Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies (Policy)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2016

Nature of Business

Avista Corp. is primarily an electric and natural gas utility with certain other business ventures. Avista Utilities is an operating division of Avista Corp., comprising the regulated utility operations in the Pacific Northwest. Avista Utilities provides electric distribution and transmission, and natural gas distribution services in parts of eastern Washington and northern Idaho. Avista Utilities also provides natural gas distribution service in parts of northeastern and southwestern Oregon. Avista Utilities has electric generating facilities in Washington, Idaho, Oregon and Montana. Avista Utilities also supplies electricity to a small number of customers in Montana, most of whom are employees who operate Avista Utilities' Noxon Rapids generating facility.

Alaska Energy and Resources Company (AERC) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Avista Corp. The primary subsidiary of AERC is Alaska Electric Light and Power Company (AEL&P), which comprises Avista Corp.'s regulated utility operations in Alaska. Avista Capital, Inc. (Avista Capital), a wholly owned non-regulated subsidiary of Avista Corp., is the parent company of all of the subsidiary companies in the non-utility businesses, with the exception of AJT Mining Properties, Inc. in Alaska.

Basis Of Reporting

Basis of Reporting

The condensed consolidated financial statements include the assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses of the Company and its subsidiaries and other majority owned subsidiaries and variable interest entities for which the Company or its subsidiaries are the primary beneficiaries. Intercompany balances were eliminated in consolidation. The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements include the Company’s proportionate share of utility plant and related operations resulting from its interests in jointly owned plants.

Taxes Other Than Income Taxes

Taxes other than income taxes include state excise taxes, city occupational and franchise taxes, real and personal property taxes and certain other taxes not based on income. These taxes are generally based on revenues or the value of property. Utility related taxes collected from customers (primarily state excise taxes and city utility taxes) are recorded as operating revenue and expense. Taxes other than income taxes consisted of the following items for the three and nine months ended September 30 (dollars in thousands):



	Three months ended September 30,				Nine months ended September 30,
	2016		2015		2016		2015
Utility related taxes	$	12,095	$	12,316	$	43,033	$	44,755
Property taxes	10,047		9,448		29,757		28,669
Other taxes	527		505		1,879		2,000
Total	$	22,669	$	22,269	$	74,669	$	75,424

Materials And Supplies, Fuel Stock And Natural Gas Stored

Materials and Supplies, Fuel Stock and Stored Natural Gas

Inventories of materials and supplies, fuel stock and stored natural gas are recorded at average cost for our regulated operations and the lower of cost or net realizable value for our non-regulated operations and consisted of the following as of September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015 (dollars in thousands):



	September 30,		December 31,
	2016		2015
Materials and supplies	$	39,487	$	37,101
Fuel stock	4,754		4,273
Stored natural gas	13,839		12,774
Total	$	58,080	$	54,148

Derivative Assets And Liabilities

Derivative Assets and Liabilities

Derivatives are recorded as either assets or liabilities on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets measured at estimated fair value.

The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) and the Idaho Public Utilities Commission (IPUC) issued accounting orders authorizing Avista Corp. to offset energy commodity derivative assets or liabilities with a regulatory asset or liability. This accounting treatment is intended to defer the recognition of mark-to-market gains and losses on energy commodity transactions until the period of delivery. The orders provide for Avista Corp. to not recognize the unrealized gain or loss on utility derivative commodity instruments in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income. Realized gains or losses are recognized in the periods of delivery, subject to approval for recovery through retail rates. Realized gains and losses, result in adjustments to retail rates through purchased gas cost adjustments, the Energy Recovery Mechanism (ERM) in Washington, the Power Cost Adjustment (PCA) mechanism in Idaho, and periodic general rates cases. Regulatory assets are assessed regularly and are probable for recovery through future rates.

Substantially all forward contracts to purchase or sell power and natural gas are recorded as derivative assets or liabilities at estimated fair value with an offsetting regulatory asset or liability. Contracts that are not considered derivatives are accounted for on the accrual basis until they are settled or realized unless there is a decline in the fair value of the contract that is determined to be other-than-temporary.

For interest rate swap derivatives, each period Avista Corp. records all mark-to-market gains and losses as assets and liabilities, and records offsetting regulatory assets and liabilities, such that there is no income statement impact. The interest rate swap derivatives are risk management tools similar to energy commodity derivatives. Upon settlement of interest rate swaps, the regulatory asset or liability is amortized as a component of interest expense over the term of the associated debt. The Company records an offset of interest rate swap assets and liabilities with regulatory assets and liabilities, based on the prior practice of the commissions to provide recovery through the ratemaking process.

As of September 30, 2016, the Company has multiple master netting agreements with a variety of entities that allow for cross-commodity netting of derivative agreements with the same counterparty (i.e. power derivatives can be netted with natural gas derivatives) under Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 815-10-45. In addition, some master netting agreements allow for the netting of commodity derivatives and interest rate swap derivatives for the same counterparty. The Company does not have any agreements which allow for cross-affiliate netting among multiple affiliated legal entities. The Company nets all derivative instruments when allowed by the agreement for presentation in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets.

Fair Value Measurements

Fair value represents the price that would be received when selling an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. Energy commodity derivative assets and liabilities, deferred compensation assets, as well as derivatives related to interest rate swap derivatives and foreign currency exchange derivatives, are reported at estimated fair value on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. See Note 9 for the Company’s fair value disclosures.

Contingencies

The Company has unresolved regulatory, legal and tax issues which have inherently uncertain outcomes. The Company accrues a loss contingency if it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of the loss or impairment can be reasonably estimated. The Company also discloses losses that do not meet these conditions for accrual if there is a reasonable possibility that a loss may be incurred. As of September 30, 2016, the Company has not recorded any significant amounts related to unresolved contingencies.

Stockholders' Equity, Policy

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss

Accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of tax, consisted of the following as of September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015 (dollars in thousands):



	September 30,		December 31,
	2016		2015
Unfunded benefit obligation for pensions and other postretirement benefit plans - net of taxes of $4,092 and $3,580, respectively	$	7,599	$	6,650

The following table details the reclassifications out of accumulated other comprehensive loss by component for the three and nine months ended September 30 (dollars in thousands). Items in parenthesis indicate reductions to net income.



	Amounts Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss
	Three months ended September 30,						Nine months ended September 30,
Details about Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss Components	2016			2015			2016			2015			Affected Line Item in Statement of Income
Amortization of defined benefit pension items
Amortization of net prior service cost	$	(312	)	$	(273	)	$	(934	)	$	(819	)	(a)
Amortization of net loss	3,642			3,688			$	10,926		$	11,063		(a)
Adjustment due to effects of regulation	(3,115		)	(3,037		)	(11,453		)	(9,111		)	(a) (b)
	215			378			(1,461		)	1,133			Total before tax
	(75		)	(132		)	512			(396		)	Tax benefit (expense)
	$	140		$	246		$	(949	)	$	737		Net of tax


(a)	These accumulated other comprehensive loss components are included in the computation of net periodic pension cost (see Note 5 for additional details).


(b)	The adjustment for the effects of regulation during the nine months ended September 30, 2016 includes approximately $2.1 million related to the reclassification of a pension regulatory asset associated with one of our jurisdictions into accumulated other comprehensive loss.