REGULATORY ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

The majority of PGE’s regulatory assets and liabilities are reflected in customer prices and are amortized over the period in which they are reflected in customer prices. Items not currently reflected in prices are pending before the regulatory body as discussed below.

Regulatory assets and liabilities consist of the following (dollars in millions):



		Weighted Average Remaining Life ⁽¹⁾	As of December 31,
			2012					2011
			Current			Noncurrent		Current			Noncurrent
Regulatory assets:
	Price risk management ⁽²⁾	2 years	$	123		$	71	$	194		$	172
	Pension and other postretirement plans ⁽²⁾	⁽³⁾	—			321		—			295
	Deferred income taxes ⁽²⁾	⁽⁴⁾	—			80		—			87
	Deferred broker settlements ⁽²⁾	1 year	20			1		11			—
	Debt issuance costs ⁽²⁾	7 years	—			22		—			28
	Deferred capital projects	⁽⁵⁾	—			16		—			—
	Other ⁽⁶⁾	Various	1			13		11			12
	Total regulatory assets		$	144		$	524	$	216		$	594
Regulatory liabilities:
	Asset retirement removal costs ⁽⁷⁾	⁽⁴⁾	$	—		$	692	$	—		$	637
	Asset retirement obligations ⁽⁷⁾	⁽⁴⁾	—			39		—			36
	Power cost adjustment mechanism	1 year	6			—		—			10
	Other	Various	6			34		6			37
	Total regulatory liabilities		$	12	⁽⁸⁾	$	765	$	6	⁽⁸⁾	$	720


(1)	As of December 31, 2012.


(2)	Does not include a return on investment.


(3)	Recovery expected over the average service life of employees. For additional information, see Note 2, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies.


(4)	Recovery expected over the estimated lives of the assets.


(5)	Recovery period not yet determined.


(6)	Of the total other unamortized regulatory asset balances, a return is recorded on $15 million and $21 million as of December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively.


(7)	Included in rate base for ratemaking purposes.


(8)	Included in Accrued expenses and other current liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets.

As of December 31, 2012, PGE had regulatory assets of $31 million earning a return on investment at the following rates: (i) $18 million at PGE’s cost of debt of 6.065%; (ii) $10 million earning a return by inclusion in rate base; and (iii) $3 million at the approved rate for deferred accounts under amortization, ranging from 1.47% to 2.24%, depending on the year of approval.

Price risk management represents the difference between the net unrealized losses recognized on derivative instruments related to price risk management activities and their realization and subsequent recovery in customer prices. For further information regarding assets and liabilities from price risk management activities, see Note 5, Price Risk Management.

Pension and other postretirement plans represents unrecognized components of the benefit plans’ funded status, which are recoverable in customer prices when recognized in net periodic benefit cost. For further information, see Note 10, Employee Benefits.

Deferred income taxes represents income tax benefits resulting from property-related timing differences that previously flowed to customers and will be included in customer prices when the temporary differences reverse. For further information, see Note 11, Income Taxes.

Deferred broker settlements consist of transactions that have been financially settled by clearing brokers prior to the contract delivery date. These gains and losses are deferred for future recovery in customer prices during the corresponding contract settlement month.

Debt issuance costs represents unrecognized debt issuance costs related to debt instruments retired prior to the stipulated maturity date.

Deferred capital projects represents costs related to four capital projects that were deferred for future accounting treatment pursuant to the Company’s last general rate case. The recovery of these project costs in future customer prices is subject to a regulated earnings test and approval by the OPUC.

Asset retirement removal costs represent the costs that do not qualify as AROs and are a component of depreciation expense allowed in customer prices. Such costs are recorded as a regulatory liability as they are collected in prices, and are reduced by actual removal costs incurred.

Asset retirement obligations represent the difference in the timing of recognition of (i) the amounts recognized for depreciation expense of the asset retirement costs and accretion of the ARO, and (ii) the amount recovered in customer prices.

Power cost adjustment mechanism represents the estimated refund to customers recorded pursuant to this regulatory mechanism. For further information, see “Power Cost Adjustment Mechanism” in the Regulatory Accounting section in Note 2, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies.