GLOSSARY OF TERMS AND ABBREVIATIONS
AFUDC
Allowance for Funds Used During Construction
AOCI / AOCL
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)
ASC
Accounting Standards Codification
ASU
Accounting Standards Update as issued by the FASB
Average Weather
The 25-year average of heating degree days based on temperatures established in our last Oregon general rate case
Bcf
Billion cubic feet, a volumetric measure of natural gas, where one Bcf is roughly equal to 10 million therms
CNG
Compressed Natural Gas
CODM
Chief Operating Decision Maker. For accounting purposes, an individual or group of individuals responsible for the allocation of resources and assessing the performance of the entity's business units
Core Utility Customers
Residential, commercial, and industrial customers receiving firm service from the utility
Cost of Gas
The delivered cost of natural gas sold to customers, including the cost of gas purchased or withdrawn/produced from storage inventory or reserves, gains and losses from gas commodity hedges, pipeline demand costs, seasonal demand cost balancing adjustments, regulatory gas cost deferrals and Company gas use
CPUC
California Public Utilities Commission, the entity that regulates our California gas storage business at the Gill Ranch facility with respect to rates and terms of service, among other matters
Decoupling
A billing rate mechanism, also referred to as a conservation tariff, which is designed to allow a utility to encourage industrial and small commercial customers to conserve energy while not adversely affecting its earnings due to reductions in sales volumes
Demand Cost
A component in core utility customer rates representing the cost of securing firm pipeline capacity, whether the capacity is used or not
EBITDA
Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, a non-GAAP financial measure
EE/CA
Engineering Evaluation / Cost Analysis
Encana
Encana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc.
Energy Corp
Northwest Energy Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of NW Natural
EPA
Environmental Protection Agency
EPS
Earnings per share
FASB
Financial Accounting Standards Board
FERC
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; the entity regulating interstate storage services offered by the Mist gas storage facility
Firm Service
Natural gas service offered to customers under contracts or rate schedules that will not be disrupted to meet the needs of other customers
FMBs
First Mortgage Bonds
General Rate Case
A periodic filing with state or federal regulators to establish billing rates for utility customers
GHG
Greenhouse gases
Gill Ranch
Gill Ranch Storage, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of NWN Gas Storage
Gill Ranch Facility
Underground natural gas storage facility near Fresno, California, with 75% owned by Gill Ranch and 25% owned by PG&E
GTN
Gas Transmission Northwest, LLC which owns a transmission pipeline serving California and the Pacific Northwest
Heating Degree Days
Units of measure reflecting temperature-sensitive consumption of natural gas, calculated by subtracting the average of a day’s high and low temperatures from 59 degrees Fahrenheit
HATFA
Highway and Transportation Funding Act of 2014
Interruptible Service
Natural gas service offered to customers (usually large commercial or industrial users) under contracts or rate schedules that allow for interruptions when necessary to meet the needs of firm service customers
Interstate Storage Services
The portion of the Mist gas storage facility not used to serve NGD, instead serving utilities, gas marketers, electric generators, and large industrial users
IPUC
Public Utility Commission of Idaho; the entity that regulates NW Holdings' Idaho water business with respect to rates and terms of service, among other matters
IRP
Integrated Resource Plan