Regulatory Assets and Liabilities | Regulatory Assets and LiabilitiesPursuant to the requirements concerning accounting for regulated operations, our utilities capitalize, as regulatory assets, incurred and accrued costs that are probable of recovery in future electric and natural gas rates. We base our assessment of whether recovery is probable on the existence of regulatory orders that allow for recovery of certain costs over a specific period, or allow for reconciliation or deferral of certain costs. When costs are not treated in a specific regulatory order, we use regulatory precedent to determine if recovery is probable. Our operating utilities also record, as regulatory liabilities, obligations to refund previously collected revenue or to spend revenue collected from customers on future costs. The primary items that are not included in rate base or accruing carrying costs are regulatory assets for qualified pension and other postretirement benefits, which reflect unrecognized actuarial gains and losses; debt premium; environmental remediation costs, which are primarily the offset of accrued liabilities for future spending; unfunded future income taxes, which are the offset to the unfunded future deferred income tax liability recorded; asset retirement obligations; hedge losses; and contracts for differences. As of September 30, 2023, the total net amount of these items is approximately $972 million. CMP Distribution Rate Case On August 11, 2022, CMP filed a three-year rate plan, with adjustments to the distribution revenue requirement in each year. Following discovery and technical conferences and settlement negotiations, on May 31, 2023, CMP filed a Stipulation resolving all issues in the case providing for a 9.35% ROE, 50% equity ratio, and 50% earnings sharing for annual earnings in excess of 100 basis points of CMP’s allowed ROE. The Stipulation also provides for a two-year forward looking rate plan with increases to occur in four equal levelized amounts every six months beginning on July 1, 2023. The next three increases will occur on January 1, 2024, July 1, 2024, and January 1, 2025. The amount of each increase is $16.75 million. These revenue increases include amounts for operations and maintenance but are primarily driven by increases in capital investment forecast by CMP to occur during the period covered by the Stipulation. The Stipulation also imposes a service quality indicator incentive mechanism on CMP. The incentive is provided by a penalty mechanism that would impose a maximum of $8.8 million per year for a failure to meet specified service quality indicator targets. No party opposed the Stipulation and it was approved in its entirety by the MPUC on June 6, 2023. NYSEG and RG&E Rate Plans On May 26, 2022, NYSEG and RG&E filed for a new rate plan with the NYPSC. The rate filings were based on test year 2021 financial results adjusted to the rate year May 1, 2023 – April 30, 2024. NYSEG and RG&E filed for a one-year rate plan but expressed interest in exploring a multi-year plan during the pendency of the case (as is the custom in New York). On August 12, 2022, NYSEG and RG&E filed an update to its rate plan filing called for in the litigation schedule. On September 16, 2022, the NYPSC suspended new tariffs and rates through April 21, 2023, and NYSEG and RG&E voluntarily agreed to subsequent suspensions through October 18, 2023, subject to a make-whole provision. Following discovery, settlement negotiations, and a hearing on the settlement, on June 14, 2023, NYSEG and RG&E filed a Joint Proposal (2023 JP) settlement for a three-year rate plan with the NYPSC. The 2023 JP proposes a three-year rate plan for electric and gas service at NYSEG and RG&E commencing May 1, 2023 and continuing through April 30, 2026. For purposes of the 2023 JP, the three rate years are defined as the 12 months ending April 30, 2024 (New York Rate Year 1); April 30, 2025 (New York Rate Year 2); and April 30, 2026 (New York Rate Year 3); respectively. On October 12, 2023, the NYPSC approved the JP 2023, commencing May 1, 2023 and continuing through April 30, 2026. The effective date of new tariffs is November 1, 2023 with a make-whole provision back to May 1, 2023. The 2023 JP, as approved, changes in delivery rates for NYSEG's and RG&E’s Electric and Gas businesses that were levelized. Actual bill impacts will vary by customer class based on the agreed‑upon revenue allocation and rate design. The table below illustrates the Revenue Requirements and provides delivery and total bill percentages with rate levelization: Delivery Rate Increase Summary With Rate Levelization Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Rate Increase Delivery Rate % Total Rate % Rate Increase Delivery Rate % Total Rate % Rate Increase Delivery Rate % Total Rate % (Millions) Increase Increase (millions) Increase Increase (millions) Increase Increase NYSEG Electric $ 137 14.4 % 6.6 % $ 161 14.7 % 7.3 % $ 201 15.1 % 8.2 % NYSEG Gas $ 12 5.5 % 2.0 % $ 12 5.5 % 2.0 % $ 13 5.5 % 2.1 % RG&E Electric $ 51 10.0 % 5.0 % $ 57 10.1 % 5.3 % $ 65 10.2 % 5.7 % RG&E Gas $ 18 9.7 % 3.4 % $ 20 9.8 % 3.6 % $ 22 9.8 % 3.9 % The allowed rate of return on common equity for NYSEG Electric, NYSEG Gas, RG&E Electric and RG&E Gas is 9.20%. The common equity ratio for each business is 48.00%. The Earnings Sharing Mechanism (ESM) applicable to each business will be based on Rate Year ESM thresholds as set forth in the table below. 100% of the customers’ portion of earnings above the sharing threshold that would otherwise be deferred for the benefit of customers will be used to reduce NYSEG's and RG&E’s respective outstanding regulatory asset deferral balances. In addition, 50% of NYSEG's and RG&E’s portion will be used to reduce their respective outstanding storm-related regulatory asset deferral balances to the extent such balances exist. Customers / Shareholders Earned ROE No Sharing ROE ≤ 9.70% 50% / 50% ROE > 9.70% and ≤ 10.20% 75% / 25% ROE > 10.20% and ≤ 10.70% 90% / 10% ROE > 10.70% The 2023 JP further enhances distribution vegetation management at NYSEG Electric. NYSEG Electric’s total distribution vegetation management spending will increase to approximately $66 million in Rate Year 1 through three programs. NYSEG Electric routine distribution vegetation management spending will be approximately $34 million in Rate Year 1. In addition, NYSEG Electric will continue its distribution vegetation management Reclamation Program with planned spending of approximately $21 million in Rate Year 1. NYSEG Electric will also continue its Danger Tree program to address danger trees outside of the distribution right-of-way at approximately $11 million in Rate Year 1. RG&E Electric’s total distribution vegetation management spending will be approximately $10.7 million in Rate Year 1 comprised of approximately $9 million for routine distribution vegetation management and $1.7 million for its Danger Tree program, which addresses danger trees outside of the distribution right-of-way. NYSEG and RG&E will continue to be subject to three Electric Reliability Performance Measures: the SAIFI; the CAIDI; and the Distribution Line Inspection Program Metric for Level II Deficiencies. Beginning with calendar year 2023, if NYSEG is assessed a negative revenue adjustment (NRA) for failing to meet its annual SAIFI performance metric, NYSEG will use such NRA(s) for purposes of accelerating its vegetation management reclamation program. The 2023 JP maintains NYSEG’s and RG&E’s current Gas Safety Performance Measures. NYSEG and RG&E will continue to work with New York State Department of Public Service Staff, local fire departments, and emergency management organizations to adopt the principles of the Pipeline Emergency Responders Initiative. NYSEG and RG&E will continue to conduct scenario and hands-on drill trainings for First Responders. In addition, NYSEG and RG&E will continue their Residential Methane Detection (RMD) Program that distributes RMDs to targeted customers and implement a Meter Relocation Pilot Program through which NYSEG and RG&E will move gas meters and service regulators from the inside of a customer’s premises to the outside of a customer’s premises. The 2023 JP establishes threshold performance levels for designated aspects of customer service quality (PSC Complaint Rate, Customer Satisfaction Survey; Calls Answered in 30 Seconds, and Percent of Estimated Bills) and subjects NYSEG and RG&E to potentially significant NRAs if they fail to meet the performance levels. The 2023 JP, among other things, also: 1) requires NYSEG and RG&E to provide a $35 bill credit if they miss a scheduled appointment with a residential customer; 2) provides that Community Distributed Generation (CDG) value stack customers who have not received a revised/corrected bill with the correct credit amount within 45 days of the bill issuance date, shall receive an additional bill credit of $10 per month for each month in excess of the initial 45-day period that the CDG/value stack bill credits are applied; 3) continues enhanced winter protections for residential customers during the cold weather period of November 1 through April 15; 4) enhances extreme heat protections by suspending residential terminations in a geographic operating region on days when temperatures are forecast at or above 85 degrees in that geographic operating region; and 5) commits NYSEG and RG&E to develop training materials, internal policy documents, and other relevant communications pertaining to situations in which a customer indicates that they have been victims of domestic violence. NYSEG and RG&E will continue a RAM to return or collect the remaining Customer Bill Credits established in the 2020 Rate Plan, and the net balance of other RAM Eligible Deferrals and Costs, including: (1) property taxes; (2) Major Storm deferral balances; (3) gas leak prone pipe replacement; (4) REV costs and fees which are not covered by other recovery mechanisms; (5) costs associated with the implementation of any NYPSC-ordered EV program which are not covered by any other cost recovery mechanisms; and (6) Covid-Related uncollectibles (Rate Year 1 and Rate Year 2 only). The annual RAM recovery/return has been increased from 2.00% to 2.45% of NYSEG’s and RG&E’s delivery revenues (by business) as follows: (1) $29.4 million for NYSEG Electric; (2) $5.8 million for NYSEG Gas; (3) $15.0 million for RG&E Electric; and (4) $5.4 million for RG&E Gas. Customer Bill Credits shall continue to be recovered from those service classes which were eligible to receive such credits. The 2023 JP provides for partial or full reconciliation of certain expenses including, but not limited to pensions / OPEBs; property taxes; management, operations, and staffing audit expense; gas research and development; pipeline integrity costs; and Economic Development programs. The 2023 JP also includes a downward-only Net Plant reconciliation for certain specific projects as well as for the overall capital plan. In addition, the 2023 JP includes downward-only reconciliations for the costs of electric and gas distribution vegetation management; pipeline integrity; gas reconcilable programs; incremental maintenance and employee labor cost levels. NYSEG and RG&E will continue an Electric Revenue Decoupling Mechanism on a total revenue per class basis. The 2023 JP reflects the recovery of deferred NYSEG Electric and RG&E Electric Major Storm costs of approximately $371 million and $54.6 million, respectively. NYSEG’s remaining super storm regulatory asset of $52.3 million and the non-super storm regulatory asset of $96.6 million from the 2020 Joint Proposal are being amortized over seven years. RG&E’s remaining non-super storm regulatory asset of $19.6 million established prior to the 2020 Joint Proposal is being amortized over two years. All other deferred storm costs at both NYSEG and RG&E are being amortized over 10 years. The 2023 JP gradually increases NYSEG’s and RG&E’s Major Storm rate allowances over the term of the 2023 JP to better align NYSEG’s and RG&E’s actual Major Storm costs with such rate allowances and to support NYSEG’s and RG&E’s credit metrics. The Major Storm annual rate allowance for NYSEG Electric is approximately $31.5 million in New York Rate Year 1, $41.5 million in New York Rate Year 2, and $46.5 million in New York Rate Year 3. The Major Storm annual rate allowance for RG&E Electric is approximately $4.5 million in New York Rate Year 1, $6.0 million in New York Rate Year 2, and $7.6 million in New York Rate Year 3. The 2023 JP contains provisions consistent with, supportive of, and in furtherance of the objectives of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) including provisions that will, among other things, increase funding for energy efficiency programs, enhance the electric system in anticipation of increased electrification and increase funding for electric heat pump programs, provide funding for improved electric and gas reliability and resiliency, encourage non-pipe and non-wire alternatives, and replace leak prone pipe. The 2023 JP also includes support for $634 million of capital investment for CLCPA Phase 1 investments projected to be placed in-service beyond the three-year rate plan. UI, CNG, SCG and BGC Rate Plans Under Connecticut law, The United Illuminating Company’s (UI) retail electricity customers are able to choose their electricity supplier while UI remains their electric distribution company. UI purchases power for those of its customers under standard service rates who do not choose a retail electric supplier and have a maximum demand of less than 500 kilowatts and its customers under supplier of last resort service for those who are not eligible for standard service and who do not choose to purchase electric generation service from a retail electric supplier. The cost of the power is a “pass-through” to those customers through the Generation Service Charge on their bills. UI has wholesale power supply agreements in place for its entire standard service load for the first and second half of 2023, 80% of the first half of 2024, and 20% for the second half of 2024. Supplier of last resort service is procured on a quarterly basis and UI has a wholesale power supply agreement in place for the second, third and fourth quarters of 2023. In 2016, PURA approved new distribution rate schedules for UI for three years, which became effective January 1, 2017 and, among other things, provide for annual tariff increases and an ROE of 9.10% based on a 50.00% equity ratio, continued UI’s existing ESM pursuant to which UI and its customers share on a 50/50 basis all distribution earnings above the allowed ROE in a calendar year, continued the existing decoupling mechanism and approved the continuation of the requested storm reserve. Any dollars due to customers from the ESM continue to be first applied against any storm regulatory asset balance (if one exists at that time) or refunded to customers through a bill credit if such storm regulatory asset balance does not exist. On September 9, 2022, UI filed a distribution revenue requirement case proposing a three-year rate plan commencing September 1, 2023 through August 31, 2026. The filing was based on a test year ending December 31, 2021, for the rate years beginning September 1, 2023 (UI Rate Year 1), September 1, 2024 (UI Rate Year 2), and September 1, 2025 (UI Rate Year 3). UI requested that PURA approve new distribution rates to recover an increase in revenue requirements of approximately $91 million in UI Rate Year 1, an incremental increase of approximately $20 million in UI Rate Year 2, and an incremental increase of approximately $19 million in UI Rate Year 3, compared to total revenues that would otherwise be recovered under UI’s current rate schedules. UI’s Rate Plan also included several measures to moderate the impact of the proposed rate update for all customers, including, without limitation a rate levelization proposal to spread the proposed total rate increase over the three rate years, which would result in a change in revenue in UI Rate Year 1 of approximately $54 million. On July 21, 2023, PURA issued a proposed Final Decision (draft decision), providng for an 8.8% ROE, 50% equity ratio, and for a one-year rate plan. UI filed exceptions to the draft decision on August 7, 2023. On August 25, 2023 PURA issued its Final Decision on UI's one-year rate plan commencing on September 1, 2023, providing for a rate increase of $23 million based on an allowed ROE of 9.1% that was reduced to 8.63% by certain adjustments. The Final Decision established a capital structure consisting of 50% common equity and 50% debt. The Final Decision results in an average increase in base distribution rates of about 6.6% and an average increase in customer bills of about 2% compared to current levels. On September 18, 2023, UI filed an appeal of the PURA's Final Decision in Connecticut Superior Court, because factual and legal errors related to the treatment of deferred assets, plant in service, and operating expenses. We cannot predict the outcome of this matter. In 2017, PURA approved new tariffs for the SCG effective January 1, 2018 for a three-year rate plan with annual rate increases. The new tariffs also include an RDM and Distribution Integrity Management Program (DIMP) mechanism, ESM, the amortization of certain regulatory liabilities (most notably accumulated hardship deferral balances and certain accumulated deferred income taxes) and tariff increases based on an ROE of 9.25% and approximately 52.00% equity level. Any dollars due to customers from the ESM are be first applied against any environmental regulatory asset balance as defined in the settlement agreement (if one exists at that time) or refunded to customers through a bill credit if such environmental regulatory asset balance does not exist. In 2018, PURA approved new tariffs for CNG effective January 1, 2019 for a three-year rate plan with annual rate increases. The new tariffs continued the RDM and DIMP mechanism. ESM and tariff increases are based on an ROE of 9.30% and an equity ratio of 54.00% in 2019, 54.50% in 2020 and 55.00% in 2021. On April 24, 2023 the Connecticut Attorney General, Office of Consumer Counsel, Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority Office of Education, Outreach, and Enforcement and the Connecticut Industrial Energy Consumer filed a Petition requesting that PURA conduct a general rate hearing for CNG. On May 5, 2023, CNG and SCG responded indicating a willingness to file general rate cases for each company by November 1, 2023. PURA assented to the companies’ proposal on May 21, 2023. On September 29, 2023, SCG and CNG filed a notice of intent to file general rate cases on or about November 3, 2023. On June 24, 2022, BGC filed a Settlement Agreement with the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office (AGO) for DPU approval. The Settlement Agreement followed BGC’s December 14, 2021 filing of a Notice of Intent to File Rate Schedules. Following that filing, BGC and the AGO negotiated the Settlement Agreement in lieu of a fully litigated rate case before the DPU. The Settlement Agreement allows for agreed-upon adjustments to BGC’s revenue requirement as well as various step increases BGC shall be entitled to on January 1, 2023 and January 1, 2024. The Settlement Agreement provides that it shall be void unless approved in its entirety by the DPU by November 1, 2022. It provides for the opportunity to increase BGC’s revenue requirement by as much as $5.6 million over current rates (reflective of a 9.70% ROE and a 54.00% equity ratio as well as other stepped adjustments) through January 1, 2024. The Settlement Agreement was approved in its entirety by the DPU on October 27, 2022, and new rates went into effect January 1, 2023. Connecticut Energy Legislation On October 7, 2020, the Governor of Connecticut signed into law an energy bill that, among other things, instructs PURA to revise the rate-making structure in Connecticut to adopt performance-based rates for each electric distribution company, increases the maximum civil penalties assessable for failures in emergency preparedness, and provides for certain penalties and reimbursements to customers after storm outages greater than 96 hours and extends rate case timelines. Pursuant to the legislation, on October 30, 2020, PURA re-opened a docket related to new rate designs and review, expanding the scope to consider (a) the implementation of an interim rate decrease; (b) low-income rates; and (c) economic development rates. Separately, UI was due to make its annual RAM filing on March 8, 2021 for the approval of its RAM Rate Components reconciliations: Generation Services Charges, By-passable Federally Mandated Congestion Costs, System Benefits Charge, Transmission Adjustment Charge and RDM. On March 9, 2021, UI, jointly with the Office of the CT Attorney General, the Office of CT Consumer Counsel, DEEP and PURA’s Office of Education, Outreach, and Enforcement entered into a settlement agreement and filed a motion to approve the settlement agreement, which addressed issues in both dockets. In an order dated June 23, 2021, PURA approved the as amended settlement agreement in its entirety and it was executed by the parties. The settlement agreement includes a contribution by UI of $5 million and provides customers rate credits of $50 million while allowing UI to collect $52 million in RAM, all over a 22-month period ending April 2023 and also includes a distribution base rate freeze through April 2023. Pursuant to the legislation, PURA opened a docket to consider the implementation of the associated customer compensation and reimbursement provisions in emergency events where customers were without power for more than 96 consecutive hours. On June 30, 2021, PURA issued a final decision implementing the legislative mandate to create a program pursuant to which residential customers will receive $25 for each day without power after 96 hours and also receive reimbursement of $250 for spoiled food and medicine. The decision emphasizes that no costs incurred in connection with this program are recoverable from customers. On June 29, 2023 the Governor of Connecticut signed SB7 into law, which included language that Level 1 storm events were exempt from the waiver. We will continue to review the requirements of the program for the next legislative session. PURA Investigation of the Preparation for and Response to the Tropical Storm Isaias and Connecticut Storm Reimbursement Legislation On August 6, 2020, PURA opened a docket to investigate the preparation for and response to Tropical Storm Isaias by the electric distribution companies in Connecticut including UI. Following hearings and the submission of testimony, PURA issued a final decision on April 15, 2021, finding that UI “generally met standards of acceptable performance in its preparation and response to Tropical Storm Isaias," subject to certain exceptions noted in the decision, but ordered a 15-basis point reduction to UI's ROE in its next rate case to incentivize better performance and indicated that penalties could be forthcoming in the penalty phase of the proceedings. On June 11, 2021, UI filed an appeal of PURA’s decision with the Connecticut Superior Court. On May 6, 2021, in connection with its findings in the Tropical Storm Isaias docket, PURA issued a Notice of Violation to UI for allegedly failing to comply with standards of acceptable performance in emergency preparation or restoration of service in an emergency and with orders of the Authority, and for violations of accident reporting requirements. PURA assessed a civil penalty in the total amount of approximately $2 million. PURA held a hearing on this matter and, in an order dated July 14, 2021, reduced the civil penalty to approximately $1 million. UI filed an appeal of PURA’s decision with the Connecticut Superior Court. This appeal and the appeal of PURA’s decision on the Tropical Storm Isaias docket have been consolidated. Oral arguments were held on October 11, 2022, and on October 17, 2022, the court denied UI’s appeal and affirmed PURA’s decisions in their entirety. UI filed a notice of appeal to Connecticut's Appellate court on November 7, 2022 and briefs in April and June 2023. We cannot predict the outcome of this proceeding. Regulatory Assets and Liabilities The regulatory assets and regulatory liabilities shown in the tables below result from various regulatory orders that allow for the deferral and/or reconciliation of specific costs. Regulatory assets and regulatory liabilities are classified as current when recovery or refund in the coming year is allowed or required through a specific order or when the rates related to a specific regulatory asset or regulatory liability are subject to automatic annual adjustment. Regulatory assets as of September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively, consisted of: September 30, December 31, As of 2023 2022 (Millions) Pension and other post-retirement benefits $ 362 $ 365 Pension and other post-retirement benefits cost deferrals 38 93 Storm costs 767 671 Rate adjustment mechanism 51 41 Revenue decoupling mechanism 59 52 Transmission revenue reconciliation mechanism 2 11 Contracts for differences 43 56 Hardship programs 33 33 Plant decommissioning — 1 Deferred purchased gas 11 56 Environmental remediation costs 236 248 Debt premium 59 64 Unamortized losses on reacquired debt 19 19 Unfunded future income taxes 545 492 Federal tax depreciation normalization adjustment 132 137 Asset retirement obligation 20 20 Deferred meter replacement costs 59 55 COVID-19 cost recovery and late payment surcharge 12 17 Low income arrears forgiveness 61 31 Excess generation service charge 33 24 System Expansion 23 21 Non-bypassable charge 86 14 Hedges losses 14 13 Energy Efficiency Programs 22 13 Rate change levelization 18 — Electric supply reconciliation 13 19 Value of distributed energy resources 48 36 Other 291 166 Total regulatory assets 3,057 2,768 Less: current portion 570 447 Total non-current regulatory assets $ 2,487 $ 2,321 “Pension and other post-retirement benefits” represent the actuarial losses on the pension and other post-retirement plans that will be reflected in customer rates when they are amortized and recognized in future pension expenses. “Pension and other post-retirement benefits cost deferrals” include the difference between actual expense for pension and other post-retirement benefits and the amount provided for in rates for certain of our regulated utilities. A portion of this balance is amortized through current rates, the remaining portion will be refunded in future periods through future rate cases. “Storm costs” for CMP, NYSEG, RG&E and UI are allowed in rates based on an estimate of the routine costs of service restoration. The companies are also allowed to defer unusually high levels of service restoration costs resulting from major storms when they meet certain criteria for severity and duration. A portion of this balance is amortized through current rates, and the remaining portion will be determined through future rate cases. “Rate adjustment mechanism” represents an interim rate change to return or collect certain defined reconciled revenues and costs for NYSEG and RG&E following the approval of the Joint Proposal by the NYPSC. The RAM, when triggered, is implemented in rates on July 1 of each year for return or collection over a twelve-month period. "Revenue decoupling mechanism" represents the mechanism established to disassociate the utility's profits from its delivery/commodity sales. "Transmission revenue reconciliation mechanism" reflects differences in actual costs in the rate year from those used to set rates. This mechanism contains the Annual Transmission True up (ATU), which is recovered over the subsequent June to May period. “Contracts for Differences” represent the deferral of unrealized gains and losses on contracts for differences derivative contracts. The balance fluctuates based upon quarterly market analysis performed on the related derivatives. The amounts, which do not earn a return, are fully offset by a corresponding derivative asset/liability. “Hardship Programs” represent hardship customer accounts deferred for future recovery to the extent they exceed the amount in rates. “Plant decommissioning” represents decommissioning and demolition expenses related to closing fossil plant facilities - Beebe & Russell. “Deferred Purchased Gas” represents the difference between actual gas costs and gas costs collected in rates. “Environmental remediation costs” includes spending that has occurred and is eligible for future recovery in customer rates. Environmental costs are currently recovered through a reserve mechanism whereby projected spending is included in rates with any variance recorded as a regulatory asset or a regulatory liability. The amortization period will be established in future proceedings and will depend upon the timing of spending for the remediation costs. It also includes the anticipated future rate recovery of costs that are recorded as environmental liabilities since these will be recovered when incurred. Because no funds have yet been expended for the regulatory asset related to future spending, it does not accrue carrying costs and is not included within rate base. “Debt premium” represents the regulatory asset recorded to offset the fair value adjustment to the regulatory component of the non-current debt of UIL at the acquisition date. This amount is being amortized to interest expense over the remaining term of the related outstanding debt instruments. “Unamortized losses on reacquired debt” represent deferred losses on debt reacquisitions that will be recovered over the remaining original amortization period of the reacquired debt. “Unfunded future income taxes” represent unrecovered federal and state income taxes primarily resulting from regulatory flow through accounting treatment and are the offset to the unfunded future deferred income tax liability recorded. The income tax benefits or charges for certain plant related timing differences, such as removal costs, are immediately flowed through to, or collected from, customers. This amount is being amortized as the amounts related to temporary differences that give rise to the deferrals are recovered in rates. These amounts are being collected over a period of 46 years, and the NYPSC staff has initiated an audit, as required, of the unfunded future income taxes and other tax assets to verify the balances. “Federal tax depreciation normalization adjustment” represents the revenue requirement impact of the difference in the deferred income tax expense required to be recorded under the IRS normalization rules and the amount of deferred income tax expense that was included in cost of service for rate years covering 2011 forward. The recovery period in New York is from 25 to 35 years and for CMP 32.5 years beginning in 2020. “Asset retirement obligations” represents the differences in timing of the recognition of costs associated with our AROs and the collection of such amounts through rates. This amount is being amortized at the related depreciation and accretion amounts of the underlying liability. “Deferred meter replacement costs” represent the deferral of the book value of retired meters which were replaced or are planned to be replaced by AMI meters. This amount is being amortized over the initial depreciation period of related retired meters. "COVID-19 cost recovery and late payment surcharge" represents: a) deferred COVID-19-related costs in the state of Connecticut based on the order issued by PURA on April 29, 2020, requiring utilities to track COVID-19-related expenses and lost revenue and create a regulatory asset, and b) deferred lost late payment revenue in the state of New York based on the order issued by the NYPSC on June 17, 2022, approving deferral and surcharge/sur-credit mechanism to recover/return deferred balances starting July 1, 2022. “Low-income arrears forgiveness” represents deferred bill credits in the state of New York based on the order issued by the NYPSC on June 16, 2022, approving deferral of bill credits for low-income customers and recovery of regulatory asset from all customers over five years for RG&E and three years for NYSEG. Surcharge will start August 1, 2022. “Excess generation service charge” represents deferred generation-related costs or revenues for future recovery from or return to customers. The amount fluctuates based upon timing differences between revenues collected from rates and actual costs in |