Our natural gas and electric distribution operations in Delaware, Maryland and Florida are subject to regulation by their respective PSC; Eastern Shore, our natural gas transmission subsidiary, is subject to regulation by the FERC; and Peninsula Pipeline and Aspire Energy Express, our intrastate pipeline subsidiaries, are subject to regulation (excluding cost of service) by the Florida PSC and Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, respectively.

Customer Information System Regulatory Asset Petition: In July 2022, we filed a joint petition for our natural gas divisions in Maryland (Maryland Division, Sandpiper, and Elkton Gas) for the approval to establish a regulatory asset for non-capitalizable expenses related to the set-up and implementation of the Company’s new Customer Information System ("CIS"). The petition was approved by the Maryland PSC in August 2022. A similar petition for our Florida Regulated Energy business units was filed during the same time frame and has not yet been scheduled on the Florida PSC Agenda. The Delaware Division has previously received approval for this accounting treatment. We have evaluated and selected the CIS with implementation anticipated to begin during the first quarter of 2023. The conversion is expected to be complete in the first quarter of 2025.

Ocean City Maryland Reinforcement: In March 2022, we filed a Section 7(f) - Request for Service Area Determination with the FERC regarding plans to extend our natural gas facilities across the Delaware/Maryland state line from Sussex County, Delaware, to Worcester County, Maryland, to provide a secondary feed to Sandpiper Energy. The FERC approved the Section 7(f) request on August 29, 2022. The project will increase the reliability of the existing distribution system in those areas while also expanding infrastructure to serve new customers. Construction has been initiated with estimated completion in early 2023.

Wildlight Expansion: In August 2022, Peninsula Pipeline and FPU filed a joint petition with the Florida PSC for approval of the Transportation Service Agreement between the parties associated with the Wildlight Expansion project. The Wildlight Expansion project will enable us to meet the significant growing demand for service in Yulee, Florida. The agreement and project have been structured to allow us to build the project alongside the construction and build-out of the development, and charge the reservation rate as each phase of the project goes into service. The agreement reflects the construction of pipeline facilities in two separate phases. Phase one will consist of three extensions with associated facilities, and a gas injection interconnect with associated facilities. Phase two will consist of two additional pipeline extensions. The various phases of the project are anticipated to be placed in service beginning in the first quarter of 2023, with construction on the overall project continuing through 2025. The petition was approved by the Florida PSC in November 2022.

Natural Gas Rate Case: In May 2022, our natural gas distribution businesses in Florida (FPU, FPU-Indiantown division, FPU-Fort Meade division and Chesapeake Utilities CFG division, collectively, “Florida natural gas distribution businesses”) filed a consolidated natural gas rate case with the Florida PSC. The application included a request for the following: (i) permanent rate relief of approximately $24.1 million, effective January 1, 2023, (ii) a depreciation study also submitted with the filing; (iii) authorization to make certain changes to tariffs to include the consolidation of rates and rate structure across the businesses and to unify the Florida natural gas distribution businesses under FPU; (iv) authorization to retain the acquisition adjustment recorded at the time of the FPU merger in our revenue requirement; and (v) authorization to establish an environmental remediation surcharge for the purposes of addressing future expected remediation costs for FPU MGP sites. In August 2022, interim rates were approved by the Florida PSC in the amount of approximately $7.7 million on an annualized basis, effective for all meter readings in September 2022. The discovery process and subsequent hearings were concluded during the fourth quarter of 2022 and briefs were submitted during the same quarter of 2022. In January 2023, the Florida PSC approved the application for consolidation and permanent rate relief of approximately $17.2 million on an annual basis. Actual rates in connection with the rate relief were approved by the Florida PSC in February 2023 with an effective date of March 1, 2023.

Winter Haven Expansion Project: In May 2021, Peninsula Pipeline filed a petition with the Florida PSC for approval of its Transportation Service Agreement with CFG for an incremental 6,800 Dts/d of firm service in the Winter Haven, Florida area. As part of this agreement, Peninsula Pipeline constructed a new interconnect with FGT and a new regulator station for CFG. This additional firm service is supporting new incremental load due to growth, including providing service to a new can manufacturing facility, as well as providing reliability and operational benefits to CFG’s existing distribution system in the area. In connection with Peninsula Pipeline’s new regulator station, CFG also extended its distribution system to connect to the new station. The Transportation Service Agreement was approved by the Florida PSC in September 2021 and the project was placed in service during the third quarter of 2022.

Beachside Pipeline Extension: In June 2021, Peninsula Pipeline and Florida City Gas entered into a Transportation Service Agreement for an incremental 10,176 Dts/d of firm service in Indian River County, Florida, to support Florida City Gas’ growth along the Indian River's barrier island. As part of this agreement, Peninsula Pipeline will construct 11.3 miles of pipeline from its existing pipeline in the Sebastian, Florida area, which will travel east under the Intercoastal Waterway ("ICW") and southward on the barrier island. As required by Peninsula Pipeline’s tariff and Florida Statutes, Peninsula Pipeline filed the required company and customer affidavits with the Florida PSC in June 2021 and the expected in-service date is during the first quarter of 2023.

St.Cloud / Twin Lakes Expansion: In July 2022, Peninsula Pipeline filed a petition with the Florida PSC for approval of its Transportation Service Agreement with our Florida natural gas division, FPU, for an additional 2,400 Dt/d of firm service in the St. Cloud, Florida area. As part of this agreement, Peninsula Pipeline will construct a pipeline extension and regulator station for FPU. The extension will be used to support new incremental load due to growth in the area, including providing service, most immediately, to the residential development, Twin Lakes. The expansion will also improve reliability and provide operational benefits to FPU's existing distribution system in the area, supporting future growth. The petition was approved by the Florida PSC on October 4, 2022. We expect this expansion to be in service by the second quarter of 2023.

Storm Protection Plan: In 2020, the Florida PSC implemented the Storm Protection Plan ("SPP") and Storm Protection Plan Cost Recovery Clause ("SPPCRC") rules, which require electric utilities to petition the Florida PSC for approval of a Transmission and Distribution Storm Protection Plan that covers the utility’s immediate 10-year planning period with updates to the plan at least every 3 years. The SPPCR rules allow the utility to file for recovery of associated costs related to its SPP. Our Florida electric distribution operations' SPP and SPPCRC were filed during the first quarter of 2022 and approved in the fourth quarter of 2022 with modifications, by the Florida PSC. Rates associated with this initiative were effective in January 2023.

Southern Expansion Project: In January 2022, Eastern Shore submitted a prior notice filing with the FERC pursuant to blanket certificate procedures, regarding its proposal to install an additional compressor unit and related facilities at Eastern Shore's existing compressor station in Bridgeville, Sussex County, Delaware. The project will enable Eastern Shore to provide additional firm natural gas transportation service to an existing shipper on Eastern Shore's pipeline system. The project obtained FERC approval in January 2023 and is currently estimated to go into service in the fourth quarter of 2023.

Capital Cost Surcharge: In December 2022, Eastern Shore submitted a filing with the FERC regarding a capital cost surcharge to recover capital costs associated with mandated highway relocate projects that required the replacement of existing Eastern Shore facilities and a Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration ("PHMSA") compliance project. The capital cost surcharge is an approved item in the settlement of Eastern Shore’s last rate case. In conjunction with the filing of this surcharge, pursuant to the settlement agreement, a cumulative adjustment to the existing surcharge to reflect additional depreciation was included in this filing. The FERC issued an order approving the surcharge as filed on December 19, 2022. The combined revised surcharge became effective January 1, 2023.

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 to impact economic conditions, to a lesser extent, through 2021 and 2022. Chesapeake Utilities is considered an “essential business,” which allowed us to continue operational activities and construction projects with appropriate safety precautions and personal protective equipment, while being mindful of the social distancing restrictions that were in place.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions, we experienced reduced consumption of energy largely in the commercial and industrial sectors, higher bad debt expenses and incremental expenses associated with COVID-19, including expenditures associated with personal protective equipment and premium pay for field personnel. The additional operating expenses we incurred support the ongoing delivery of our essential services during these unprecedented times. In April and May 2020, we were authorized by the Maryland and Delaware PSCs, respectively, to record regulatory assets for COVID-19 related costs which offered us the ability to seek recovery of those costs. In July 2021, the Florida PSC issued an order that approved incremental expenses we incurred due to COVID-19. The order allowed us to establish a regulatory asset in a total amount of $2.1 million as of June 30, 2021 for natural gas and electric distribution operations. The regulatory asset is being amortized over two years and is recovered through the Purchased Gas Adjustment and Swing Service mechanisms for our natural gas distribution businesses and through the Fuel Purchased Power Cost Recovery clause for our electric division. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, our total COVID-19 regulatory asset balance was $1.2 million and $2.3 million, respectively.

In 2021 and 2022, restrictions were gradually lifted as vaccines became widely available in the United States. The various state of emergencies associated with the COVID-19 pandemic that were previously declared in our service territories have been terminated and we have adjusted our operating practices accordingly to ensure the safety of our operations and will take the necessary actions to comply with the CDC, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, as new developments occur.

Customer rates for our regulated business were adjusted as approved by the regulators, prior to 2020 except for Elkton Gas, which implemented a one-time bill credit in May 2020. The following table summarized the regulatory liabilities related to accumulated deferred taxes ("ADIT") associated with TCJA for our regulated businesses as of December 31, 2022 and 2021:


	Amount (in thousands)
Operation and Regulatory Jurisdiction	December 31, 2022	December 31, 2021	Status
Eastern Shore (FERC)	$34,190	$34,190	Will be addressed in Eastern Shore's next rate case filing.
Chesapeake Delaware natural gas division (Delaware PSC)	$12,230	$12,591	PSC approved amortization of ADIT in January 2019.
Chesapeake Maryland natural gas division (Maryland PSC)	$3,703	$3,840	PSC approved amortization of ADIT in May 2018.
Sandpiper Energy (Maryland PSC)	$3,597	$3,656	PSC approved amortization of ADIT in May 2018.
Chesapeake Florida natural gas division/CFG (Florida PSC)	$7,846	$8,032	PSC issued order authorizing amortization and retention of net ADIT liability by the Company in February 2019.
FPU Natural Gas (excludes Fort Meade and Indiantown) (Florida PSC)	$19,074	$19,189	Same treatment on a net basis as Chesapeake Florida Gas Division (above).
FPU Fort Meade and Indiantown natural gas divisions (Florida PSC)	$259	$271	Same treatment on a net basis as Chesapeake Florida Gas Division (above).
FPU electric division (Florida PSC)	$4,993	$5,237	In January 2019, PSC issued order approving amortization of ADIT through purchased power cost recovery, storm reserve and rates.
Elkton Gas (Maryland PSC)	$1,059	$1,091	PSC approved amortization of ADIT in March 2018.


	As of December 31,
	2022		2021
(in thousands)
Regulatory Assets
Under-recovered purchased fuel, gas and conservation cost recovery (1)(2)	$	43,583	$	9,199
Under-recovered GRIP revenue (3)	1,705		2,101
Deferred postretirement benefits (4)	13,927		16,749
Deferred conversion and development costs (1)	23,653		23,383
Acquisition adjustment (5)	25,609		27,182
Deferred costs associated with COVID-19 (6)	1,233		2,289
Deferred storm costs (7)	27,687		36,004
Other	12,257		7,060
Total Regulatory Assets	$	149,654	$	123,967


Regulatory Liabilities
Self-insurance (8)	$	339	$	563
Over-recovered purchased fuel and conservation cost recovery (1)	3,827		1,073
Storm reserve (8)	2,845		2,829
Accrued asset removal cost (9)	50,261		47,887
Deferred income taxes due to rate change (10)	87,690		88,804
Interest related to storm recovery (7)	1,207		2,146
Other	1,851		1,498
Total Regulatory Liabilities	$	148,020	$	144,800

(2) At December 31, 2022, includes $21.2 million being recovered over a three year period primarily concentrated in our electric division. Per Florida PSC approval, our electric division was allowed to recover these amounts over an extended period of time in an effort to reduce the impact of increased commodity prices to our customers. Recovery of these costs began in January 2023.

(3) The Florida PSC allowed us to recover through a surcharge, capital and other program-related-costs, inclusive of an appropriate return on investment, associated with accelerating the replacement of qualifying distribution mains and services (defined as any material other than coated steel or plastic) in FPU’s natural gas distribution, Fort Meade division and Chesapeake Utilities’ CFG division. We are allowed to recover the asset or are required to pay the liability in rates related to GRIP.

(4) The Florida PSC allowed FPU to treat as a regulatory asset the portion of the unrecognized costs pursuant to ASC Topic 715, Compensation - Retirement Benefits, related to its regulated operations. This balance also includes the portion of pension settlement expense associated with the termination of the Chesapeake Pension Plan pursuant to an order from the FERC and the respective PSCs that allowed us to defer Eastern Shore, Delaware and Maryland Divisions' portion. See Note 16, Employee Benefit Plans, for additional information.

(5) We are allowed to include the premiums paid in various natural gas utility acquisitions in Florida in our rate bases and recover them over a specific time period pursuant to the Florida PSC approvals. We paid $34.2 million of the premium in 2009, including a gross up for income tax, because it is not tax deductible, and $0.7 million of the premium paid by FPU in 2010.

(10) We recorded a regulatory liability for our regulated businesses related to the revaluation of accumulated deferred tax assets/liabilities as a result of the TCJA. The liability will be amortized over a period between 5 to 80 years based on the remaining life of the associated property. Based upon the regulatory proceedings, we will pass back the respective portion of the excess accumulated deferred taxes to rate payers. See Note 11, Income Taxes, for additional information.