REGULATORY ASSETS AND LIABILITIES (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2012

Regulatory Assets and Liabilities Disclosure [Abstract]

Schedule of Regulatory Assets

Regulatory Assets consisted of the following items (in thousands):

	September 30, 2012		December 31, 2011
Environmental Remediation Costs:
Expended - Net	$	40,773	$	45,815
Liability for Future Expenditures	91,512		89,984
Deferred Asset Retirement Obligation Costs	25,477		25,162
Deferred Pension and Other Postretirement Benefit Costs	88,340		88,624
Deferred Gas Costs - Net	4,638		22,441
Conservation Incentive Program Receivable	33,924		13,580
Societal Benefit Costs Receivable	11,827		8,618
Premium for Early Retirement of Debt	416		537
Deferred Interest Rate Contracts (Note 11)	8,365		8,146
Energy Efficiency Tracker	12,974		8,464
Other Regulatory Assets	5,915		3,850
Total Regulatory Assets	$	324,161	$	315,221

Schedule of Regulatory Liabilities

Regulatory Liabilities consisted of the following items (in thousands):

	September 30, 2012		December 31, 2011
Excess Plant Removal Costs	$	46,150	$	47,230
Other Regulatory Liabilities	6		1,081
Total Regulatory Liabilities	$	46,156	$	48,311