is considered an “essential business,” which has allowed us to continue operational activities and construction projects while adhering to the social distancing restrictions that were in place.

Throughout 2021, restrictions continued to be lifted as vaccines have become widely available in the United States. For example, the state of emergency in Florida was terminated in May 2021 followed by Delaware and Maryland in July 2021, resulting in reduced restrictions. The expiration of the states of emergency in our service territories, along with the settlement of our limited proceeding in Florida, has concluded our ability to defer incremental pandemic related costs for consideration through the applicable regulatory process.

We have been closely following the legal process related to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) mandating that all employers, with 100 or more employees, require COVID-19 vaccinations or weekly testing, which made its way to the United States Supreme Court. While OSHA has withdrawn the ETS as a temporary standard following the Supreme Court’s ruling, we will continue to monitor its status as a proposed rule, and any developments in the various appeals of the various district court orders enjoining the enforcement of the Executive Order regarding the federal contractor vaccine mandate. In light of the continued emergence and growing prevalence of the new variants of COVID-19, such as the Omicron variant, we continue to operate under our pandemic response plan, monitor developments affecting employees, customers, suppliers, and stockholders and take all precautions warranted to operate safely and to comply with the CDC and OSHA standards, in order to protect our employees, customers and the communities we serve. Refer to Note 19, Rates and Other Regulatory Activities, for further information on the regulated assets established as a result of the incremental expenses associated with COVID-19.