Unaudited Financial Information (Table)

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2017

Significant regulatory assets and liabilities as of December 31, 2017 and September 30, 2017 included the following:



	December 31, 2017		September 30, 2017
	(In thousands)
Regulatory assets:
Pension and postretirement benefit costs⁽¹⁾	$	24,598	$	26,826
Infrastructure mechanisms⁽²⁾	54,571		46,437
Deferred gas costs	18,505		65,714
Recoverable loss on reacquired debt	10,580		11,208
Deferred pipeline record collection costs	12,942		11,692
APT annual adjustment mechanism	—		2,160
Rate case costs	3,160		2,629
Other	9,703		10,132
	$	134,059	$	176,798
Regulatory liabilities:
Regulatory excess deferred taxes⁽³⁾	$	746,246	$	—
Regulatory cost of removal obligation	520,483		521,330
Deferred gas costs	19,739		15,559
Asset retirement obligation	12,827		12,827
APT annual adjustment mechanism	1,720		—
Other	7,673		5,941
	$	1,308,688	$	555,657


(1)	Includes $8.6 million and $9.4 million of pension and postretirement expense deferred pursuant to regulatory authorization.


(2)	Infrastructure mechanisms in Texas and Louisiana allow for the deferral of all eligible expenses associated with capital expenditures incurred pursuant to these rules, including the recording of interest on deferred expenses until the next rate proceeding (rate case or annual rate filing), at which time investment and costs would be recoverable through base rates.


(3)	The TCJA resulted in the remeasurement of the net deferred tax liability included in our rate base. The excess deferred taxes will be returned to utility customers in accordance with regulatory requirements. See Note 6 for further information.