Unaudited Financial Information (Table)

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2014

Significant regulatory assets and liabilities as of December 31, 2014 and September 30, 2014 included the following:



	December 31, 2014		September 30, 2014
	(In thousands)
Regulatory assets:
Pension and postretirement benefit costs⁽¹⁾	$	158,190	$	162,777
Merger and integration costs, net	4,595		4,730
Deferred gas costs	38,022		20,069
Rate case costs	2,427		3,757
Texas Rule 8.209⁽²⁾	36,100		26,948
APT annual adjustment mechanism	5,623		8,479
Recoverable loss on reacquired debt	18,238		18,877
Other	4,297		4,672
	$	267,492	$	250,309
Regulatory liabilities:
Deferred gas costs	$	61,530	$	35,063
Deferred franchise fees	7,367		5,268
Regulatory cost of removal obligation	489,210		490,448
Other	13,808		14,980
	$	571,915	$	545,759


⁽¹⁾	Includes $17.7 million and $18.8 million of pension and postretirement expense deferred pursuant to regulatory authorization.


⁽²⁾	Texas Rule 8.209 is a Railroad Commission rule that allows for the deferral of all expenses associated with capital expenditures incurred pursuant to this rule, including the recording of interest on the deferred expenses until the next rate proceeding (rate case or annual rate filing), at which time investment and costs would be recovered through base rates.