Contingencies	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2016
Contingencies
Contingencies	(15) Contingencies The Company is the plaintiff in two nearly identical lawsuits against South Jersey Gas Company and South Jersey Resources Group, LLC (collectively “SJGC”) pending in United States District Court in Colorado. The Company filed suit against SJGC seeking relief for breach of contract and damages in the amounts that SJGC has short paid, and continues to short pay, the Company in connection with two long term gas contracts. Under those contracts, SJGC are long term purchasers of some of the Company’s natural gas production. Deliveries under the contracts began in October 2011 and the delivery obligation continues through October 2019. SJGC unilaterally breached the contracts claiming that the index prices specified in the contracts, and the index prices at which SJGC paid for deliveries from 2011 through September 2014, are no longer appropriate under the contracts because a market disruption event (as defined by the contract) has occurred and, as a result, a new index price is to be determined by the parties. Beginning in October 2014, SJGC began short paying the Company based on indexes unilaterally selected by SJGC and not the index specified in the contract. The Company contends that no market disruption event has occurred and that SJGC have breached the contracts by failing to pay the Company based on the express price terms of the contracts. Through December 31, 2016, the Company estimates that it is owed approximately $55 million more than SJGC has paid using the indexes unilaterally selected by them. The Company and Washington Gas Light Company and WGL Midstream, Inc. (collectively, “WGL”) are also involved in a pricing dispute involving contracts that the Company began delivering gas under in January 2016. The Company has invoiced WGL at the index price specified in the contract and WGL has paid the Company based on that invoice price; however, WGL asserted that the index price is no longer appropriate under the contracts and that an undefined alternative index was more appropriate for the delivery point of the gas. In July 2016, the matter was referred to arbitration by the Colorado district court. In January 2017, the arbitration panel ruled in the Company’s favor. As a result, the index price has remained as specified in the contracts and there will be no adjustments to the invoices that have been paid by WGL. The Company is party to various other legal proceedings and claims in the ordinary course of its business. The Company believes that certain of these matters will be covered by insurance and that the outcome of other matters will not have a material adverse effect on the Company’s consolidated financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.

(15) Contingencies

The Company is the plaintiff in two nearly identical lawsuits against South Jersey Gas Company and South Jersey Resources Group, LLC (collectively “SJGC”) pending in United States District Court in Colorado. The Company filed suit against SJGC seeking relief for breach of contract and damages in the amounts that SJGC has short paid, and continues to short pay, the Company in connection with two long term gas contracts. Under those contracts, SJGC are long term purchasers of some of the Company’s natural gas production. Deliveries under the contracts began in October 2011 and the delivery obligation continues through October 2019. SJGC unilaterally breached the contracts claiming that the index prices specified in the contracts, and the index prices at which SJGC paid for deliveries from 2011 through September 2014, are no longer appropriate under the contracts because a market disruption event (as defined by the contract) has occurred and, as a result, a new index price is to be determined by the parties. Beginning in October 2014, SJGC began short paying the Company based on indexes unilaterally selected by SJGC and not the index specified in the contract. The Company contends that no market disruption event has occurred and that SJGC have breached the contracts by failing to pay the Company based on the express price terms of the contracts. Through December 31, 2016, the Company estimates that it is owed approximately $55 million more than SJGC has paid using the indexes unilaterally selected by them.

The Company and Washington Gas Light Company and WGL Midstream, Inc. (collectively, “WGL”) are also involved in a pricing dispute involving contracts that the Company began delivering gas under in January 2016. The Company has invoiced WGL at the index price specified in the contract and WGL has paid the Company based on that invoice price; however, WGL asserted that the index price is no longer appropriate under the contracts and that an undefined alternative index was more appropriate for the delivery point of the gas. In July 2016, the matter was referred to arbitration by the Colorado district court. In January 2017, the arbitration panel ruled in the Company’s favor. As a result, the index price has remained as specified in the contracts and there will be no adjustments to the invoices that have been paid by WGL.

The Company is party to various other legal proceedings and claims in the ordinary course of its business. The Company believes that certain of these matters will be covered by insurance and that the outcome of other matters will not have a material adverse effect on the Company’s consolidated financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.