Our utility operations are subject to regulation with respect to rates, service area, accounting and various other matters by the regulatory commissions in the states in which we operate. The accounting regulations provide that rate-regulated public utilities account for and report assets and liabilities consistent with the economic effect of the manner in which independent third-party regulators establish rates. In applying these regulations, we capitalize certain costs and benefits as regulatory assets and liabilities, respectively, in order to provide for recovery from or refund to utility customers in future periods.
Our regulatory assets are recoverable through either base rates or rate riders specifically authorized by a state regulatory commission. Base rates are designed to provide both a recovery of cost and a return on investment during the period the rates are in effect. As such, all of our regulatory assets are subject to review by the respective state regulatory commissions during any future rate proceedings. In the event that accounting for the effects of regulation were no longer applicable, we would recognize a write-off of the regulatory assets and regulatory liabilities that would result in an adjustment to net income. Our utility operations continue to recover their costs through cost-based rates established by the state regulatory commissions.