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Regulatory matters
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2018
Regulated Operations [Abstract]  
Regulatory matters Regulatory Matters
The Company regularly reviews the need for electric and natural gas rate changes in each of the jurisdictions in which service is provided. The Company files for rate adjustments to seek recovery of operating costs and capital investments, as well as reasonable returns as allowed by regulators. The Company's most recent cases by jurisdiction are discussed in the following paragraphs. The jurisdictions in which the Company provides service have requested the Company furnish plans for the effect of the reduced corporate tax rate due to the enactment of the TCJA which may impact the Company's rates. The following paragraphs include additional details and statuses of each open request.
MNPUC
On December 29, 2017, the MNPUC issued a notice of investigation related to tax changes with the enactment of the TCJA. On January 19, 2018, the MNPUC issued a notice of request for information, commission planning meeting and subsequent comment period. Pursuant to the notice, Great Plains provided preliminary impacts of the TCJA on January 30, 2018. On March 2, 2018, Great Plains submitted its initial filing addressing the impacts of the TCJA advocating existing rates are reasonable and a reduction in rates is not warranted. On August 9, 2018, the MNPUC ruled that Great Plains reduce rates to reflect TCJA impacts and to also provide a one-time refund that captures the TCJA impacts from January 1, 2018 through the implementation date of new rates. On December 5, 2018, the MNPUC issued an order requiring Great Plains reduce its rates by $400,000 on an annual basis and provide a one-time refund of approximately $400,000, as previously mentioned, within 90 days after the rates are implemented through credits to customers' bills. The required compliance filing was submitted to the MNPUC on January 4, 2019.
MTPSC
On December 27, 2017, the MTPSC requested Montana-Dakota identify a plan for the impacts of the TCJA and to file a proposal for the impacts on the electric segment by March 31, 2018. On April 2, 2018, Montana-Dakota submitted its plan requesting the MTPSC recognize the identified need for additional rate relief and to consider the effects of the TCJA in a general electric rate case to be submitted by September 30, 2018. Montana-Dakota submitted the general electric rate case on September 28, 2018, as discussed below. On November 30, 2018, Montana-Dakota and interveners of the case submitted a stipulation and settlement agreement reflecting a one-time refund of approximately $1.5 million to account for all TCJA related impacts from January 1, 2018 through the date new rates are effective in the rate case noted below. A hearing was held on December 4, 2018, and the MTPSC issued an order accepting the stipulation and settlement agreement on December 21, 2018, requiring a one-time bill credit to occur in April 2019.
On September 28, 2018, Montana-Dakota filed an application with the MTPSC for an electric rate increase of approximately $11.9 million annually or approximately 18.9 percent above current rates. The requested increase is primarily to recover investments in facilities to enhance safety and reliability and the depreciation and taxes associated with the increase in investment. The increase was offset by tax savings related to the TCJA. This matter is pending before the MTPSC.
NDPSC
On July 21, 2017, Montana-Dakota filed an application with the NDPSC for a natural gas rate increase of approximately $5.9 million annually or approximately 5.4 percent above current rates. The requested increase is primarily to recover the increased investment in distribution facilities to enhance system safety and reliability and the depreciation and taxes associated with the increase in investment. Montana-Dakota also introduced a SSIP and the proposed adjustment mechanism required to fund the SSIP. Montana-Dakota requested an interim increase of approximately $4.6 million or approximately 4.2 percent, subject to refund. On September 6, 2017, the NDPSC approved the request for interim rates effective with service rendered on or after September 19, 2017. On February 14, 2018, Montana-Dakota filed a revised interim increase request of approximately $2.7 million, subject to refund, incorporating the estimated impacts of the TCJA reduction in the federal corporate income tax rate. On March 1, 2018, the updated interim rates were implemented. The impact of the TCJA was submitted as part of a rebuttal testimony identifying a reduction of the adjusted revenue requirement to approximately $3.6 million. On July 19, 2018, a settlement was filed reflecting a revised annual revenue increase of approximately $2.5 million or approximately 2.3 percent. The proposed adjustment mechanism to fund the SSIP was not included in the settlement and will be decided on separately by the NDPSC. On September 26, 2018, the NDPSC issued an order approving the settlement as filed but did not approve the SSIP recovery mechanism. On October 5, 2018, Montana-Dakota submitted a compliance filing, which included a plan for the one-time refund to be available March 1, 2019, for the interim amount to be refunded to customers. The NDPSC approved the compliance rates and were effective with service rendered on and after December 1, 2018.
On January 10, 2018, the NDPSC issued a general order initiating the investigation into the effects of the TCJA. The order required regulatory deferral accounting on the impacts of the TCJA and for companies to file comments and the expected impacts. On February 15, 2018, Montana-Dakota filed a summary of the primary impacts of the TCJA on the electric and natural gas utilities. On March 9, 2018, Montana-Dakota submitted a request to decrease its electric rates by $7.2 million or 3.9 percent annually. On August 10, 2018, a settlement agreement was filed requesting a decrease in rates of approximately $8.4 million. On September 26, 2018, the NDPSC issued an order approving the settlement along with requiring an additional adjustment to the rates to return 100 percent of the tax-effective 2018 excess deferred income taxes. On October 10, 2018, Montana-Dakota submitted a compliance filing, which included a refund plan for the
interim amount to be refunded to customers. On November 20, 2018, the NDPSC approved the compliance rates which were effective with service rendered on and after December 1, 2018. The NDPSC also approved a one-time refund of approximately $7.9 million to be credited to customers' bills by March 15, 2019, based on 4.7 percent of the revenues collected between January 1, 2018 through November 30, 2018.
On October 19, 2018, Great Plains and the NDPSC advocacy staff filed a settlement agreement to resolve all outstanding issues in the NDPSC's investigation into the TCJA and a revenue neutral tariff filing submitted by Great Plains. The settlement agreement provides for miscellaneous tariff changes and a reduction in annual revenues of $168,000. On January 9, 2019, the NDPSC issued an order approving the settlement agreement and a refund requirement for the period from January 1, 2018 through the month preceding the effective date of the rate change. On January 23, 2019, the NDPSC approved the compliance rates to be effective February 1, 2019, along with the refund plan that provides for approximately $200,000 in refunds to be credited to customers' bills by April 15, 2019.
OPUC
On December 29, 2017, Cascade filed a request with the OPUC to use deferral accounting for the 2018 net benefits associated with the implementation of the TCJA. The deferral request was renewed on December 28, 2018. This matter is pending before the OPUC.
On May 31, 2018, Cascade filed a general rate case with the OPUC requesting an overall increase of approximately $2.3 million or approximately 3.5 percent on an annual basis, which incorporates the impact of the TCJA. On January 22, 2019, Cascade filed a stipulation with the OPUC for an annual increase in revenues of $1.7 million with a $500,000 reduction for excess deferred income taxes, for a net increase of $1.2 million. This matter is pending before the OPUC.
SDPUC
On December 29, 2017, the SDPUC issued an order initiating the investigation into the effects of the TCJA. The order required Montana-Dakota to provide comments by February 1, 2018, regarding the general effects of the TCJA on the cost of service in South Dakota and possible mechanisms for adjusting rates. The order also stated that all rates impacted by the federal income tax shall be adjusted effective January 1, 2018, subject to refund. On May 4, 2018 and June 2, 2018, Montana-Dakota submitted detailed plans to address the TCJA impacts on the natural gas and electric utilities, respectively, to the SDPUC staff. On September 28, 2018, a settlement agreement was submitted to the SDPUC reflecting a proposal to refund approximately $600,000 to electric customers and approximately $1.3 million to natural gas customers. These refunds reflect the impact of the TCJA on 2018. On October 23, 2018, an order was issued by the SDPUC approving the settlement agreement with the refunds being credited to customers' bills beginning on February 15, 2019. On December 3, 2018, Montana-Dakota submitted proposed rate changes to reflect 2018 pro forma results and the TCJA impacts. On December 28, 2018, the SDPUC approved an annual decrease in revenues of approximately $300,000 for the natural gas operations and approximately $100,000 for the electric operations. The decrease in revenues was effective January 1, 2019.
WUTC
On June 1, 2018, Cascade filed its annual pipeline cost recovery mechanism requesting an increase in annual revenue of $2.3 million or approximately 1.1 percent. On October 11, 2018, Cascade filed a revised increase in annual revenue of $2.1 million or approximately 1.0 percent. The increase was effective November 1, 2018.
WYPSC
On December 29, 2017, the WYPSC issued a general order requiring regulatory deferral accounting on the impacts of the TCJA. A technical conference was held on February 6, 2018, to discuss the implications of the TCJA. On March 23, 2018, the WYPSC issued an order requiring all public utilities to submit an initial assessment of the overall effects on the TCJA on their rates by March 30, 2018. On March 30, 2018, Montana-Dakota submitted its initial assessment indicating a rate reduction for its electric rates in the amount of approximately $1.1 million annually or approximately 4.2 percent. Revised electric rates reflecting this reduction were submitted to the WYPSC on June 13, 2018. Montana-Dakota reported its natural gas earnings do not support a decrease in rates and requested the WYPSC allow the impacts of the TCJA be addressed in a natural gas rate case to be submitted by June 1, 2019. Both matters are pending before the WYPSC.
FERC
Montana-Dakota and certain MISO Transmission Owners with projected rates submitted a filing to the FERC on February 1, 2018, requesting the FERC to waive certain provisions of the MISO tariff in order for Montana-Dakota and certain MISO Transmission Owners with projected rates to revise their rates to reflect the reduction in the corporate tax rate. Under the MISO tariff, rates are to be changed only on an annual basis with any changes reflected in subsequent true-ups. On March 15, 2018, the FERC approved the waiver request and new rates reflecting the effects of the TCJA were implemented by MISO on March 1, 2018. MISO also retroactively re-billed the January and February 2018 services to reflect the new rates. On September 4, 2018, Montana-Dakota filed an update to its transmission formula rate under the MISO tariff for the multivalue project for $12.5 million, which is effective January 1, 2019.
On July 18, 2018, the FERC issued a final rule on Rate Changes Relating to Federal Income Tax Rate reductions resulting from the TCJA which requires natural gas pipeline companies to make a one-time informational filing to evaluate the impact of the lower corporate income tax rate and also select one of four options presented by the FERC to address the impact. In accordance with WBI Energy Transmission’s offer of settlement and stipulation and agreement with the FERC dated June 4, 2014, the Company is to make a filing with new proposed rates to be effective no later than May 1, 2019. On October 31, 2018, the Company filed a rate case with the FERC. Due to the timing of the rate case filing, the Company was exempt from the one-time informational filing required by the FERC’s final rule. On November 30, 2018, the FERC issued an order accepting and suspending tariff records, subject to refund, and establishing hearing procedures. The FERC order accepted the Company's rate case filing and suspended the associated tariff records to be effective May 1, 2019, subject to refund and the outcome of a hearing.