Basis of Presentation and Recent Developments

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2023

Basis of Presentation and Recent Developments [Abstract]

Basis of Presentation and Recent Developments

Note 1 – Basis of Presentation and Recent Developments

Middlesex Water Company (Middlesex or the Company) is the parent company and sole shareholder of Tidewater Utilities, Inc. (Tidewater), Pinelands Water Company (Pinelands Water) and Pinelands Wastewater Company (Pinelands Wastewater) (collectively, Pinelands), Utility Service Affiliates, Inc. (USA), and Utility Service Affiliates  (Perth Amboy) Inc. (USA-PA). Southern Shores Water Company, LLC (Southern Shores) and White Marsh Environmental Systems, Inc. (White Marsh) are wholly-owned subsidiaries of Tidewater. The financial statements for Middlesex and its wholly-owned subsidiaries are reported on a consolidated basis. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated.

The consolidated notes within the 2022 Annual Report on Form 10-K/A (the 2022 Form 10-K/A) are applicable to these financial statements and, in the opinion of the Company, the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements contain all adjustments necessary (including normal recurring accruals) to present fairly the financial position as of September 30, 2023, the results of operations for the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2023 and 2022 and cash flows for the nine month periods ended September 30, 2023 and 2022. Information included in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2022, has been derived from the Company’s December 31, 2022 audited financial statements included in the 2022 Form 10-K/A.

Recent Developments

Middlesex President and Chief Executive Officer Retirement Announcement - On May 16, 2023, President and Chief Executive Officer, Dennis W. Doll announced a plan to retire upon turning age 65. Mr. Doll’s retirement is planned for the later of December 31, 2023 or, the date when a successor is duly named and effectively transitioned into the position. Mr. Doll will remain Chairman of the Middlesex Board of Directors (Board) through the expiration of his current term in May 2024. A search for Mr. Doll’s successor is being led by the Compensation Committee of the Board in collaboration with a nationally-recognized executive search firm.

Regulatory Notice of Non-Compliance – In September 2021, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) issued a Notice of Non-Compliance (Notice) to Middlesex based on self-reporting by Middlesex that the level of Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) in water treated at its Park Avenue Wellfield Treatment Plant in South Plainfield, New Jersey exceeded a standard promulgated in a NJDEP regulation that became effective in 2021. Middlesex was required by the regulation to notify its affected customers and complied within the required Notice period in November 2021.

The Notice further required the Company to take any action necessary to comply with the new standard by September 7, 2022. Consequently, in November 2021, the Company implemented an interim solution to meet the Notice requirements, which included putting the Park Avenue Wellfield Treatment Plant in off-line status and obtaining alternate sources of supply. In June 2022, the Company accelerated the in-service date for a portion of the enhanced treatment project based on engineering analysis that allowed a restart of the Park Avenue Wellfield Treatment Plant to ensure continued compliance with all state and federal drinking water standards.

On September 13, 2022, the Company entered into an Administrative Consent Order (ACO) with the NJDEP, which required the Company to take whatever actions necessary to achieve and maintain compliance with applicable regulations. As prescribed in the ACO, the Company was to issue periodic public notifications until the ACO was closed.

In June 2023, the Company completed the permanent construction of the entire Park Avenue Wellfield treatment upgrades and placed the upgrades into operation in full compliance with the NJDEP PFOA standards. The Company received confirmation from the NJDEP that it has complied with all requirements of the ACO and consequently, the ACO has been closed.

The Company had previously initiated a lawsuit against 3M Company (3M), in connection with the Company’s claim that 3M introduced perfluoroalkyl substances (commonly known as “PFAS”), which include PFOA, into the Company’s water supply at its Park Avenue Wellfield facility.

On August 29, 2023, Middlesex and 3M executed a settlement agreement (the Settlement Agreement) to resolve the lawsuit. The Settlement Agreement provides that:

● 3M will pay Middlesex $93.2 million in two installments, one payment of $23.3 million in December 2023 and one payment of $69.9 million in July 2024. Middlesex is obligated to pay 30% of the proceeds received to its lawyers as legal fees, or $27.9 million in total;

● Middlesex anticipates its receipt of the Settlement Agreement payments will have the effect of mitigating future increases in customer rates, the determination of which are based, in part, on Middlesex’s investments in utility infrastructure. For additional details, see “Item 1. Business – Regulation - Regulation of Rates and Services” in Middlesex’s 2022 Form 10-K;

● Middlesex, by nature of its status as a U.S. water purveyor impacted by PFAS, was automatically included in a Multi-District Litigation Settlement before the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina in which 3M and other companies (Non-3M Companies) are participants. Middlesex agreed as part of this settlement to remain a member of the plaintiff class in order to be eligible to obtain future additional compensation from 3M and the Non-3M Companies for the remediation of its water treatment facilities; and

● Middlesex and 3M agreed to enter into a joint mediation, scheduled for November 2023, to resolve two PFOA-related class action lawsuits against Middlesex seeking restitution for medical, water replacement and other claimed related costs. Both Middlesex and 3M are defendants in these lawsuits. These lawsuits remain in the early stages of the legal process and their ultimate resolution cannot be predicted at this time.

It is the Company’s intent that any financial benefit which may result from the Settlement Agreement, net of any litigation costs to Middlesex, will ultimately inure to the benefit of the Middlesex customers in the form of mitigating future customer rate increases. As such, the anticipated net Settlement Agreement proceeds of $65.2 million have been recorded as a Regulatory Liability in the Company’s September 30, 2023 Consolidated Balance Sheet.

In January 2022, the Company filed a petition with the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) seeking to establish a regulatory asset and deferred accounting treatment until its next base rate setting proceeding for all costs associated with the interim solution to comply with the Notice. The Company is currently awaiting a decision on this matter from the NJBPU.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic – On May 11, 2023, the United States Department of Health and Human Services declared the end of the COVID-19 Pandemic nationwide health emergency. While the Company’s operations and capital construction program have not been materially disrupted to date from the pandemic, the COVID-19 impact on economic conditions nationally continues to be uncertain and could affect the Company’s results of operations, financial condition and liquidity in the future. In New Jersey, the declared COVID-19 State of Emergency ended in March 2022. In Delaware, the declared COVID-19 State of Emergency Order ended in July 2021.

The NJBPU has approved the tracking of COVID-19 related incremental costs for potential recovery in customer rates in future rate proceedings. In May 2023, Middlesex filed a petition to defer consideration of rate recovery of COVID-19 related incremental costs incurred until its next base rate case. The Company has increased its allowance for doubtful accounts for expected higher accounts receivable write-offs due to the financial impact of COVID-19 on customers. We will continue to monitor the effects of COVID-19 and evaluate its impact on the Company’s results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.

Recent Accounting Guidance

There is no new adopted or proposed accounting guidance that the Company is aware of that could have a material impact on the Company’s financial statements.