Eversource, CL&P, NSTAR Electric, PSNH and WMECO are subject to environmental laws and regulations intended to mitigate or remove the effect of past operations and improve or maintain the quality of the environment. These laws and regulations require the removal or the remedy of the effect on the environment of the disposal or release of certain specified hazardous substances at current and former operating sites. Eversource, CL&P, NSTAR Electric, PSNH and WMECO have an active environmental auditing and training program and each believes it is substantially in compliance with all enacted laws and regulations.

The number of environmental sites and related reserves for which remediation or long-term monitoring, preliminary site work or site assessment is being performed are as follows:

	As of March 31, 2016				As of December 31, 2015
			Reserve				Reserve
	Number of Sites		(in millions)		Number of Sites		(in millions)
Eversource		64	$	51.7		64	$	51.1
CL&P		14		4.6		14		4.6
NSTAR Electric		15		2.3		15		2.4
PSNH		12		4.4		12		4.5
WMECO		4		0.6		4		0.6

Included in the Eversource number of sites and reserve amounts above are former MGP sites that were operated several decades ago and manufactured gas from coal and other processes, which resulted in certain by-products remaining in the environment that may pose a potential risk to human health and the environment, for which Eversource may have potential liability. The reserve balances related to these former MGP sites were $46.1 million and $45.5 million as of March 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015, respectively, and related primarily to the natural gas business segment.

These reserve estimates are subjective in nature as they take into consideration several different remediation options at each specific site. The reliability and precision of these estimates can be affected by several factors, including new information concerning either the level of contamination at the site, the extent of Eversource's, CL&P's, NSTAR Electric's, PSNH's, and WMECO's responsibility for remediation or the extent of remediation required, recently enacted laws and regulations or changes in cost estimates due to certain economic factors. It is possible that new information or future developments could require a reassessment of the potential exposure to related environmental matters. As this information becomes available, management will continue to assess the potential exposure and adjust the reserves accordingly.

In the normal course of business, Eversource parent provides credit assurances on behalf of its subsidiaries, including CL&P, NSTAR Electric, PSNH and WMECO, in the form of guarantees.

Eversource parent issued a declining balance guaranty on behalf of a wholly-owned subsidiary to guarantee the payment of the subsidiary's capital contributions for its investment in the Access Northeast project. The guarantee will not exceed $206 million and decreases as capital contributions are made. The guaranty will expire upon the earlier of the full performance of the guaranteed obligations or December 31, 2021.

Eversource parent issued a guaranty on behalf of its subsidiary, NPT, under which, beginning at the time the Northern Pass Transmission line goes into commercial operation, Eversource parent will guarantee the financial obligations of NPT under the TSA with HQ in an amount not to exceed $25 million. Eversource parent's obligations under the guaranty expire upon the full, final and indefeasible payment of the guaranteed obligations.

Eversource parent has also guaranteed certain indemnification and other obligations as a result of the sales of former unregulated subsidiaries and the termination of an unregulated business, with maximum exposures either not specified or not material.

Management does not anticipate a material impact to Net Income as a result of these various guarantees and indemnifications.

The following table summarizes Eversource parent's exposure to guarantees and indemnifications of its subsidiaries, including CL&P, NSTAR Electric, PSNH and WMECO, and guarantees to external parties, as of March 31, 2016:

			Maximum Exposure
Company		Description	(in millions)		Expiration Dates
On behalf of subsidiaries:
	Eversource Gas Transmission LLC	Access Northeast Project Capital Contributions Guarantee	$	187.9	2021
	Various	Surety Bonds ⁽¹⁾	$	38.7	2016 - 2018
	Eversource Service and Rocky River Realty Company	Lease Payments for Vehicles and Real Estate	$	10.3	2019 and 2024

(1) Surety bond expiration dates reflect termination dates, the majority of which will be renewed or extended. Certain surety bonds contain credit ratings triggers that would require Eversource parent to post collateral in the event that the unsecured debt credit ratings of Eversource are downgraded.

The Yankee Companies have filed separate complaints against the DOE in the Court of Federal Claims seeking monetary damages resulting from the DOE's failure to provide for a permanent facility to store spent nuclear fuel pursuant to the terms of the 1983 spent fuel and high level waste disposal contracts between the Yankee Companies and the DOE. The court had previously awarded the Yankee Companies damages for Phase I and Phase II of litigation resulting from the DOE's failure to meet its contractual obligations. Phase I covered damages incurred in the years 1998 through 2002 and Phase II covered damages incurred in the years 2001 through 2008 for CYAPC and YAEC and from 2002 through 2008 for MYAPC.

DOE Phase III Damages - In August 2013, the Yankee Companies each filed subsequent lawsuits against the DOE seeking recovery of actual damages incurred in the years 2009 through 2012. The DOE Phase III trial concluded on July 1, 2015, followed by a post-trial briefing that concluded on October 14, 2015. On March 25, 2016, the court issued its decision, awarding CYAPC, YAEC and MYAPC damages of $32.6 million, $19.6 million and $24.6 million, respectively. In total, the Yankee Companies were awarded $76.8 million of the $77.9 million in damages sought by the Yankee Companies in Phase III. Any amounts refunded to Eversource utilities, which include CL&P, NSTAR Electric, PSNH and WMECO, will ultimately be refunded to utility customers. The parties have 60 days following the final judgment date to appeal. At this time, management cannot predict the timing or amount of damages that will ultimately be awarded.

FERC ROE Complaints I, II and III: Three separate complaints have been filed at FERC by combinations of New England state attorneys general, state regulatory commissions, consumer advocates, consumer groups, municipal parties and other parties (the "Complainants"). In these three separate complaints, the Complainants challenged the NETOs' base ROE of 11.14 percent that had been utilized since 2006 and sought an order to reduce it prospectively from the date of the final FERC order and for the 15-month complaint refund periods stipulated in the separate complaints. In 2014, the FERC ordered a 10.57 percent base ROE for the first complaint refund period and prospectively from October 16, 2014, and that a utility's total or maximum ROE shall not exceed the top of the new zone of reasonableness, which was set at 11.74 percent. In late 2014, the NETOs made a compliance filing, and the Company began issuing refunds to customers from the first complaint period. The Company has refunded all amounts associated with the first complaint period.

As a result of developments in this matter, the Company recorded reserves across the complaint periods at its electric subsidiaries in the first quarter of 2015 and recognized a pre-tax charge to earnings (excluding interest) of $20 million, of which $12.5 million was recorded at CL&P, $2.4 million at NSTAR Electric, $1 million at PSNH, and $4.1 million at WMECO. The pre-tax charge was recorded as a regulatory liability and as a reduction to Operating Revenues. The NETOs and Complainants have filed appeals for the first complaint to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. A court decision is expected in late 2016.

For the second and third complaints, the state parties, municipal utilities and FERC trial staff each believe that the base ROE should be reduced to an amount lower than 10.57 percent. The NETOs believe that the Complainants' positions are without merit. On March 22, 2016, the FERC ALJ issued an initial decision on the second and third FERC ROE complaints. For the second complaint period, the FERC ALJ recommended a zone of reasonableness of 7.12 percent to 10.42 percent and a base ROE of 9.59 percent. For the third complaint period, the FERC ALJ recommended a zone of reasonableness of 7.04 percent to 12.19 percent and a base ROE of 10.90 percent. The FERC ALJ also affirmed that the maximum ROE for transmission incentive projects should be the top of the zone of reasonableness. The NETOs filed briefs on April 21, 2016, in which the NETOs identified corrections and requested changes that should be made to the FERC ALJ's recommendations. A final FERC order is expected in late 2016 or early 2017.

The Company believes that the range of potential loss for the second complaint period (the 15-month period beginning December 27, 2012) is from a base ROE of 10.57 percent to a base ROE of 9.59 percent. As the FERC ALJ initial decision on the third complaint recommended a base ROE of 10.90 percent, the Company concluded there is currently no range of potential loss for that complaint period. Given the differences between the recommended base ROEs in the FERC ALJ's initial decision on the second and third complaints, as well as other factors, the Company is unable to predict the outcome of the final FERC order on these complaints. The Company does not believe any base ROE outcome within the 10.57 percent to 9.59 percent range is more likely than the base ROEs used to record the current revenues and reserves, and therefore the Company believes that the current reserves for the second complaint period are appropriate at this time.

The impact of a 10 basis point change to the existing base ROE of 10.57 percent would affect Eversource's after-tax earnings by approximately $3 million for each of the 15-month second and third complaint periods. If the Company adjusted its reserves based on the recommendations in the FERC ALJ initial decision (for both the base ROE and maximum ROE for transmission incentive projects) for the second and third complaints, then it would result in an after-tax increase of approximately $34 million and an after-tax decrease of approximately $8 million, respectively, to the existing reserves.

FERC ROE Complaint IV: On April 29, 2016, a fourth complaint was filed with the FERC. At this time, the Company is unable to predict the outcome of this complaint.

On June 10, 2015, Eversource and PSNH entered into the 2015 Public Service Company of New Hampshire Restructuring and Rate Stabilization Agreement (the Agreement) with the New Hampshire Office of Energy and Planning, certain members of the NHPUC staff, the Office of Consumer Advocate, two State Senators, and several other parties. The Agreement was filed with the NHPUC on the same day. Under the terms of the Agreement, PSNH agreed to divest its generation assets upon NHPUC approval. The Agreement is designed to provide a resolution of issues pertaining to PSNH's generation assets in pending regulatory proceedings before the NHPUC. The Agreement provided for the Clean Air Project prudence proceeding to be resolved and all remaining Clean Air Project costs to be included in rates effective January 1, 2016. As part of the Agreement, PSNH agreed to forego recovery of $25 million of the deferred equity return related to the Clean Air Project. In addition, PSNH will not seek a general distribution rate increase effective before July 1, 2017 and will contribute $5 million to create a clean energy fund, which will not be recoverable from its customers. In 2015, PSNH recorded the $5 million contribution as a long-term liability and an increase to Operations and Maintenance expense on the statements of income.

Upon completion of the divestiture process, all remaining stranded costs will be recovered via bonds that will be secured by a non-bypassable charge or through other recoveries in rates billed to PSNH customers.

On January 26, 2016, Advisory Staff of the NHPUC and the parties to the Agreement filed a stipulation with the NHPUC agreeing that near-term divestiture of PSNH's generation was in the public interest and that the Agreement should be approved. Implementation of the Agreement is subject to NHPUC approval, which is expected in 2016.

If the NHPUC approves the settlements and the sale of the plants, the Company expects the plants will be sold in the first half of 2017. The sales price of the generating assets could be less than the carrying value, but the Company believes that full recovery of PSNH's generation assets is probable through a combination of cash flows during the remaining operating period, sales proceeds upon divestiture, and recovery of stranded costs in future rates.