10-Q 1 form10q.htm SOUTH JERSEY GAS COMPANY 10-Q 6-30-2009 form10q.htm


UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, DC 20549

FORM 10-Q
(Mark one)
S
QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the quarterly period ended June 30, 2009

OR
 
£
TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the transition period from ________________ to ________________

Commission File Number 000-22211

SOUTH JERSEY GAS COMPANY
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

New Jersey
21-0398330
 (State of incorporation)
(IRS employer identification no.)

1 South Jersey Plaza, Folsom, NJ 08037
(Address of principal executive offices, including zip code)

(609) 561-9000
(Registrant's telephone number, including area code) 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: None
 
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
 
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.  
Yes S       No £

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).
Yes £      No £

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company.  See the definitions of “large accelerated filer”, “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filer
£
Accelerated filer
£
Non-accelerated filer
S (Do not check if a smaller reporting company)
Smaller reporting company
£
 
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    Yes £      No S
 
As of August 3, 2009 there were 2,339,139 shares of the registrant’s common stock outstanding. All common shares are owned by South Jersey Industries, Inc., the parent company of South Jersey Gas Company. 
 


 
SJG - 1

 
 
PART I — FINANCIAL INFORMATION

 
Item 1. Financial Statements — See Pages 3 through 23

 
SJG - 2

 
 
SOUTH JERSEY GAS COMPANY

CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (UNAUDITED)
(In Thousands)

   
Three Months Ended
 
   
June 30,
 
   
2009
   
2008
 
             
             
Operating Revenues
  $ 64,835     $ 93,571  
                 
Operating Expenses:
               
Cost of Sales (Excluding depreciation)
    29,905       60,263  
Operations
    16,007       13,531  
Maintenance
    1,705       1,635  
Depreciation
    6,549       6,350  
Energy and Other Taxes
    1,746       1,711  
                 
Total Operating Expenses
    55,912       83,490  
                 
Operating Income
    8,923       10,081  
                 
Other Income and Expense
    358       457  
                 
Interest Charges
    (4,152 )     (4,618 )
                 
Income Before Income Taxes
    5,129       5,920  
                 
Income Taxes
    (2,102 )     (2,482 )
                 
Net Income
  $ 3,027     $ 3,438  


The accompanying notes are an integral part of the unaudited condensed financial statements.

 
SJG - 3

 

SOUTH JERSEY GAS COMPANY

CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (UNAUDITED)
(In Thousands)

   
Six Months Ended
 
   
June 30,
 
   
2009
   
2008
 
             
             
Operating Revenues
  $ 307,948     $ 331,475  
                 
Operating Expenses:
               
Cost of Sales (Excluding depreciation)
    195,882       223,180  
Operations
    33,367       28,656  
Maintenance
    3,861       3,487  
Depreciation
    13,182       12,655  
Energy and Other Taxes
    6,367       6,068  
                 
Total Operating Expenses
    252,659       274,046  
                 
Operating Income
    55,289       57,429  
                 
Other Income and Expense
    682       627  
                 
Interest Charges
    (8,249 )     (9,593 )
                 
Income Before Income Taxes
    47,722       48,463  
                 
Income Taxes
    (19,717 )     (20,012 )
                 
Net Income
  $ 28,005     $ 28,451  


The accompanying notes are an integral part of the unaudited condensed financial statements.

 
SJG - 4

 
 

CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (UNAUDITED)
(In Thousands)

   
Three Months Ended
 
   
June 30,
 
   
2009
   
2008
 
             
             
             
Net Income
  $ 3,027     $ 3,438  
                 
Other Comprehensive Income  - Net of Tax:
               
                 
Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Available-for-Sale Securities
    266       (43 )
Unrealized Gain on Derivatives - Other
    7       372  
                 
Other Comprehensive Income - Net of Tax *
    273       329  
                 
Comprehensive Income
  $ 3,300     $ 3,767  
                 
                 
   
Six Months Ended
 
   
June 30,
 
    2009     2008  
                 
Net Income
  $ 28,005     $ 28,451  
                 
Other Comprehensive Income  - Net of Tax:
               
                 
Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Available-for-Sale Securities
    96       (280 )
Unrealized Gain on Derivatives - Other
    14       378  
                 
Other Comprehensive Income - Net of Tax *
    110       98  
                 
Comprehensive Income
  $ 28,115     $ 28,549  


* Determined using a combined statutory tax rate of 41.08%

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the unaudited condensed financial statements.

 
SJG - 5

 


 CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (UNAUDITED)
(In Thousands)

   
Six Months Ended
 
   
June 30,
 
   
2009
   
2008
 
             
             
Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities
  $ 59,993     $ 63,089  
                 
Cash Flows from Investing Activities:
               
Capital Expenditures
    (34,318 )     (22,737 )
Investment in Long-Term Receivables
    (2,791 )     (1,583 )
Proceeds from Long-Term Receivables
    3,341       1,891  
Purchase of Restricted Investments with Escrowed Loan Proceeds
    -       (27 )
                 
Net Cash Used in Investing Activities
    (33,768 )     (22,456 )
                 
Cash Flows from Financing Activities:
               
Net Repayments of Lines of Credit
    (23,150 )     (8,340 )
Principal Repayments of Long-Term Debt
    (17 )     (25,000 )
Dividends on Common Stock
    (2,500 )     (4,933 )
Excess Tax Benefit from Restricted Stock Plan
    -       236  
                 
Net Cash Used in Financing Activities
    (25,667 )     (38,037 )
                 
Net Increase in Cash and Cash Equivalents
    558       2,596  
Cash and Cash Equivalents at Beginning of Period
    2,228       3,230  
                 
Cash and Cash Equivalents at End of Period
  $ 2,786     $ 5,826  


The accompanying notes are an integral part of the unaudited condensed financial statements.

 
SJG - 6

 


CONDENSED BALANCE SHEETS (UNAUDITED)
(In Thousands)

   
June 30,
   
December 31,
 
   
2009
   
2008
 
Assets
           
             
Property, Plant and Equipment:
           
Utility Plant, at original cost
  $ 1,201,285     $ 1,172,014  
Accumulated Depreciation
    (303,902 )     (295,432 )
                 
Property, Plant and Equipment - Net
    897,383       876,582  
                 
Investments:
               
Available-for-Sale Securities
    5,074       4,841  
Restricted Investments
    132       132  
                 
Total Investments
    5,206       4,973  
                 
Current Assets:
               
Cash and Cash Equivalents
    2,786       2,228  
Accounts Receivable
    84,135       47,787  
Accounts Receivable - Related Parties
    1,872       624  
Unbilled Revenues
    5,636       48,225  
Provision for Uncollectibles
    (4,327 )     (3,628 )
Natural Gas in Storage, average cost
    24,221       65,252  
Materials and Supplies, average cost
    12,333       11,247  
Prepaid Taxes
    20,104       11,860  
Derivatives - Energy Related Assets
    579       380  
Other Prepayments and Current Assets
    2,874       2,416  
                 
Total Current Assets
    150,213       186,391  
                 
Regulatory and Other Noncurrent Assets:
               
Regulatory Assets
    241,155       270,434  
Unamortized Debt Issuance Costs
    5,899       6,147  
Long-Term Receivables
    7,468       7,081  
Derivatives - Energy Related Assets
    507       15  
Other
    2,626       2,392  
                 
Total Regulatory and Other Noncurrent Assets
    257,655       286,069  
                 
Total Assets
  $ 1,310,457     $ 1,354,015  


The accompanying notes are an integral part of the unaudited condensed financial statements.
 
 
SJG - 7

 

SOUTH JERSEY GAS COMPANY

CONDENSED BALANCE SHEETS (UNAUDITED)
(In Thousands, except per share amounts)

   
June 30,
   
December 31,
 
   
2009
   
2008
 
             
Capitalization and Liabilities
           
             
Common Equity:
           
Common Stock, Par Value $2.50 per share: Authorized - 4,000,000 shares; Outstanding - 2,339,139 shares
  $ 5,848     $ 5,848  
Other Paid-In Capital and Premium on Common Stock
    200,663       200,663  
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss
    (6,765 )     (6,875 )
Retained Earnings
    225,107       202,103  
                 
Total Common Equity
    424,853       401,739  
                 
Long-Term Debt
    269,856       269,873  
                 
Total Capitalization
    694,709       671,612  
                 
Current Liabilities:
               
Notes Payable
    91,400       114,550  
Current Portion of Long-Term Debt
    25,000       25,000  
Accounts Payable - Commodity
    9,500       36,587  
Accounts Payable - Other
    12,856       12,051  
Accounts Payable - Related Parties
    8,862       16,744  
Derivatives - Energy Related Liabilities
    22,402       26,698  
Deferred Income Taxes - Net
    11,053       12,475  
Customer Deposits and Credit Balances
    16,756       14,219  
Environmental Remediation Costs
    9,123       13,117  
Taxes Accrued
    6,938       2,291  
Pension Benefits
    991       991  
Interest Accrued
    6,089       6,244  
Dividends Declared
    2,501       -  
Other Current Liabilities
    4,048       6,449  
                 
Total Current Liabilities
    227,519       287,416  
                 
Regulatory and Other Noncurrent Liabilities:
               
Regulatory Liabilities
    52,262       50,447  
Deferred Income Taxes - Net
    194,323       187,050  
Environmental Remediation Costs
    45,765       50,976  
Asset Retirement Obligations
    22,618       22,299  
Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits
    62,720       67,566  
Investment Tax Credits
    1,675       1,832  
Derivatives - Energy Related Liabilities
    940       2,667  
Derivatives - Other
    2,933       7,578  
Other
    4,993       4,572  
                 
Total Regulatory and Other Noncurrent Liabilities
    388,229       394,987  
                 
Commitments and Contingencies (Note 9)
               
                 
Total Capitalization and Liabilities
  $ 1,310,457     $ 1,354,015  


The accompanying notes are an integral part of the unaudited condensed financial statements.

 
SJG - 8

 

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

1.
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES:

THE ENTITY - South Jersey Industries, Inc. (SJI) owns all of the outstanding common stock of South Jersey Gas Company (SJG), a regulated natural gas utility. SJG distributes natural gas in the seven southern most counties of New Jersey. In our opinion, the condensed financial statements reflect all normal and recurring adjustments needed to fairly present our financial position and operating results at the dates and for the periods presented. SJG’s business is subject to seasonal fluctuations and accordingly, this interim financial information should not be the basis for estimating the full year’s operating results. As permitted by the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission, the accompanying condensed financial statements contain certain condensed financial information and exclude certain note disclosures normally included in annual audited financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP). These condensed financial statements should be read in conjunction with SJG’s 2008 Form 10-K for a more complete discussion of our accounting policies and certain other information.

The Company evaluated subsequent events through August 7, 2009, the date on which this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

REVENUE BASED TAXES - SJG collects certain revenue-based energy taxes from its customers. Such taxes include New Jersey State Sales Tax, Transitional Energy Facility Assessment (TEFA) and Public Utilities Assessment (PUA). State sales tax is recorded as a liability when billed to customers and is not included in revenue or operating expenses. TEFA and PUA are included in both revenues and cost of sales and totaled $1.3 million for both the three months ended  June 30, 2009 and 2008,  and $5.3 million and $5.0 million for the six months ended June 30, 2009 and 2008, respectively.

CAPITALIZED INTEREST - SJG capitalizes interest on construction at the rate of return on rate base utilized by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to set rates in our last base rate proceeding   See Note 2 to the Financial Statements in Item 8 of SJG’s Form 10-K as of December 31, 2008.  Capitalized interest is included in Utility Plant on the condensed balance sheets. Interest Charges are presented net of capitalized interest on the condensed statements of income.   The amount of interest capitalized by SJG for the three and six months ended June 30, 2009 and 2008 was not significant.

 
SJG - 9

 

DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS — SJG is involved in buying, selling, transporting and storing natural gas and is subject to market risk on expected future purchases and sales due to commodity price fluctuations. The Company, through its affiliate South Jersey Resources Group (SJRG), uses a variety of derivative instruments to limit this exposure to market risk in accordance with strict corporate guidelines. These derivative instruments include forward contracts, swap agreements, options contracts and futures contracts. As of June 30, 2009, SJG had outstanding derivative contracts intended to limit the exposure to market risk on 16.8 MMdts of expected future purchases of natural gas. These contracts, which do not qualify for the normal purchase and sale exemption and have not been designated as hedging instruments under FAS 133, are measured at fair value and recorded in Derivatives —Energy Related Assets or Derivatives — Energy Related Liabilities on the condensed balance sheets. The costs or benefits of these short-term contracts are recoverable through SJG’s Basic Gas Supply Service (BGSS) clause, subject to BPU approval. As a result, the net unrealized pre-tax gains and losses for these energy related commodity contracts are included with realized gains and losses in Regulatory Assets or Regulatory Liabilities on the condensed balance sheets. As of June 30, 2009 and December 31, 2008, SJG had $22.3 million and $29.0 million of unrealized losses, respectively, included in its BGSS related to open financial contracts.
 
The Company has also entered into interest rate derivatives to hedge exposure to increasing interest rates and the impact of those rates on cash flows of variable-rate debt. These interest rate derivatives, which have not been designated as hedging instruments under FAS 133, are measured at fair value and recorded in Derivatives-Other on the condensed balance sheets. The fair value represents the amount SJG would have to pay the counterparty to terminate these contracts as of those dates. There have been no significant changes to the Company’s active interest rate swaps since December 31, 2008 which are described in Note 1 to the Financial Statements in Item 8 of SJG’s Annual Report on Form 10-K as of December 31, 2008. Management believes that, subject to BPU approval, the market value upon termination of these interest rate derivatives can be recovered in rates and therefore these unrealized losses have been included in Regulatory Assets on the condensed balance sheets in accordance with FAS 71 “Accounting for the Effects of Certain Types of Regulation.”

 
SJG - 10

 
 
The fair values of all derivative instruments, as reflected in the condensed balance sheets as of June 30, 2009 and December 31, 2008, are as follows (in thousands):
 
 
Fair Values of Derivative Instruments
   
 
Asset Derivatives
   
 
June 30, 2009
 
December 31, 2008
 
                 
 
Balance Sheet Location
 
Fair Value
 
Balance Sheet Location
 
Fair Value
 
                     
Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments under Statement 133
                   
                     
Energy related commodity contracts
Derivatives - Energy Related Assets-Current
 
$
579
 
Derivatives - Energy Related Assets-Current
 
$
380
 
                     
 
Noncurrent
   
507
 
Noncurrent
   
15
 
                     
Total asset derivatives
   
$
1,086
     
$
395
 

 
Liability Derivatives
 
         
 
June 30, 2009
 
December 31, 2008
 
                 
 
Balance Sheet Location
 
Fair Value
 
Balance Sheet Location
 
Fair Value
 
                 
Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments under Statement 133
                   
                     
 Energy related commodity contracts
Derivatives - Energy Related Liabilities-Current
 
$
22,402
 
Derivatives - Energy Related Liabilities-Current
 
$
26,698
 
                     
 
Noncurrent
   
940
 
Noncurrent
   
 2,667
 
                     
 Interest rate contracts
Derivatives - Other
   
2,933
 
Derivatives - Other
   
 7,578
 
                     
Total liability derivatives
   
$
26,275
     
$
36,943
 
 
There is no effect from SJG’s derivative instruments on the condensed statements of income for the three and six months ended June 30, 2009 and 2008.  As noted previously, the costs or benefits of gas contracts are recoverable through SJG’s BGSS clause and management believes that, subject to BPU approval, the fair value upon termination of the interest rate derivatives can be recovered in rates.
 
STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION PLANS - The following table summarizes the SJI nonvested restricted stock awards pertaining to SJG outstanding at June 30, 2009, and the assumptions used to estimate the fair value of the awards:

Grant
 
Shares
   
Fair Value
   
Expected
   
Risk-Free
 
Date
 
Outstanding
   
Per Share
   
Volatility
   
Interest Rate
 
                         
Jan. 2007
    9,045     $ 29.210       18.5 %     4.9 %
Jan. 2008
    9,238     $ 34.030       21.7 %     2.9 %
Jan. 2009
    8,318     $ 39.350       28.6 %     1.2 %

Expected volatility is based on the actual daily volatility of SJI’s share price over the preceding 3-year period as of the valuation date. The risk-free interest rate is based on the zero-coupon U.S. Treasury Bond, with a term equal to the 3-year term of the restricted shares. As notional dividend equivalents are credited to the holders, which are reinvested during the 3-year service period, no reduction to the fair value of the award is required.

 
SJG - 11

 

The cost per quarter for restricted stock awards during 2009 and 2008 is approximately $74,200 and $64,600, respectively.

As of June 30, 2009, there was $0.5 million of total unrecognized compensation cost related to nonvested share-based compensation awards granted under the restricted stock plans. That cost is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 2.0 years.

The following table summarizes information regarding restricted stock award activity during the six  months ended June 30, 2009, excluding accrued dividend equivalents:
 
   
Shares
   
Weighted Average
Grant Date
Fair Value
 
Nonvested Shares Outstanding, January 1, 2009
   
18,283
   
$
31.645
 
                 
Granted
   
8,318
     
39.350
 
                 
Nonvested Shares Outstanding, June 30, 2009
   
26,601
   
$
34.055
 
 
During March 2009, SJG awarded 13,640 shares that had vested at December 31, 2008, to its officers at a market value of $0.5 million. During March 2008, SJG awarded 12,299 shares at a market value of $0.4 million. SJG has a policy of making cash payments to SJI to satisfy its obligations under this plan. Cash payments to SJI during March  2009 and 2008 were approximately $0.2 million and $0.6 million, respectively, relating to stock awards and include obligations for services previously rendered by officers that are currently employed by affiliates as a result of a January 1, 2006 corporate restructuring by SJI. Additionally, a change in control could result in the nonvested shares becoming nonforfeitable or immediately payable in cash.

NEW ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS - In September 2006, the FASB issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 157, “Fair Value Measurements (FAS 157),” which defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value in GAAP, and expands disclosures about fair value measurements. In October 2008, the FASB issued FSP 157-3, “Determining the Fair Value of a Financial Asset When the Market for That Asset Is Not Active,” to provide clarification of the application of Statement 157 in a market that is not active and to provide an example to illustrate key considerations in determining the fair value of a financial asset in such a non-active market. This statement was effective in fiscal years beginning after November 15, 2007. However for nonfinancial assets and nonfinancial liabilities that are recognized or disclosed at fair value in the financial statements on a nonrecurring basis, FAS 157 is effective in fiscal years beginning after November 15, 2008.  The adoption of this statement did not have a material effect on SJG’s condensed financial statements.  

 
SJG - 12

 

In March 2008, the FASB issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 161, “Disclosures about Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities – an amendment of SFAS No. 133” (FAS 161).  This statement requires disclosures of how and why an entity uses derivative instruments, how derivative instruments and related hedged items are accounted for and how derivative instruments and related hedged items affect an entity’s financial position, financial performance and cash flows.  FAS 161 is effective for fiscal years beginning after November 15, 2008.   The adoption of this statement did not have a material effect on SJG’s condensed financial statements.  See disclosures in Note 1.

In December 2008, the FASB issued FASB Staff Position (FSP) No. 132(R)-1, “Employers’ Disclosures about Postretirement Benefit Plan Assets,” which amends Statement 132(R) to require more detailed disclosures about employers’ plan assets, including employers’ investment strategies, major categories of plan assets, concentrations of risk within plan assets, and valuation techniques used to measure the fair value of plan assets. The provisions of this FSP are effective for reporting periods ending after December 15, 2009. Management is currently evaluating the impact that the adoption of this position will have on the SJG’s financial statements.

In December 2008, the Emerging Issue Task Force issued EITF Issue No. 08-5, “Issuer’s Accounting for Liabilities Measured at Fair Value With a Third-Party Credit Enhancement.”  The Task Force reached a consensus that an issuer of a liability with a third-party credit enhancement that is inseparable from the liability must treat the liability and the credit enhancement as two units of accounting. Under the consensus, the fair value measurement of the liability does not include the effect of the third-party credit enhancement; therefore, changes in the issuer’s credit standing without the support of the credit enhancement affect the fair value measurement of the issuer’s liability. Entities will need to disclose the existence of any third-party credit enhancements related to their liabilities that are within the scope of this Issue (i.e., that are measured at fair value). The consensus is effective in the first reporting period beginning on or after December 15, 2008. The adoption of this consensus did not have a material effect on SJG’s financial statements.

In April 2009, the FASB issued FSP FAS 107-1 and APB 28-1— “Interim Disclosures about Fair Value of Financial Instruments.” This FSP amends FASB Statement No. 107, “Disclosures about Fair Value of Financial Instruments”, to require disclosures about fair value of financial instruments for interim reporting periods of publicly traded companies as well as in annual financial statements. This FSP also amends APB Opinion No. 28, “Interim Financial Reporting,” to require those disclosures in summarized financial information at interim reporting periods. This FSP was effective for interim reporting periods ending after June 15, 2009. The adoption of this position did not have a material effect on SJG’s condensed financial statements.

 
SJG - 13

 

In April 2009, the FASB issued FSP FAS 115-2 and FAS 124-2— “Recognition and Presentation of Other-Than-Temporary Impairments.” This FSP amends the other-than-temporary impairment guidance in U.S. GAAP for debt securities to make the guidance more operational and to improve the presentation and disclosure of other-than-temporary impairments on debt and equity securities in the financial statements. This FSP does not amend existing recognition and measurement guidance related to other-than-temporary impairments of equity securities. The FSP was effective for interim and annual reporting periods ending after June 15, 2009. The adoption of this position did not have a material effect on SJG’s condensed financial statements.

In April 2009, the FASB issued FSP FAS 157-4— “Determining Fair Value When the Volume and Level of Activity for the Asset or Liability Have Significantly Decreased and Identifying Transactions That Are Not Orderly.” This FSP provides additional guidance for estimating fair value in accordance with FASB Statement No. 157, “Fair Value Measurements,” when the volume and level of activity for the asset or liability have significantly decreased. This FSP also includes guidance on identifying circumstances that indicate a transaction is not orderly. This FSP is effective for interim and annual reporting periods ending after June 15, 2009, and shall be applied prospectively. The adoption of this position did not have a material effect on SJG’s condensed financial statements.

In May 2009, the FASB issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 165 (FAS165), “Subsequent Events.”  This statement provides guidance on management’s assessment of subsequent events.  Historically, management had relied on U.S. auditing literature for guidance on assessing and disclosing subsequent events.  FAS 165 represents the inclusion of guidance on subsequent events in the accounting literature and is directed specifically to management.  The new standard clarifies that management must evaluate, as of each reporting period, events or transactions that occur after the balance sheet date “through the date that the financial statements are issued or are available to be issued”.  FAS 165 is effective for interim or annual financial periods ending after June 15, 2009.  Management must perform its assessment for both interim and annual periods.  The adoption of this statement did not have a material effect on the Company’s condensed financial statements.

 
SJG - 14

 
 
In June 2009, the FASB issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 168 (FAS168), “The FASB Accounting Standards Codification™ and the Hierarchy of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (as amended).”  This statement confirmed that the FASB Accounting Standards Codification (the “Codification”) will become the single official source of authoritative, nongovernmental U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP).  The current GAAP hierarchy consists of four levels of authoritative accounting and reporting guidance.  The Codification eliminates this hierarchy and replaces current GAAP (other than rules and interpretive releases of the SEC) as used by all nongovernmental entities, with just two levels of literature: authoritative and nonauthoritative.  The Codification with be effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009.  Calendar year-end companies are required to initially apply the Codification to their third-quarter interim financial statements.  Management does not anticipate that the application of the Codification will have a material effect on the Company’s condensed financial statements.

2.
RATES AND REGULATORY ACTIONS:

SJG is subject to the rules and regulations of the BPU.    In January 2009, SJG filed a petition with the BPU for approval of an accelerated infrastructure investment program and an associated rate tracker, which will allow the Company to accelerate $103.0 million of capital spending into 2009 and 2010.  The petition requested the Company earn a return of, and return on, investment as the capital is spent. The petition was approved by the BPU in April 2009 and also ordered SJG to file a base rate case with the BPU no later than April 2011. Also in January 2009, SJG filed a petition requesting approval of an energy efficiency program to invest $17.0 million over 2 years in energy efficiency programs for residential, commercial and industrial customers. The petition was approved by the BPU in July 2009. In June 2009, SJG filed its annual BGSS petition with the BPU requesting a 13.3% reduction in rates, in addition to proposing a $20.0 million refund to customers in October 2009. There have been no other significant regulatory actions or changes to SJG’s rate structure since December 31, 2008. See Note 2 to the Financial Statements in Item 8 of SJG’s Form 10-K as of December 31, 2008.

3.
REGULATORY ASSETS AND LIABILITIES:

There have been no significant changes to the nature of SJG’s regulatory assets and liabilities since December 31, 2008, which are described in Notes 2 and 3 to the Financial Statements in Item 8 of SJG’s Form 10-K as of December 31, 2008.

 
SJG - 15

 

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

   
June 30,
   
December 31,
 
   
2009
   
2008
 
Environmental Remediation Costs:
               
Expended - Net
 
$
47,173
   
$
48,143
 
Liability for Future Expenditures
   
54,888
     
64,093
 
Income Taxes - Flowthrough Depreciation
   
2,240
     
2,729
 
Deferred Asset Retirement Obligation Costs
   
22,160
     
21,901
 
Deferred Pension and Other Postretirement Benefit Costs
   
79,973
     
80,162
 
Deferred Gas Costs - Net
   
10,436
     
18,406
 
Conservation Incentive Program Receivable
   
16,693
     
22,048
 
Societal Benefit Costs Receivable
   
617
     
1,753
 
Premium for Early Retirement of Debt
   
1,127
     
1,208
 
Other Regulatory Assets
   
5,848
     
9,991
 
                 
Total Regulatory Assets
 
$
241,155
   
$
270,434
 

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

   
June 30,
   
December 31,
 
   
2009
   
2008
 
Excess Plant Removal Costs
 
$
48,736
   
$
48,820
 
Other Regulatory Liabilities
   
3,526
     
1,627
 
                 
Total Regulatory Liabilities
 
$
52,262
   
$
50,447
 


DEFERRED GAS COSTS – NET – Over/under collections of gas costs are monitored through SJG’s Basic Gas Supply Service Clause (BGSS) mechanism.  Net undercollected gas costs are classified as a regulatory asset and net overcollected gas costs are classified as a regulatory liability.  Derivative contracts used to hedge natural gas purchases are also included in the BGSS, subject to BPU approval.  The BGSS decreased from a $18.4 million regulatory asset at December 31, 2008 to a $10.4 million regulatory asset at June 30, 2009.  A change in the fair value of energy related derivatives resulting primarily from a decrease in the average future NYMEX prices accounted for $6.7 million of the fluctuation.

4.
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS:

There have been no significant changes in the nature of SJG’s related party transactions since December 31, 2008. See Note 4 to the Financial Statements in Item 8 of SJG’s Form 10-K as of December 31, 2008 for a detailed description of such transactions.

 
SJG - 16

 

A summary of related party transactions, excluding pass-through items, included in Operating Revenues were as follows, (in thousands):

   
Three Months Ended
June 30,
   
Six Months Ended
June 30,
 
   
2009
   
2008
   
2009
   
2008
 
Operating Revenues/Affiliates:
                       
SJRG
 
$
313
   
$
339
   
$
3,205
   
$
1,746
 
Other
   
99
     
107
     
245
     
234
 
Total Operating Revenues/Affiliates
 
$
412
   
$
446
   
$
3,450
   
$
1,980
 


 Related party transactions, excluding pass-through items, included in Operating Expenses were as follows, (in thousands):
   
Three Months Ended
June 30,
 
 
Six Months Ended
June 30,
 
   
2009
   
2008
   
2009
   
2008
 
Costs of Sales/Affiliates:
                       
SJRG
 
$
4,735
   
$
3,579
   
$
31,461
   
$
15,772
 
Total Cost of Sales/Affiliates
 
$
4,735
   
$
3,579
   
$
31,461
   
$
15,772
 
   
Derivative Losses (Gains) (See Note 1): *
               
SJRG
 
$
12,600
   
$
(7,752
 
$
29,510
   
$
(7,349
   
* Contracts used to hedge natural gas purchases. Included in Cost of Sales on the Condensed Statement of Income.
 

Operations Expense/Affiliates
                       
SJI
 
$
2,405
   
$
1,891
   
$
4,177
   
$
3,537
 
SJIS
   
1,051
     
1,062
     
2,335
     
2,110
 
Millennium
   
728
     
720
     
1,441
     
1,510
 
Other
   
(84
   
(58
   
(158
   
(216
Total Operations Expense/Affiliates
 
$
4,100
   
$
3,615
   
$
7,795
   
$
6,941
 
 
5.
FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS:
 
Restricted Investments - In accordance with the terms of our tax-exempt first mortgage bonds, unused proceeds are required to be escrowed pending approved construction expenditures. As of both June 30, 2009 and December 31, 2008, the escrowed proceeds, including interest earned, totaled $0.1 million.

Long-Term Receivables – SJG provides financing to customers for the purpose of attracting conversions to natural gas heating systems from competing fuel sources.  The terms of these loans call for customers to make monthly payments over a period of up to five years with no interest.  The carrying amounts of such loans were $10.5 million and $10.1 million as of June 30, 2009 and December 31, 2008, respectively.  The current portion of these receivables is reflected in Accounts Receivable and the non-current portion is reflected in Long-Term Receivables on the balance sheet.  The carrying amounts noted above are net of unamortized discounts resulting from imputed interest in the amounts of $1.4 million and $1.2 million as of June 30, 2009 and December 31, 2008, respectively.  The annual amortization to interest is not material to SJG’s financial statements.

 
SJG - 17

 

Other Financial Instruments -   The estimated fair values of SJG’s long-term debt, including current maturities, as of June 30, 2009 and December 31, 2008, were $344.8 million and $326.1 million, respectively.  Carrying amounts as of both June 30, 2009 and December 31, 2008, were $294.9 million.  We based the estimates on interest rates available to SJG at the end of each period for debt with similar terms and maturities.  The carrying amounts of SJG’s other financial instruments approximate their fair values at June 30, 2009 and December 31, 2008.

6.
UNUSED LINES OF CREDIT:

Credit facilities and available liquidity as of June 30, 2009 were as follows (in thousands):

   
Total Facility
   
Usage
   
Available Liquidity
 
Expiration Date
                     
Revolving Credit Facility
 
$
100,000
   
$
70,000
   
$
30,000
 
August 2011
Line of Credit
   
40,000
     
     
40,000
 
December 2009
Line of Credit 
   
10,000
     
10,000
     
 
(A)
Uncommitted Bank Lines
   
45,000
     
11,400
     
33,600
 
Various
                           
Total
 
$
195,000
   
$
91,400
   
$
103,600
   

(A) SJG had a $10 million line of credit that expired at the end of July, 2009. The Company anticipates replacing these credit facilities during the third quarter of 2009.

All committed facilities contain one financial covenant regarding the ratio of total debt to total capitalization, measured on a quarterly basis.  SJG was in compliance with these covenants as of June 30, 2009.  Borrowings under these credit facilities are at market rates.  The weighted average borrowing cost, which changes daily, was 0.81% and 2.83% at June 30, 2009 and 2008, respectively.

 
SJG - 18

 

7. 
RETAINED EARNINGS:

SJG is restricted as to the amount of cash dividends or other distributions that may be paid on its common stock by an order issued by the BPU in July 2004 that granted SJG an increase in base rates. Per the order, SJG is required to maintain total common equity of no less than $289.2 million. SJG’s total common equity balance was $424.9 million at June 30, 2009.

Various loan agreements also contain potential restrictions regarding the amount of cash dividends or other distributions that SJG may pay on its common stock. As of June 30, 2009, these loan restrictions did not affect the amount that may be distributed from SJG’s retained earnings.

8.
PENSION AND OTHER POSTRETIREMENT BENEFITS:

For the three and six months ended  June 30, 2009 and 2008, net periodic benefit cost related to the employee and officer pension and other postretirement benefit plans consisted of the following components (in thousands):
 
 
Pension Benefits
 
   
Three Months Ended
June 30,
   
Six Months Ended
June 30,
 
   
2009
   
2008
   
2009
   
2008
 
Service Cost
 
$
552
   
$
587
   
$
1,244
   
$
1,143
 
Interest Cost
   
1,646
     
1,653
     
3,353
     
2,975
 
Expected Return on Plan Assets
   
(1,405
)
   
(2,056
)
   
(2,913
)
   
(3,725
)
Amortizations:
                               
Prior Service Cost
   
52
     
56
     
107
     
104
 
Actuarial Loss
   
1,005
     
310
     
2,084
     
575
 
Net Periodic Benefit Cost
   
1,850
     
550
     
3,875
     
1,072
 
Capitalized Benefit Costs
   
(907
)
   
(269
)
   
(1,899
)
   
(525
)
Total Net Periodic Benefit Expense
 
$
943
   
$
281
   
$
1,976
   
$
547
 
                                 
     
 
Other Postretirement Benefits
 
   
Three Months Ended
June 30,
   
Six Months Ended
June 30,
 
   
2009
   
2008
   
2009
   
2008
 
Service Cost
 
$
210
   
$
148
   
$
421
   
$
349
 
Interest Cost
   
599
     
509
     
1,199
     
1,067
 
Expected Return on Plan Assets
   
(304
)
   
(384
)
   
(609
)
   
(792
)
Amortizations:
                               
Prior Service Credits
   
(69
)
   
(63
)
   
(138
)
   
(128
)
Actuarial Loss
   
356
     
129
     
712
     
269
 
Net Periodic Benefit Cost
   
792
     
339
     
1,585
     
765
 
Capitalized Benefit Costs
   
(388
)
   
(166
)
   
(777
)
   
(375
)
Total Net Periodic Benefit Expense
 
$
404
   
$
173
   
$
808
   
$
390
 

Capitalized benefit costs reflected in the table above relate to our construction program.

 
SJG - 19

 

During the six months ended June 30, 2009 and 2008, SJG contributed $8.2 million and $4.8 million to its pension plans, respectively.     See Note 11 to the Financial Statements in Item 8 of SJG’s Form 10-K as of December 31, 2008, for additional information related to SJG’s pension and other postretirement benefits.

9.
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES:
 
STANDBY LETTER OF CREDIT -    SJG provided a $25.3 million letter of credit, under a separate credit facility from those it borrows under to provide liquidity support for the remarketing of variable-rate demand bonds issued through the NJEDA. The bonds were used to finance the expansion of SJG’s natural gas distribution system.  This letter of credit expires in August 2009.

ENVIRONMENTAL REMEDIATION COSTS - SJG incurred and recorded costs for environmental cleanup of 12 sites where SJG or its predecessors operated gas manufacturing plants. SJG stopped manufacturing gas in the 1950s. There have been no changes to the status of SJG’s environmental remediation efforts since December 31, 2008,  as described in Note 12 to the Financial Statements in Item 8 of SJG’s Form 10-K as of December 31, 2008. However, the lower end of the range of expected remediation costs, which is recorded as a liability on the condensed balance sheet, has decreased $9.2 million since December 31, 2008.  This decrease is the result of expenditures of $6.2 million during the first six months of 2009 and revised forecasts of expected remediation costs for all of SJG’s sites as additional information has become available.

GAS SUPPLY RELATED CONTRACTS - In the normal course of conducting business, we have entered into long-term contracts for natural gas supplies, firm transportation and gas storage service. SJG expects to renew each of these contracts under renewal provisions as provided in each contract. The transportation and storage service agreements between us and our interstate pipeline suppliers were made under FERC approved tariffs. Our cumulative obligation for demand charges and reservation fees paid to suppliers for these services is approximately $4.3 million per month and is recovered on a current basis through the BGSS.

PENDING LITIGATION - We are subject to claims arising in the ordinary course of business and other legal proceedings. We accrue liabilities related to these claims when we can reasonably estimate the amount or range of amounts of probable settlement costs or other charges. Management does not currently anticipate the disposition of any known claims to have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations or liquidity.
 
COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENTS - Unionized personnel represent 65% of our workforce at June 30, 2009. The Company has collective bargaining agreements with two unions who represent these employees: the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (“IBEW”) and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (“IAM”).  The Company and the IBEW have recently agreed to a new 4-year contract.  The IAM is asserting that the labor agreement, which the Company believes expired on January 14, 2009, is evergreen for one year from that expiration date.  The Company disagrees and has filed a charge with the National Labor Relations Board for a determination on the matter.

 
SJG - 20

 

10.
FAIR VALUE OF FINANCIAL ASSETS AND FINANCIAL LIABILITIES:

FAS 157 establishes a hierarchy that prioritizes fair value measurements based on the types of inputs used for the various valuation techniques.  The levels of the hierarchy are described below:
 
 
·
Level 1:  Observable inputs such as quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.
 
 
·
Level 2:  Inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly; these include quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets and quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active.

 
·
Level 3:  Unobservable inputs that reflect the reporting entity’s own assumptions.
 
Assessment of the significance of a particular input to the fair value measurement requires judgment and may affect the valuation of financial assets and financial liabilities and their placement within the fair value hierarchy.
 
For financial assets and financial liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis, information about the fair value measurements for each major category as of June 30, 2009 is as follows (in thousands):

   
Total
   
Level 1
   
Level 2
   
Level 3
 
Assets -
                       
                                 
Available-for-Sale Securities (A)
 
$
5,074
   
$
5,074
   
$
-
   
$
-
 
Derivatives – Energy Related Assets (B)
   
1,086
     
945
     
141
     
-
 
   
$
6,160
   
$
6,019
   
$
141
   
$
-
 
                                 
Liabilities -
                               
                                 
Derivatives – Energy Related Liabilities (B)
 
$
23,342
   
$
22,713
   
$
629
   
$
-
 
Derivatives – Other (C)
   
2,933
     
-
     
2,933
     
-
 
   
$
26,275
   
$
22,713
   
$
3,562
   
$
-
 
                                 
(A) Available-for-Sale Securities are valued using the quoted principal market close prices that are provided by the trustees of these securities.

 
SJG - 21

 

(B) Derivatives – Energy Related Assets and Liabilities are traded in both exchange-based and non-exchange-based markets. Exchange-based contracts are valued using unadjusted quoted market sources in active markets and are categorized in Level 1 in the fair value hierarchy. Certain non-exchange-based contracts are valued using indicative price quotations available through brokers or over-the-counter, on-line exchanges and are categorized in Level 2. These price quotations reflect the average of the bid-ask mid-point prices and are obtained from sources that management believes provide the most liquid market. For non-exchange-based derivatives that trade in less liquid markets with limited pricing information, model inputs generally would include both observable and unobservable inputs. In instances where observable data is unavailable, management considers the assumptions that market participants would use in valuing the asset or liability. This includes assumptions about market risks such as liquidity, volatility and contract duration. Such instruments are categorized in Level 3 as the model inputs generally are not observable. Management reviews and corroborates the price quotations to ensure the prices are observable which includes consideration of actual transaction volumes, market delivery points, bid-ask spreads and contract duration.

(C) Derivatives – Other are valued using quoted prices on commonly quoted intervals, which are interpolated for periods different than the quoted intervals, as inputs to a market valuation model.  Market inputs can generally be verified and model selection does not involve significant management judgment.

11.
AVAILABLE–FOR–SALE SECURITIES:

SJG's portfolio of investments consists of five highly diversified funds which are not used for working capital purposes. These funds are in an unrealized loss position as of June 30, 2009. Due to the nature of the underlying securities, these funds as a whole are susceptible to changes in the economy and have been adversely affected by the economic slowdown, particularly during the fourth quarter of 2008 when SJG’s investments became impaired. SJG has evaluated the near-term prospects of the overall funds in relation to the severity and duration of the impairment. Based on that evaluation, SJG recorded an insignificant impairment loss during the fourth quarter of 2008. Due to the SJG’s ability and intent to hold the remaining funds for a reasonable period of time sufficient for a forecasted recovery of fair value, SJG does not consider these remaining investments to be other-than-temporarily impaired at June 30, 2009.

 
SJG - 22

 

The following table shows the gross unrealized losses and fair value of the SJG's Available-for-Sale Securities with unrealized losses that are not deemed to be other-than-temporarily impaired (in thousands), aggregated by length of time that the individual funds have been in a continuous unrealized loss position at June 30, 2009.

   
Less than 12 Months
   
Greater Than 12 Months
   
Total
 
                                     
   
Fair Value
   
Unrealized Losses
   
Fair Value
   
Unrealized Losses
   
Fair Value
   
Unrealized Losses
 
Marketable Equity Securities
 
$
638
   
$
268
   
$
3,135
   
$
832
   
$
3,773
   
$
1,100
 
 
 
As of June 30, 2009 and December 31, 2008, the total losses for securities with net losses included in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss was $0.6 million and $0.7 million, respectively.  As of June 30, 2009 and December 31, 2008, there were no securities with net gains included in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss.

Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis
 of Financial Conditionand Results of Operations (Unaudited)

 OVERVIEW:

Organization - SJG is an operating public utility company engaged in the purchase, transmission and sale of natural gas for residential, commercial and industrial use. SJG also sells natural gas and pipeline transportation capacity (off-system sales) on a wholesale basis to various customers on the interstate pipeline system and transports natural gas purchased directly from producers or suppliers to their customers. SJG served 340,767 customers at June 30, 2009 compared with 336,410 customers at  June 30, 2008.

Forward-Looking Statements and Risk Factors - Certain statements contained in this Quarterly Report may qualify as “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this Report should be considered forward-looking statements made in good faith by the Company and are intended to qualify for the safe harbor from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “anticipate”, “believe”, “expect”, “estimate”, “forecast”, “goal”, “intend”, “objective”, “plan”, “project”, “seek”, “strategy” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the following: general economic conditions on an international, national, state and local level; weather conditions in our marketing areas; changes in commodity costs; changes in the availability of natural gas; “non-routine” or “extraordinary” disruptions in our distribution system; regulatory, legislative and court decisions; competition; the availability and cost of capital; costs and effects of legal proceedings and environmental liabilities; the failure of customers or suppliers to fulfill their contractual obligations; and changes in business strategies.

 
SJG - 23

 

A discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties may be found in SJG’s Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008 and in other filings made by us with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These cautionary statements should not be construed by you to be exhaustive and they are made only as of the date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, or in any document incorporated by reference, at the date of such document. While SJG believes these forward-looking statements to be reasonable, there can be no assurance that they will approximate actual experience or that the expectations derived from them will be realized. Further, SJG undertakes no obligation to update or revise any of its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Critical Accounting Policies - Estimates and Assumptions - Management must make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the condensed financial statements and related disclosures. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Five types of transactions presented in our condensed financial statements require a significant amount of judgment and estimation. These relate to regulatory accounting, derivatives, environmental remediation costs, pension and other postretirement benefit costs, and revenue recognition. A discussion of these estimates and assumptions may be found in SJG’s Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008.
 
New Accounting Pronouncements - See detailed discussions concerning New Accounting Pronouncements and their impact in Note 1 to the condensed financial statements.

 
SJG - 24

 

Regulatory Actions – Other than the changes discussed in Note 2 to the condensed financial statements, there have been no significant regulatory actions since December 31, 2008. See detailed discussions concerning Regulatory Actions in Note 2 to the Financial Statements in item 8 of SJG’s Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008.

Environmental Remediation – Other than the changes discussed in Note 9 to the condensed financial statements, there have been no significant changes to the status of SJG’s environmental remediation efforts since December 31, 2008. See detailed discussion concerning Environmental Remediation in Note 12 to the Financial Statements in item 8 of SJG’s Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008.

Competition - See detailed discussion concerning competition in SJG’s Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008.

Customer Choice Legislation - All residential natural gas customers in New Jersey can choose their natural gas commodity supplier under the terms of the “Electric Discount and Energy Competition Act of 1999.” This bill created the framework and necessary time schedules for the restructuring of the state’s electric and natural gas utilities. The Act established unbundling, under which redesigned utility rate structures allow natural gas and electric consumers to choose their energy supplier.  Customers purchasing natural gas from a provider other than the local utility (marketer) are charged for the gas costs by the marketer and charged for the transportation costs by the utility.   The number of customers purchasing their natural gas from marketers was 28,457 and 28,860 at June 30, 2009 and 2008, respectively.
 
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS:

 The following table summarizes the composition of selected gas utility data for the three and six months ended  June 30, (in thousands, except for degree day data):

   
Three Months Ended
   
Six Months Ended
 
   
June 30,
   
June 30,
 
   
2009
   
2008
   
2009
   
2008
 
Throughput – dth:
                       
Firm Sales -
                       
Residential
   
2,847
     
2,748
     
14,364
     
12,931
 
Commercial
   
769
     
829
     
3,646
     
3,413
 
Industrial
   
56
     
15
     
205
     
90
 
Cogeneration & Electric Generation
   
88
     
356
     
102
     
372
 
Firm Transportation -
                               
Residential
   
264
     
263
     
1,271
     
1,215
 
Commercial
   
914
     
869
     
3,485
     
3,329
 
Industrial
   
2,917
     
3,167
     
5,969
     
6,447
 
Cogeneration & Electric Generation
   
286
     
573
     
719
     
925
 
                                 
Total Firm Throughput
   
8,141
     
8,820
     
29,761
     
28,722
 
                                 
Interruptible Sales
   
2
     
18
     
4
     
27
 
Interruptible Transportation
   
572
     
613
     
1,208
     
1,525
 
Off-System
   
1,071
     
1,633
     
3,765
     
5,872
 
Capacity Release
   
8,964
     
15,827
     
17,463
     
27,057
 
                                 
Total Throughput
   
18,750
     
26,911
     
52,201
     
63,203
 
 
 
SJG - 25

 

   
Three Months Ended
   
Six Months Ended
 
   
June 30,
   
June 30,
 
   
2009
   
2008
   
2009
   
2008
 
Utility Operating Revenues:
                       
Firm Sales -
                       
Residential
 
$
40,645
   
$
44,043
   
$
209,283
   
$
187,511
 
Commercial
   
8,008
     
12,613
     
44,534
     
43,799
 
Industrial
   
517
     
1,622
     
2,328
     
5,177
 
Cogeneration & Electric Generation
   
772
     
4,960
     
1,045
     
5,287
 
Firm Transportation -
                               
Residential
   
1,628
     
1,611
     
6,323
     
6,080
 
Commercial
   
3,072
     
2,755
     
10,986
     
10,408
 
Industrial
   
3,616
     
3,081
     
7,203
     
6,273
 
Cogeneration & Electric Generation
   
334
     
435
     
793
     
757
 
                                 
Total Firm Revenues
   
58,592
     
71,120
     
282,495
     
265,292
 
                                 
Interruptible Sales
   
55
     
269
     
95
     
394
 
Interruptible Transportation
   
529
     
371
     
1,086
     
967
 
Off-System
   
4,348
     
18,596
     
21,250
     
58,586
 
Capacity Release
   
983
     
2,953
     
2,423
     
5,753
 
Other
   
328
     
262
     
599
     
483
 
                                 
Total Utility Operating Revenues
   
64,835
     
93,571
     
307,948
     
331,475
 
                                 
Less:
                               
Cost of Sales
 
 
29,905
   
 
60,263
   
 
195,882
   
 
223,180
 
Conservation Recoveries*
   
2,124
     
1,968
     
5,389
     
5,033
 
RAC Recoveries*
   
1,208
     
694
     
2,417
     
1,389
 
Revenue Taxes
   
1,271
     
1,252
     
5,342
     
5,042
 
Utility Margin
 
$
30,327
   
$
29,394
   
$
98,918
   
$
96,831
 
                                 
Margin:
                               
Residential
 
$
16,548
   
$
16,154
   
$
62,138
   
$
57,136
 
Commercial and Industrial
   
7,025
     
6,831
     
22,454
     
21,149
 
Cogeneration and Electric Generation
   
535
     
610
     
875
     
899
 
Interruptible
   
42
     
16
     
88
     
81
 
Off-system & Capacity Release
   
198
     
507
     
900
     
1,588
 
Other
   
945
     
563
     
1,215
     
783
 
Margin Before Incentive Mechanisms
   
25,293
     
24,681
     
87,670
     
81,636
 
CIRT Mechanism
   
375
     
-
     
375
     
-
 
CIP Mechanism
   
4,659
     
4,713
     
10,873
     
15,195
 
Utility Margin
 
$
30,327
   
$
29,394
   
$
98,918
   
$
96,831
 
                                 
Degree Days:
   
481
     
471
     
2,999
     
2,735
 
 
*Represents expenses for which there is a corresponding credit in operating revenues.  Therefore, such recoveries have no impact on our financial results.
 
 
SJG - 26

 
 
Throughput - Total gas throughput decreased 8.2 MMdts or 30.3%, and 11.0 MMdts, or 17.4%, for the three and six months ended June 30, 2009, compared with the same periods in 2008, respectively.  Off-System sales (OSS) and capacity release volume decreased substantially as SJG’s portfolio of assets available for such activities has been reduced under the Conservation Incentive Program, as discussed under “Rates and Regulation” in Item 7 of SJG’s Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008.  As the majority of profits from OSS and capacity release are returned to the ratepayers via a BPU-approved sharing formula, the decrease in such activities had a negligible impact on SJG earnings as reflected in the margin table above.  Firm throughput increased in the residential market, primarily on a year-to-date basis, as a result of 9.7% colder weather, as reflected by the degree day data in the table above, and the addition of 4,357 customers during the 12-month period ended June 30, 2009.  Changes in throughput in other customer categories were not significant.

Conservation Incentive Program (CIP) - The effects of the CIP on our net income and the associated weather comparisons were as follows ($’s in millions):

   
Three Months Ended
June 30,
   
Six Months Ended
June 30,
 
   
2009
   
2008
   
2009
   
2008
 
Net Income Benefit: 
                       
CIP – Weather Related
 
$
0.8
   
$
0.4
   
$
(0.1
 
$
1.6
 
CIP – Usage Related
   
1.9
     
2.4
     
6.5
     
7.4
 
Total Net Income Benefit
 
$
2.7
   
$
2.8
   
$
6.4
   
$
9.0
 
                                 
Weather Compared to 20-Year Average
 
12.4% warmer
   
14.2% warmer
   
0.7% colder
   
8.2% warmer
 
Weather Compared to Prior Year
 
2.1% colder
   
13.9% warmer
   
9.7% colder
   
7.8% warmer
 

Operating Revenues  - Revenues decreased $28.7 million during the three months ended June 30, 2009 compared to the same period in the prior year.  This was the result of a substantial decrease in off-system sales (OSS) and capacity release revenue, which decreased by $14.2 million and $2.0 million, respectively, during the second quarter of 2009 versus 2008.  These decreases were primarily related to a reduction in SJG’s portfolio of assets available for such activities under the provisions of the CIP, as noted above under “Throughput,” and a significant decrease in the average cost per unit sold.  As a result of steady declines in the cost on natural gas prices during 2009, OSS unit sales prices had dropped from an average of $11.39 per decatherm (Dt) during the second quarter of 2008 to only $4.06 per Dt during the second quarter of 2009.  As reflected in the Margin table above, the impact of lower OSS and Capacity Release did not have a material impact on the earnings of the Company, as SJG is required to share 85% of the profits of such activity with the rate payers.  The decrease in natural gas prices also led to lower revenue from firm customers in the second quarter of 2009 since recovery of natural gas costs through the BGSS rate exceeded the actual costs being incurred during the period.  When this occurs, the excess revenue is deferred (removed from revenue) and recognized on the balance sheet.  During the three months ended June 30, 2009, SJG deferred revenues related to BGSS over-recoveries of approximately $8.9 million.  No such deferrals were required during 2008.  Finally, revenue decreased $4.2 million during the second quarter of 2009 as compared to the same period last year due to a significant decrease in consumption by an electric generation customer in 2009.  In comparison to the mild summer season experienced this year, June 2008 was one of the warmest Junes on record, thereby driving higher natural gas consumption by the region's electric utility to meet the electric consumption for air conditioning.

 
SJG - 27

 

Revenues decreased $23.5 million during the six months ended June 30, 2009 compared to the same period in the prior year.  This decrease was the result of a substantial decrease in off-system sales (OSS) and capacity release revenue, which decreased by $37.3 million and $3.3 million, respectively, during the first six months of 2009 versus 2008; the deferral of excess natural gas cost recoveries approximating $8.9 million; and lower firm sales to the regions electric utility, as discussed in greater detail above.  These decreases were partially offset by several factors including higher sales resulting from 9.7% colder weather during the first six months of 2009, the addition of approximately 4,400 customers over the last twelve months, and a higher Basic Gas Supply Service (BGSS) rate in effect during the period.  During the six months ended June 30, 2009, the BGSS rate was 11.1% higher than the rate in effect during the same time last year.  This increase was necessary to fully recover higher gas costs incurred through most of 2008.  However, as the Company does not profit from the sale of the commodity, the BGSS rate increase did not have an impact on Company profitability.

Margin (pre-tax) - SJG’s margin is defined as natural gas revenues less natural gas costs; volumetric and revenue based energy taxes; and regulatory rider expenses. SJG believes that margin provides a more meaningful basis for evaluating utility operations than revenues since natural gas costs, energy taxes and regulatory rider expenses are passed through to customers, and therefore, they have no effect on margin. Natural gas costs are charged to operating expenses on the basis of therm sales at the prices approved by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities through SJG’s BGSS tariff.

 
SJG - 28

 

Total margin increased $0.9 million, or 3.2%, for the three months ended June 30, 2009 compared with the same period in 2008 due to customer additions, as noted above, and increased profits earned through the Company’s Storage Incentive Mechanism (SIM) and the Capital Investment Recovery Tracker (CIRT).   The SIM allows the Company to retain 20% of storage related gains and losses as measured against an established benchmark. The balance of these gains and losses are passed through to customers as part of the BGSS. As discussed in Note 2 to the Financial Statements, the CIRT was approved by the BPU in April 2009. The CIRT allows the Company to accelerate certain capital spending and also earn a return of, and a return on, investment at the time the investment is made. The CIRT added $0.4 million of pre-tax margin in the second quarter of 2009. Partially offsetting these increases were lower margins from OSS and capacity release resulting from decreased volumes as discussed above under “Throughput” and “Operating Revenues”.  The CIP protected $4.7 million of pre-tax margin that would have been lost due to lower customer usage in both the three months ended June 30, 2009 and 2008.  Of these amounts, $1.4 million and $0.7 million were related to weather variations and $3.3 million and $4.0 million were related to other customer usage variations in 2009 and 2008, respectively.

Total margin increased $2.1 million, or 2.2%, for the six months ended June 30, 2009 compared with the same period in 2008 primarily due to customer additions, and increased earnings from the SIM and the CIRT as noted above.  Partially offsetting these increases were lower margins from OSS and capacity release as noted above.  The CIP protected $10.9 million of pre-tax margin in the first half of 2009 that would have been lost due to lower customer usage, compared to $15.2 million in the same period last year.  Of these amounts, $(0.2) million and $2.7 million were related to weather variations and $11.1 million and $12.5 million were related to other customer usage variations in 2009 and 2008, respectively.

Operating Expenses - A summary of changes in operating expenses (in thousands):

   
Three Months
Ended June 30,
   
Six Months
Ended June 30,
 
   
2009 vs. 2008
   
2009 vs. 2008
 
             
Operations
 
$
2,476
   
$
4,711
 
Maintenance
   
70
     
374
 
Depreciation
   
199
     
527
 
Energy and Other Taxes
   
35
     
299
 

Operations – Operations expense increased $2.5 million and $4.7 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2009, respectively, as compared with the same periods in 2008.  The increase is primarily comprised of the following factors.

 
SJG - 29

 

First, the cost of providing employee benefits, including pension and other postretirement benefit plans, increased by $1.0 million and $2.0 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2009, respectively, as compared to the same periods in 2008.  This was the result of significant losses in the assets of those plans during 2008. Additional information regarding these benefit plans can be found in Note 8 of the Notes to the Condensed Financial Statements.  Second, our spending under the New Jersey Clean Energy Programs (NJCEP) increased $0.2 million per quarter compared to the same periods last year.  Such costs are recovered on a dollar-for-dollar basis; therefore, SJG experienced an offsetting increase in revenues during the period. The BPU-approved NJCEP allows for full recovery of costs, including carrying costs when applicable.  As a result, the increase in expense had no impact on our net income.  Third, corporate support, governance and compliance costs, primarily attributable to our parent, SJI, also rose $0.2 million and $0.5 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2009, respectively, as compared to the same periods in 2008.  Fourth, expenses associated with the reserve for uncollectible customer accounts increased $0.3 million for the three months and $0.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2009 compared with the same periods last year.  The second quarter of 2008 also included a nonrecurring credit of $0.2 million to uncollectible expense for recoveries related to previous write-offs. Changes in the uncollectible reserve are the result of fluctuations in levels of customer account receivable balances, which were higher at June 30, 2009 than one year ago due to colder weather, more customers and a higher BGSS rate in effect, as discussed previously under “Operating Revenues.” Finally, SJG experienced increases in various other areas including general compensation increases; higher bank fees to support higher lines of credit available to the Company; and higher advertising costs to promote energy efficiency programs.

Maintenance - Maintenance expense increased during the three and six months ended June 30, 2009, compared with the same periods in 2008, primarily due to higher levels of Remediation Adjustment Clause (RAC) amortization.  RAC-related expenses do not affect earnings as we recognize an offsetting amount in revenues.

Depreciation - Depreciation expense increased during the three and six months ended June 30, 2009, as compared with the same periods in 2008, due mainly to SJG’s continuing investment in utility plant.

Energy and Other Taxes - Energy and Other Taxes increased during the three and six months ended June 30, 2009, compared with the same periods in 2008, primarily due to higher energy-related taxes. Higher taxable firm throughput in 2009 resulted from colder weather and more customers, as previously discussed.

 
SJG - 30

 

Interest Charges – Interest Charges decreased by $0.5 million and $1.3 million during the three and six months ended June 30, 2009, compared with the same periods in 2008.   The decreases were the result of significantly lower average short-term interest rates, partially offset by higher debt levels during 2009.

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES:

Liquidity needs are driven by factors that include natural gas commodity prices; the impact of weather on customer bills; lags in fully collecting gas costs from customers under the Basic Gas Supply Service charge; the timing of construction and remediation expenditures and related permanent financings; mandated tax payment dates; both discretionary and required repayments of long-term debt; and the amounts and timing of dividend payments.

Cash Flows from Operating Activities -    Liquidity needs are first met with net cash provided by operating activities.  Net cash provided by operating activities totaled $60.0 million and $63.1 million in the first  halves of 2009 and 2008, respectively.  Net cash provided by operating activities varies from year-to-year primarily due to the impact of weather on customer demand and related gas purchases, customer usage factors related to conversion efforts and the price of the natural gas commodity, inventory utilization, and gas cost recoveries.  Net cash provided by operating activities in the first  half of 2009 declined slightly in comparison to the same period in 2008,  due to customer receivables that were substantially higher at June 30, 2009 than the comparable point in 2008, partially offset by decreased environmental remediation costs in 2009.  The increase in accounts receivable was driven by higher customer bills in 2009 due to higher rates charged customers, colder weather experienced, and a larger customer base.  This increase in accounts receivable is expected to improve cash flows during the second half of 2009 as they are collected.  The lower environmental remediation costs include a decrease in remediation expenditures, as well as increased insurance recoveries in the first half of 2009, compared to the same period in 2008.

Cash Flows from Investing Activities - SJG has a continuing need for cash resources for capital purchases, primarily to invest in new and replacement facilities and equipment. Cash used for capital purchases was $34.3 million and $22.7 million during the first  six  months of 2009 and 2008, respectively.  We estimate the net cash outflows for construction projects for fiscal years 2009, 2010 and 2011 to be approximately $133.6 million, $89.2 million and $57.1 million, respectively.

 
SJG - 31

 

Cash Flows from Financing Activities - SJG uses short-term borrowings under lines of credit from commercial banks to supplement cash from operations, to support working capital needs and to finance capital expenditures as incurred. From time to time, the Company refinances short-term debt incurred to finance capital expenditures with long-term debt. Debt is incurred primarily to expand and upgrade our gas transmission and distribution system and to support seasonal working capital needs related to inventories and customer receivables.

Credit facilities and available liquidity as of June 30, 2009 were as follows (in thousands):

   
Total Facility
   
Usage
   
Available Liquidity
 
Expiration Date
                     
Revolving Credit Facility
 
$
100,000
   
$
70,000
   
$
30,000
 
August 2011
Line of Credit
   
40,000
     
     
40,000
 
December 2009
Line of Credit 
   
10,000
     
10,000
     
 
(A)
Uncommitted Bank Lines
   
45,000
     
11,400
     
33,600
 
Various
                           
Total
 
$
195,000
   
$
91,400
   
$
103,600
   

(A) SJG had a $10 million line of credit that expired at the end of July, 2009. The Company anticipates replacing these credit facilities during the third quarter of 2009.

SJG supplements its operating cash flow and credit lines with both debt and equity capital. Over the years, the company has used long-term debt, primarily in the form of First Mortgage Bonds and Medium Term Notes (MTN), secured by the same pool of utility assets, to finance our long-term borrowing needs. These needs are primarily capital expenditures for property, plant and equipment. In July 2009, SJG filed a petition with the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities requesting approval to issue up to $150.0 million in long-term debt by September 2012. The timing, terms and amount will vary depending on market conditions. In June 2008, SJG repurchased $25.0 million of its auction-rate securities at par by drawing under its lines of credit. That action resulted in a $25.0 million reduction in long-term debt on SJG's balance sheet. SJG converted these auction-rate securities to variable-rate demand bonds and remarketed them to the public during the third quarter of 2008. No other long-term debt was issued during 2008 or 2009.

Based upon the existing credit facilities and a regular dialogue with our banks, we believe there will continue to be sufficient credit available to meet our future liquidity needs.

 
SJG - 32

 

SJG’s capital structure was as follows:

   
As of
June 30, 2009
   
As of
December 31, 2008
 
             
Common Equity
   
52.4
%
   
49.5
%
Long-Term Debt
   
33.3
     
36.4
 
Short-Term Debt
   
14.3
     
14.1
 
                 
Total
   
100.0
%
   
100.0
%

SJG’s long-term, senior secured debt is rated “A” and “A2” by Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s Investor Services, respectively. Moody’s Investor Service raised SJG’s senior secured rating to “A3” from “Baal” in February of 2009, and then raised it again to “A2” in August 2009.  Moody’s also assigned an Issuer Rating of “Baa1” to SJG in August 2009.

SJG is restricted as to the amount of cash dividends or other distributions that may be paid on its common stock by an order issued by the BPU in July 2004 that granted SJG an increase in base rates. Per the order, SJG is required to maintain total common equity of no less than $289.2 million. SJG’s total common equity balance was $424.9 million at June 30, 2009.

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES:

SJG has a continuing need for cash resources and capital, primarily to invest in new and replacement facilities and equipment, working capital, and for environmental remediation costs. Net cash outflows for capital expenditures and remediation projects for the six months ended June 30, 2009 amounted to $34.3 million and $1.7 million, respectively. Management estimates net cash outflows for construction projects for 2009, 2010 and 2011, to be approximately $133.6 million, $89.2 million and $57.1 million, respectively.  Total cash outflows for remediation projects are expected to be $4.7 million, $14.1 million and $11.3 million for 2009, 2010, and 2011, respectively.  As discussed in Notes 2 and 12 to the Financial Statements in Item 8 of SJG’s 10-K as of December 31, 2008, environmental remediation costs are subject to recovery from insurance carriers and ratepayers.
 
SJG provided a $25.3 million letter of credit, outside of the revolving credit facility, to support variable-rate demand bonds issued through the NJEDA to finance the expansion of SJG's natural gas distribution system.  This letter of credit expires in August 2009.

 
SJG - 33

 

SJG has certain commitments for both pipeline capacity and gas supply for which it pays fees regardless of usage. Those commitments as of June 30, 2009, average $45.7 million annually and total $196.6 million over the contracts’ lives. Approximately 30% of the financial commitments under these contracts expire during the next five years. SJG expects to renew each of these contracts under renewal provisions as provided in each contract. SJG recovers all prudently incurred fees through rates via the Basic Gas Supply Service clause.
 
Contractual Cash Obligations –   Details concerning contractual cash obligations may be found in SJG’s Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008.  There were no significant changes to SJG’s contractual cash obligations except for commodity supply purchase obligations which increased by approximately $39.6 million.  This was primarily due to agreements made to extend several services for an additional 10-year period, partially offset by the expiration of obligations during the first six months of 2009.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements - We have no off-balance sheet arrangements.

Pending Litigation - We are subject to claims arising in the ordinary course of business and other legal proceedings. We accrue liabilities related to claims when we can determine the amount or range of amounts of probable settlement costs. Management does not currently anticipate the disposition of any known claims to have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations or liquidity.

Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges - Our ratio of earnings to fixed charges for each of the periods indicated is as follows:

Twelve Months
Ended June 30,
   
Year Ended December 31,
 
                                 
2009
   
2008
   
2007
   
2006
   
2005
   
2004
 
                                 
  4.6 x     4.4 x     4.1 x     3.8 x     4.0 x     3.9 x

The ratio of earnings to fixed charges represents, on a pre-tax basis, the number of times earnings covers fixed charges. Earnings consist of net income, to which has been added fixed charges and taxes. Fixed charges consist of interest charges, preferred securities dividend requirements that existed through 2005, and an interest factor in rentals.

 
SJG - 34

 

Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risks

MARKET RISKS:
 
Commodity Market Risks - We are involved in buying, selling, transporting and storing natural gas and are subject to market risk due to price fluctuations. To hedge against this risk, we enter into a variety of physical and financial transactions including forward contracts, futures and options agreements. To manage these transactions, we have a well-defined risk management policy approved by our Board of Directors that includes volumetric and monetary limits. Management reviews reports detailing activity daily. Generally, the derivative activities described above are entered into for risk management purposes.

We transact commodities on a physical basis and typically do not enter into financial derivative positions directly. South Jersey Resources Group, LLC (SJRG), an affiliate by common ownership, manages our risk by entering into the types of transactions noted above. As part of our gas purchasing strategy, we use financial contracts to hedge against forward price risk. These contracts are recoverable through our BGSS, subject to BPU approval. It is management’s policy, to the extent practical, within predetermined risk management policy guidelines, to have limited unmatched positions on a deal or portfolio basis while conducting these activities. As a result of holding open positions to a minimal level, the economic impact of changes in value of a particular transaction is substantially offset by an opposite change in the related hedge transaction. The majority of our contracts are typically less than 12-months long. The fair value and maturity of all these energy trading and hedging contracts determined using mark-to-market accounting as of June 30, 2009 is as follows (in thousands):
 
Assets
                 
Source of Fair Value
 
Maturity
< 1 Year
   
Maturity
1 - 3 Years
   
Total
 
                   
Prices Actively Quoted (NYMEX)
 
$
438
   
$
507
   
$
945
 
                         
Prices Provided by Other External Sources (Basis)
   
141
     
0
     
141
 
                         
Total
 
$
579
   
$
507
   
$
1,086
 

Liabilities
                 
   
Maturity
   
Maturity
       
Source of Fair Value
 
< 1 Year
   
1 - 3 Years
   
Total
 
                   
Prices Actively Quoted (NYMEX)
 
$
21,773
   
$
940
   
$
22,713
 
                         
Prices Provided by Other External Sources (Basis)
   
629
     
0
     
629
 
                         
Total
 
$
22,402
   
$
940
   
$
23,342
 
 
 
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NYMEX (New York Mercantile Exchange) is the primary national commodities exchange on which natural gas is traded. Basis represents the price of a NYMEX natural gas futures contract adjusted for the difference in price for delivering the gas at another location.  Contracted volumes of our NYMEX contracts are 16.8 MMDth with a weighted-average settlement price of $5.35 per dth.  Contracted volumes of our Basis contracts are 3.4 MMDth with a weighted average settlement price of $1.16 per dth.

A reconciliation of our estimated net fair value of energy-related derivatives follows (in thousands):

Net Derivatives — Energy Related Liability, January 1, 2009
 
 $
(28,970
)
Contracts Settled During the Six Months ended June 30, 2009, Net
   
20,208
 
Other Changes in Fair Value from Continuing and New Contracts, Net
   
(13,494
)
Net Derivatives — Energy Related Liability, June 30, 2009
 
$
(22,256
)

Interest Rate Risk - Our exposure to interest rate risk relates primarily to short-term, variable-rate borrowings. Short-term, variable-rate debt outstanding at June 30, 2009, was $91.4 million and averaged $79.4 million during the first six months of 2009. A hypothetical 100 basis point (1%) increase in interest rates on our average variable-rate debt outstanding would result in a $0.5 million increase in our annual interest expense, net of tax. The 100 basis point increase was chosen for illustrative purposes, as it provides a simple basis for calculating the impact of interest rate changes under a variety of interest rate scenarios. Over the past five years, the change in basis points (b.p.) of our average monthly interest rates from the beginning to end of each year was as follows: 2009 –23 b.p. decrease (year-to-date); 2008 - 317 b.p. decrease; 2007 - 36 b.p. decrease; 2006 - 72 b.p. increase; and 2005 - 191 b.p. increase.  As of June 30, 2009, our average borrowing cost, which changes daily, was 0.81%.

We issue long-term debt either at fixed rates or use interest rate derivatives to limit our exposure to changes in interest rates on variable-rate, long-term debt. As of June 30, 2009, the interest costs on all of our long-term debt was either at a fixed-rate or hedged via an interest rate derivative.  Consequently, interest expense on existing long-term debt is not significantly impacted by changes in market interest rates.  However, due to general market conditions during 2008, the demand for auction-rate securities was disrupted resulting in increased interest rate volatility for tax-exempt auction-rate debt.  As a result, the $25.0 million of tax-exempt auction-rate debt issued by the Company (and repurchased in June 2008) was exposed to changes in interest rates that were not completely mitigated by the related interest rate derivatives.  The auction-rate debt was converted to another form of variable-rate debt and resold in the public market in August 2008.  The original interest rate derivatives remain in place and are expected to substantially offset changes in interest rates on the security.

 
SJG - 36

 

As of June 30, 2009, SJG’s active interest rate swaps were as follows:

Amount
   
Fixed
Interest Rate
   
Start Date
 
Maturity
 
Type
$ 12,500,000       3.430 %  
12/01/2006
 
02/01/2036
 
Tax-exempt
$ 12,500,000       3.430 %  
12/01/2006
 
02/01/2036
 
Tax-exempt

Item 4. Controls and Procedures
 
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

SJG’s management, with the participation of its chief executive officer and chief financial officer, evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of SJG’s disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act) as of June 30, 2009. Based on that evaluation, SJG’s chief executive officer and chief financial officer concluded   that the disclosure controls and procedures employed at SJG are effective.

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
 There has not been any change in SJG’s internal control over financial reporting as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act, during the fiscal quarter ended   June 30, 2009 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, SJG’s internal control over financial reporting. 
  
PART II — OTHER INFORMATION

Item l. Legal Proceedings

Information required by this Item is incorporated by reference to Part I, Item 2, Pending Litigation, beginning on page 34.

Item 1A. Risk Factors

There have been no material changes to our risk factors from those disclosed in Part I, Item 1A of SJG’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008: 

 
SJG - 37

 

Item 6. Exhibits

(a)          Exhibits

Exhibit No.
 
 Description
     
 
Certification of Chief Executive Officer Pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) of the Exchange Act.
     
 
Certification of Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) of the Exchange Act.
     
 
Certification of Chief Executive Officer Pursuant to Rule 13a-14(b) of the Exchange Act as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (subsections (a) and (b) of Section 1350, Chapter 63 of Title 18, United States Code).
     
 
Certification of Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to Rule 13a-14(b) of the Exchange Act as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (subsections (a) and (b) of Section 1350, Chapter 63 of Title 18, United States Code).


SIGNATURES
 
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
 
 
SOUTH JERSEY GAS COMPANY
(Registrant)


Dated: August 7, 2009
By:
/s/ Edward J. Graham
   
Edward J. Graham
   
President & Chief Executive Officer
     
     
Dated: August 7, 2009
By:
/s/ David A. Kindlick
   
David A. Kindlick
   
Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer
 
 
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