Notwithstanding any other provision of this Title, costs arising from obligations incurred by a gas utility after March 1, 1998, other than costs or obligations that are beyond the control of the gas utility, determined by the commission in an adjudicatory proceeding to be unrecoverable as a result of competition or deregulation are incurred at the risk of the shareholders of the gas utility and may not be borne by ratepayers of the gas utility. This section may not be interpreted as requiring that costs incurred prior to March 1, 1998 be recovered from ratepayers.   [PL 1997, c. 707, §10 (NEW).]