Item 4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
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Item 4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
American Water maintains disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in its reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to management, including the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. In designing and evaluating the disclosure controls and procedures, management recognizes that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objective.
The Company’s management, including the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer, conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of its disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) of the Exchange Act) as of March 31, 2023.
Based on that evaluation, the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer have concluded that, as of March 31, 2023, the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective at a reasonable level of assurance.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
The Company concluded that there have been no changes in internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the three months ended March 31, 2023, that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
PART II. OTHER INFORMATION
ITEM 1. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
The following information updates and amends the information provided in the Company’s Form 10-K in Item 3—Legal Proceedings. Capitalized terms used but not otherwise defined herein have the meanings set forth in the Company’s Form 10-K. In accordance with the SEC’s disclosure rules, the Company has elected to disclose environmental proceedings involving the Company and a governmental authority if the amount of potential monetary sanctions, exclusive of interest and costs, that the Company reasonably believes will result from such proceeding is $1 million or more.
Alternative Water Supply in Lieu of Carmel River Diversions
Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project
CPUC Final Approval of Water Supply Project
On March 30, 2023, the CPUC issued a decision denying Cal Am’s application for rehearing, but adopting its proposed AFUDC for already incurred and future costs. The decision also provides Cal Am the opportunity to serve supplemental testimony to increase its cost cap for certain of the Water Supply Project’s extraction wells. The amended water purchase agreement and a memorandum of understanding to negotiate certain milestones related to the expansion of the GWR Project have been signed by the relevant parties.
While Cal Am believes that its expenditures to date have been prudent and necessary to comply with the 2009 Order and the 2016 Order, as well as relevant final decisions of the CPUC related thereto, Cal Am cannot currently predict its ability to recover all of its costs and expenses associated with the Water Supply Project and there can be no assurance that Cal Am will be able to recover all of such costs and expenses in excess of the $112 million in aggregate construction costs, plus applicable AFUDC, previously approved by the CPUC in its 2016 final decision and its December 2022 final decision, as amended by its March 30, 2023 rehearing decision.
Test Slant Well Permitting
The application for extension of the State Lands Commission lease was approved, and the lease will now expire on December 16, 2027.
Proposed Acquisition of Monterey System Assets — Local Area Formation Commission Litigation
Notwithstanding the denial by LAFCO of the MPWMD’s application seeking to be a retail water provider, which is currently being challenged by the MPWMD, the MPWMD notified Cal Am by letter dated April 3, 2023, of its offer to purchase the Monterey system assets for $448.8 million. Cal Am’s response is due by April 30, 2023, and it currently plans to reject the offer. The MPWMD has reserved its right to determine whether to acquire the Monterey system assets through the exercise of eminent domain.
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