Unaudited Financial Information (Table)

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Significant regulatory assets and liabilities as of December 31, 2019 and September 30, 2019 included the following:



	December 31, 2019		September 30, 2019
	(In thousands)
Regulatory assets:
Pension and postretirement benefit costs	$	83,783	$	86,089
Infrastructure mechanisms⁽¹⁾	108,997		131,894
Deferred gas costs	10,386		23,766
Recoverable loss on reacquired debt	6,102		6,551
Deferred pipeline record collection costs	27,414		26,418
Rate case costs	1,052		1,346
Other	4,324		8,483
	$	242,058	$	284,547
Regulatory liabilities:
Regulatory excess deferred taxes⁽²⁾	$	721,049	$	726,307
Regulatory cost of service reserve⁽³⁾	4,747		5,238
Regulatory cost of removal obligation	519,538		528,893
Deferred gas costs	42,142		14,112
Asset retirement obligation	17,054		17,054
APT annual adjustment mechanism	72,732		78,402
Other	17,755		16,120
	$	1,395,017	$	1,386,126


(1)	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.

(2)

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (the "TCJA") resulted in the remeasurement of the net deferred tax liability included in our rate base. Of this amount, $21.7 million as of December 31, 2019 and $21.2 million as of September 30, 2019 is recorded in other current liabilities. These liabilities are being returned to customers in most of our jurisdictions on a provisional basis over 15 to 46 years until formal orders establish the final refund periods.

(3)

Effective January 1, 2018, regulators in each of our service areas required us to establish a regulatory liability for the difference in recoverable federal taxes included in revenues based on the former 35% federal statutory rate and the new 21% federal statutory rate for service provided on or after January 1, 2018. The period and timing of the return of this liability to utility customers is being determined by regulators in each of our jurisdictions.

Schedule of Regulatory Liabilities

Significant regulatory assets and liabilities as of December 31, 2019 and September 30, 2019 included the following:



	December 31, 2019		September 30, 2019
	(In thousands)
Regulatory assets:
Pension and postretirement benefit costs	$	83,783	$	86,089
Infrastructure mechanisms⁽¹⁾	108,997		131,894
Deferred gas costs	10,386		23,766
Recoverable loss on reacquired debt	6,102		6,551
Deferred pipeline record collection costs	27,414		26,418
Rate case costs	1,052		1,346
Other	4,324		8,483
	$	242,058	$	284,547
Regulatory liabilities:
Regulatory excess deferred taxes⁽²⁾	$	721,049	$	726,307
Regulatory cost of service reserve⁽³⁾	4,747		5,238
Regulatory cost of removal obligation	519,538		528,893
Deferred gas costs	42,142		14,112
Asset retirement obligation	17,054		17,054
APT annual adjustment mechanism	72,732		78,402
Other	17,755		16,120
	$	1,395,017	$	1,386,126


(1)	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.

(2)

(3)