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Rate Filings
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2020
Regulatory Assets [Line Items]  
Rate Filings Rate Filings
This Note should be read in conjunction with Note 7. Regulatory Assets and Liabilities to the Consolidated Financial Statements in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019.
In addition to items previously reported in the Annual Report on Form 10-K, significant regulatory orders received and currently pending rate filings with FERC and the BPU are as follows:
COVID-19 Deferral—In July 2020, the BPU authorized regulated utilities in the State of New Jersey to create a COVID-19-related Regulatory Asset by deferring on their books and records the prudently incurred incremental costs related to COVID-19 beginning on March 9, 2020 through September 30, 2021, or 60 days after the New Jersey governor determines that the Public Health Emergency is no longer in effect, or in the absence of such a determination, 60 days from the time the Public Health Emergency automatically terminates by law, whichever is later. Deferred costs should be offset by any federal or state assistance that the utility may receive as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Utilities must file quarterly reports of the costs incurred and offsets. In October 2020, the BPU broadened the scope of the docket to include all pandemic issues in a generic proceeding that will include submission of public comments and consideration of, among other things, the timing and scope of current and planned clean energy programs. other utility filings and mechanisms; utility financial strength; customer concerns; regulatory compliance and priorities; and ensuring the continued provision of safe and adequate service at just and reasonable rates, while recognizing the ramifications from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Each New Jersey utility regulated by the BPU must file a petition documenting its prudently incurred incremental COVID-19 costs by December 31, 2021, or within 60 days of the close of the Regulatory Asset period as described above, whichever is later. Any potential rate recovery, including any prudency determinations and the appropriate period of recovery, will be addressed through that filing, or in the alternative, the utility may request that the BPU defer consideration of rate recovery for a future base rate case.
PSE&G has made two quarterly filings as required by the BPU and recorded a Regulatory Asset of approximately $35 million in the third quarter of 2020 for net incremental costs which PSE&G believes are recoverable under the BPU order.
Clean Energy Future-Energy Efficiency (CEF-EE), a New Component of the Green Program Recovery Charge (GPRC)—In September 2020, the BPU approved PSE&G’s CEF-EE filing which provides for energy efficient investments of $1 billion over a three-year period. Costs will be recovered through the GPRC, with returns aligned with PSE&G’s most recent base rate case and a ten-year amortization period.
The approval also included a Conservation Incentive Program (CIP), a mechanism that will provide for recovery of lost electric and gas variable margin revenues. The CIP is effective in June 2021 for electric and October 2021 for gas. PSE&G will suspend its gas Weather Normalization Charge (WNC) when the gas CIP deferral period begins.
Transition Incentive Program, a New Component of the GPRC—In 2019, the BPU approved an order establishing a Transition Incentive Program to serve as a bridge between the existing Solar Renewable Energy Certificate (SREC) program and a to-be-established successor program and created a new incentive mechanism known as the Transition Renewable Energy Certificate (TRECs) Program. TRECs will be awarded to qualifying solar projects under the new program. In the TREC Order, the BPU directed the New Jersey EDCs to engage a TREC Administrator to acquire, on behalf of the EDCs, TRECs produced
by eligible solar projects, which will be funded through a TREC charge to electric customers collected by the EDCs. The order allows the EDCs to recover their costs associated with the TREC program in an annual filing, subject to approval by the BPU. 
In August 2020, the BPU approved PSE&G’s request for increased rates of approximately $23 million annually for recovery of its expected share of TREC costs. These costs will be recovered as a new component of PSE&G’s existing electric GPRC, which is updated on an annual basis.
GPRC—In June 2020, PSE&G filed its 2020 GPRC cost recovery petition requesting recovery of approximately $67 million and $20 million in electric and gas revenues, respectively, on an annual basis. This matter is pending.
Transmission Formula Rates—In October 2020, PSE&G filed its 2020 Annual Transmission Formula Rate Update with FERC which will result in $119 million in increased annual transmission revenue effective January 1, 2021, subject to true-up.
In June 2020, PSE&G filed its 2019 true-up adjustment pertaining to its transmission formula rates in effect for 2019. This filing resulted in an additional annual revenue requirement of $24 million more than the 2019 originally filed revenue.
In April 2020, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued a Private Letter Ruling (PLR) to PSE&G concluding that certain excess deferred taxes previously classified as protected should be classified as unprotected. Unprotected excess deferred income taxes are not subject to the normalization rules allowing them to be refunded to customers sooner as agreed to with FERC and the BPU. In July 2020, FERC approved PSE&G’s request to allow the entire amount of these unprotected excess deferred income taxes be returned to customers in the 2019 true-up filing. As a result of the FERC approval, PSE&G recorded a revenue reduction of approximately $38 million in the third quarter of 2020, fully offset by a reduction in Income Tax Expense. The refund will be provided to transmission ratepayers as a reduction to the 2021 transmission rates.
Basic Gas Supply Service (BGSS)—In September 2020, the BPU provisionally approved PSE&G’s request to maintain the current BGSS rate of 32 cents. This rate is subject to final approval.
Gas System Modernization Program II (GSMP II)—In July 2020, the BPU approved PSE&G’s GSMP II cost recovery petition requesting approximately $18 million in gas revenues on an annual basis, which included GSMP II investments in service as of February 29, 2020. The increase was effective July 16, 2020.
In September 2020, PSE&G updated its GSMP II cost recovery petition seeking BPU approval to recover in gas base rates an estimated annual revenue increase of approximately $20 million effective December 1, 2020. This increase represents the return on and of GSMP II investments placed in service through August 31, 2020. This matter is pending.
Tax Adjustment Credit (TAC)—In October 2020, PSE&G made its annual 2020 TAC filing. The TAC allows for the flowback to customers of excess accumulated deferred income taxes resulting from the reduction of the federal income tax rates provided in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (Tax Act) as well as the accumulated deferred income taxes from previously realized tax repair deductions and tax benefits from future tax repair deductions as realized. The 2020 TAC filing requests BPU approval to reduce electric revenues by approximately $23 million and increase gas revenues by $49 million on an annual basis starting January 1, 2021. This matter is pending.
In July 2020, the BPU gave final approval to PSE&G’s 2019 TAC filing that had been approved on a provisional basis in January 2020, with additional credits included in the final ruling. The final approval resulted in a reduction to electric and gas revenues of $25 million and $29 million, respectively, on an annual basis, effective July 16, 2020.
As discussed above, PSE&G received a PLR from the IRS in April 2020 that concluded that certain excess deferred taxes previously classified as protected should be classified as unprotected. Unprotected excess deferred income taxes are not subject to the tax normalization rules allowing them to be refunded to customers sooner as agreed to with the BPU. As part of a procedural discovery to obtain the BPU’s final approval, PSE&G proposed that it change its current provisional TAC rates to increase the credit and start flowing back these unprotected amounts starting in July 2020 through December 31, 2024, which the BPU approved. This resulted in a total additional credit to electric and gas customers of $50 million and $46 million, respectively, of which $10 million and $19 million will be flowed back in 2020 for electric and gas, respectively.
WNC—In September 2020, the BPU approved a provisional rate effective October 1, 2020 for the collection of $10 million from customers over the 2020-2021 Winter Period for the estimated undercollection resulting from the warmer-than-normal 2019-2020 Winter Period.
Remediation Adjustment Charge (RAC)—In September 2020, the BPU approved PSE&G’s RAC 27 filing requesting recovery of approximately $53 million in net manufactured gas plant remediation expenditures from August 1, 2018 through July 31, 2019.
Public Service Electric and Gas Company [Member]  
Regulatory Assets [Line Items]  
Rate Filings Rate Filings
This Note should be read in conjunction with Note 7. Regulatory Assets and Liabilities to the Consolidated Financial Statements in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019.
In addition to items previously reported in the Annual Report on Form 10-K, significant regulatory orders received and currently pending rate filings with FERC and the BPU are as follows:
COVID-19 Deferral—In July 2020, the BPU authorized regulated utilities in the State of New Jersey to create a COVID-19-related Regulatory Asset by deferring on their books and records the prudently incurred incremental costs related to COVID-19 beginning on March 9, 2020 through September 30, 2021, or 60 days after the New Jersey governor determines that the Public Health Emergency is no longer in effect, or in the absence of such a determination, 60 days from the time the Public Health Emergency automatically terminates by law, whichever is later. Deferred costs should be offset by any federal or state assistance that the utility may receive as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Utilities must file quarterly reports of the costs incurred and offsets. In October 2020, the BPU broadened the scope of the docket to include all pandemic issues in a generic proceeding that will include submission of public comments and consideration of, among other things, the timing and scope of current and planned clean energy programs. other utility filings and mechanisms; utility financial strength; customer concerns; regulatory compliance and priorities; and ensuring the continued provision of safe and adequate service at just and reasonable rates, while recognizing the ramifications from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Each New Jersey utility regulated by the BPU must file a petition documenting its prudently incurred incremental COVID-19 costs by December 31, 2021, or within 60 days of the close of the Regulatory Asset period as described above, whichever is later. Any potential rate recovery, including any prudency determinations and the appropriate period of recovery, will be addressed through that filing, or in the alternative, the utility may request that the BPU defer consideration of rate recovery for a future base rate case.
PSE&G has made two quarterly filings as required by the BPU and recorded a Regulatory Asset of approximately $35 million in the third quarter of 2020 for net incremental costs which PSE&G believes are recoverable under the BPU order.
Clean Energy Future-Energy Efficiency (CEF-EE), a New Component of the Green Program Recovery Charge (GPRC)—In September 2020, the BPU approved PSE&G’s CEF-EE filing which provides for energy efficient investments of $1 billion over a three-year period. Costs will be recovered through the GPRC, with returns aligned with PSE&G’s most recent base rate case and a ten-year amortization period.
The approval also included a Conservation Incentive Program (CIP), a mechanism that will provide for recovery of lost electric and gas variable margin revenues. The CIP is effective in June 2021 for electric and October 2021 for gas. PSE&G will suspend its gas Weather Normalization Charge (WNC) when the gas CIP deferral period begins.
Transition Incentive Program, a New Component of the GPRC—In 2019, the BPU approved an order establishing a Transition Incentive Program to serve as a bridge between the existing Solar Renewable Energy Certificate (SREC) program and a to-be-established successor program and created a new incentive mechanism known as the Transition Renewable Energy Certificate (TRECs) Program. TRECs will be awarded to qualifying solar projects under the new program. In the TREC Order, the BPU directed the New Jersey EDCs to engage a TREC Administrator to acquire, on behalf of the EDCs, TRECs produced
by eligible solar projects, which will be funded through a TREC charge to electric customers collected by the EDCs. The order allows the EDCs to recover their costs associated with the TREC program in an annual filing, subject to approval by the BPU. 
In August 2020, the BPU approved PSE&G’s request for increased rates of approximately $23 million annually for recovery of its expected share of TREC costs. These costs will be recovered as a new component of PSE&G’s existing electric GPRC, which is updated on an annual basis.
GPRC—In June 2020, PSE&G filed its 2020 GPRC cost recovery petition requesting recovery of approximately $67 million and $20 million in electric and gas revenues, respectively, on an annual basis. This matter is pending.
Transmission Formula Rates—In October 2020, PSE&G filed its 2020 Annual Transmission Formula Rate Update with FERC which will result in $119 million in increased annual transmission revenue effective January 1, 2021, subject to true-up.
In June 2020, PSE&G filed its 2019 true-up adjustment pertaining to its transmission formula rates in effect for 2019. This filing resulted in an additional annual revenue requirement of $24 million more than the 2019 originally filed revenue.
In April 2020, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued a Private Letter Ruling (PLR) to PSE&G concluding that certain excess deferred taxes previously classified as protected should be classified as unprotected. Unprotected excess deferred income taxes are not subject to the normalization rules allowing them to be refunded to customers sooner as agreed to with FERC and the BPU. In July 2020, FERC approved PSE&G’s request to allow the entire amount of these unprotected excess deferred income taxes be returned to customers in the 2019 true-up filing. As a result of the FERC approval, PSE&G recorded a revenue reduction of approximately $38 million in the third quarter of 2020, fully offset by a reduction in Income Tax Expense. The refund will be provided to transmission ratepayers as a reduction to the 2021 transmission rates.
Basic Gas Supply Service (BGSS)—In September 2020, the BPU provisionally approved PSE&G’s request to maintain the current BGSS rate of 32 cents. This rate is subject to final approval.
Gas System Modernization Program II (GSMP II)—In July 2020, the BPU approved PSE&G’s GSMP II cost recovery petition requesting approximately $18 million in gas revenues on an annual basis, which included GSMP II investments in service as of February 29, 2020. The increase was effective July 16, 2020.
In September 2020, PSE&G updated its GSMP II cost recovery petition seeking BPU approval to recover in gas base rates an estimated annual revenue increase of approximately $20 million effective December 1, 2020. This increase represents the return on and of GSMP II investments placed in service through August 31, 2020. This matter is pending.
Tax Adjustment Credit (TAC)—In October 2020, PSE&G made its annual 2020 TAC filing. The TAC allows for the flowback to customers of excess accumulated deferred income taxes resulting from the reduction of the federal income tax rates provided in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (Tax Act) as well as the accumulated deferred income taxes from previously realized tax repair deductions and tax benefits from future tax repair deductions as realized. The 2020 TAC filing requests BPU approval to reduce electric revenues by approximately $23 million and increase gas revenues by $49 million on an annual basis starting January 1, 2021. This matter is pending.
In July 2020, the BPU gave final approval to PSE&G’s 2019 TAC filing that had been approved on a provisional basis in January 2020, with additional credits included in the final ruling. The final approval resulted in a reduction to electric and gas revenues of $25 million and $29 million, respectively, on an annual basis, effective July 16, 2020.
As discussed above, PSE&G received a PLR from the IRS in April 2020 that concluded that certain excess deferred taxes previously classified as protected should be classified as unprotected. Unprotected excess deferred income taxes are not subject to the tax normalization rules allowing them to be refunded to customers sooner as agreed to with the BPU. As part of a procedural discovery to obtain the BPU’s final approval, PSE&G proposed that it change its current provisional TAC rates to increase the credit and start flowing back these unprotected amounts starting in July 2020 through December 31, 2024, which the BPU approved. This resulted in a total additional credit to electric and gas customers of $50 million and $46 million, respectively, of which $10 million and $19 million will be flowed back in 2020 for electric and gas, respectively.
WNC—In September 2020, the BPU approved a provisional rate effective October 1, 2020 for the collection of $10 million from customers over the 2020-2021 Winter Period for the estimated undercollection resulting from the warmer-than-normal 2019-2020 Winter Period.
Remediation Adjustment Charge (RAC)—In September 2020, the BPU approved PSE&G’s RAC 27 filing requesting recovery of approximately $53 million in net manufactured gas plant remediation expenditures from August 1, 2018 through July 31, 2019.