COMPONENTS OF PENSION PLAN NET PERIODIC BENEFIT COSTS

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2020

EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLANS

COMPONENTS OF PENSION PLAN NET PERIODIC BENEFIT COSTS

17.COMPONENTS OF PENSION PLAN NET PERIODIC BENEFIT COSTS

Eligible employees at certain of our mining operations participate in a defined benefit plan (the "Pension Plan") that we sponsor.  The Pension Plan is currently closed to new applicants and participants in the Pension Plan are no longer

receiving benefit accruals for service.  The benefit formula for the Pension Plan is a fixed dollar unit based on years of service.  Components of the net periodic benefit cost for each of the periods presented are as follows:

	Three Months Ended
	March 31,
	2020		2019
	(in thousands)
Interest cost	$	1,054	$	1,216
Expected return on plan assets		(1,492)		(1,232)
Amortization of prior service cost		46		47
Amortization of net loss		1,064		979
Net periodic benefit cost (1)	$	672	$	1,010

(1) Net periodic benefit cost for the Pension Plan is included in the Other expense line item within our condensed consolidated statements of income.

During the three months ended March 31, 2020, we made a contribution payment of $1.1 million to the Pension Plan for the 2019 plan year.  We expect to defer all remaining contributions to the Pension Plan during 2020 until January 2021 as provided for under the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security Act of 2020 enacted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.