
	At September 30
	2020		2019
	(Thousands)
Regulatory Assets(1):
Pension Costs(2) (Note K)	$	107,010	$	114,509
Post-Retirement Benefit Costs(2) (Note K)	18,863		18,236
Recoverable Future Taxes (Note G)	118,310		115,197
Environmental Site Remediation Costs(2) (Note L)	10,479		15,317
Asset Retirement Obligations(2) (Note E)	16,245		15,696
Unamortized Debt Expense (Note A)	12,297		14,005
Other(3)	20,118		15,022
Total Regulatory Assets	303,322		307,982
Less: Amounts Included in Other Current Assets	(16,609)		(11,460)
Total Long-Term Regulatory Assets	$	286,713	$	296,522


	At September 30
	2020		2019
	(Thousands)
Regulatory Liabilities:
Cost of Removal Regulatory Liability	$	230,079	$	221,699
Taxes Refundable to Customers (Note G)	357,508		366,503
Post-Retirement Benefit Costs(4) (Note K)	146,474		126,577
Amounts Payable to Customers (See Regulatory Mechanisms in Note A)	10,788		4,017
Other(5)	59,989		66,122
Total Regulatory Liabilities	804,838		784,918
Less: Amounts included in Current and Accrued Liabilities	(55,678)		(54,349)
Total Long-Term Regulatory Liabilities	$	749,160	$	730,569

(1)The Company recovers the cost of its regulatory assets but generally does not earn a return on them. There are a few exceptions to this rule. For example, the Company does earn a return on Unrecovered Purchased Gas Costs and, in the New York jurisdiction of its Utility segment, earns a return, within certain parameters, on the excess of cumulative funding to the pension plan over the cumulative amount collected in rates.

(3)$16,609 and $11,460 are included in Other Current Assets on the Consolidated Balance Sheets at September 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively, since such amounts are expected to be recovered from ratepayers in the next 12 months. $3,509 and $3,562 are included in Other Regulatory Assets on the Consolidated Balance Sheets at September 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

(5)$44,890 and $50,332 are included in Other Accruals and Current Liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheets at September 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively, since such amounts are expected to be recovered from ratepayers in the next 12 months. $15,099 and $15,790 are included in Other Regulatory Liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheets at September 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

If for any reason the Company ceases to meet the criteria for application of regulatory accounting treatment for all or part of its operations, the regulatory assets and liabilities related to those portions ceasing to meet such criteria would be eliminated from the Consolidated Balance Sheets and included in income of the period in which the discontinuance of regulatory accounting treatment occurs.

In the Company’s Utility and Pipeline and Storage segments, costs of removing assets (i.e. asset retirement costs) are collected from customers through depreciation expense. These amounts are not a legal retirement obligation as discussed in Note E — Asset Retirement Obligations. Rather, they are classified as a regulatory liability in recognition of the fact that the Company has collected dollars from the customer that will be used in the future to fund asset retirement costs.

Distribution Corporation's current delivery rates in its New York jurisdiction were approved by the NYPSC in an order issued on April 20, 2017 with rates becoming effective May 1, 2017. The order provided for a return on equity of 8.7%. The order also directed the implementation of an earnings sharing mechanism to be in place beginning on April 1, 2018.

Distribution Corporation’s Pennsylvania jurisdiction delivery rates are being charged to customers in accordance with a rate settlement approved by the PaPUC. The rate settlement does not specify any requirement to file a future rate case.

Supply Corporation’s recent rate settlement, approved June 1, 2020, provides that no party may make a rate filing for new rates to be effective before February 1, 2024, except that Supply Corporation may file an NGA general Section 4 rate case to change rates if the corporate income tax rate is increased. If no case has been filed, Supply Corporation must file for rates to be effective February 1, 2025. Supply has no rate case currently on file.

Empire’s 2019 rate settlement provides that no party may make a filing for new rates before March 31, 2021. If no rate case has been filed, Empire must make a rate case filing no later than May 1, 2025.