Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2020

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Basis of Accounting, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”) for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. Operating results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for future periods.

The Consolidated Balance Sheet at December 31, 2019 has been derived from the Audited Consolidated Financial Statements at that date but does not include all disclosures required by GAAP. This Form 10-Q report should be read in conjunction with CONSOL Energy Inc.'s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019.

Consolidation, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Basis of Consolidation

The Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of CONSOL Energy Inc. and its wholly-owned and majority-owned and/or controlled subsidiaries. The portion of these entities that is not owned by the Company is presented as non-controlling interest. All significant intercompany transactions and accounts have been eliminated in consolidation.

New Accounting Pronouncements, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In March 2020, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2020-04 - Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848) - Facilitation of the Effects of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting. The amendments in this Update provide optional guidance for a limited period of time to ease the potential burden in accounting for (or recognizing the effects of) reference rate reform on financial reporting. In response to concerns about structural risks of interbank offered rates (IBORs), and, particularly, the risk of cessation of the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR), regulators in several jurisdictions around the world have undertaken reference rate reform initiatives to identify alternative reference rates that are more observable or transaction based and less susceptible to manipulation. This Update also provides optional expedients and exceptions for applying GAAP to contracts, hedging relationships, and other transactions affected by reference rate reform if certain criteria are met. The amendments in this Update apply only to contracts, hedging relationships, and other transactions that reference LIBOR or another reference rate expected to be discontinued because of reference rate reform. The amendments in this Update are effective for all entities as of March 12, 2020 through December 31, 2022. An entity may elect to apply the amendments for contract modifications by Topic or Industry Subtopic as of any date from the beginning of an interim period that includes or is subsequent to March 12, 2020, or prospectively from a date within an interim period that includes or is subsequent to March 12, 2020, up to the date that the financial statements are available to be issued. Once elected for a Topic or an Industry Subtopic, the amendments in this Update must be applied prospectively for all eligible contract modifications for that Topic or Industry Subtopic. Management has elected to apply this Update subsequent to March 12, 2020. Management is currently evaluating the impact of this guidance, but does not expect this update to have a material impact on the Company's financial statements.

In January 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-01 - Investments - Equity Securities (Topic 321), Investments - Equity Method and Joint Ventures (Topic 323), and Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815). The amendments in this Update clarify certain interactions between the guidance to account for certain equity securities under Topic 321, the guidance to account for investments under the equity method of accounting in Topic 323, and the guidance in Topic 815, which could change how an entity accounts for an equity security under the measurement alternative or a forward contract or purchased option to purchase securities that, upon settlement of the forward contract or exercise of the purchased option, would be accounted for under the equity method of accounting or the fair value option in accordance with Topic 825, Financial Instruments. These amendments improve current GAAP by reducing diversity in practice and increasing comparability of the accounting for these interactions. The amendments in this Update are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. Management does not expect this update to have a material impact on the Company's financial statements.

In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-12 - Income Taxes (Topic 740) to reduce the complexity of accounting for income taxes while maintaining or improving the usefulness of the information provided to users of financial statements. The amendments in Update 2019-12 will remove the following exceptions: (1) the exception to the incremental approach for intra-period tax allocation; (2) exceptions to accounting for basis differences when there are ownership changes in foreign investments; and (3) the exception to the general methodology for calculating income taxes in an interim period when a year-to-date loss exceeds the anticipated loss for the year. The amendments in Update 2019-12 will also simplify the accounting for income taxes in the areas of franchise tax, step up in the tax basis of goodwill associated with a business combination, allocation of current and deferred tax expense to a legal entity that is not subject to tax in its separate financial statements, and presentation of the effect of an enacted change in tax laws or rates in the annual effective tax rate computation in the interim period that includes the enactment date. The Update adds minor codification improvements for income taxes related to employee stock ownership plans and investments in qualified affordable housing projects accounted for using the equity method. These changes will be effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. Management does not expect this update to have a material impact on the Company's financial statements.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-14 - Compensation - Retirement Benefits - Defined Benefit Plans - General (Subtopic 715-20) to improve the effectiveness of disclosures in the notes to the financial statements by facilitating clear communication of the information required by GAAP. The amendments modify the disclosure requirements for employers that sponsor defined benefit pension or other postretirement plans. These changes will be effective for fiscal years ending after December 15, 2020, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Management is currently evaluating the impact this guidance may have on the presentation of the Company’s financial statements.

Earnings Per Share, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Earnings per Share

Basic earnings per share are computed by dividing net income attributable to CONSOL Energy Inc. shareholders by the weighted average shares outstanding during the reporting period. Dilutive earnings per share are computed similarly to basic earnings per share, except that the weighted average shares outstanding are increased to include additional shares from restricted stock units and performance share units, if dilutive. The number of additional shares is calculated by assuming that outstanding restricted stock units and performance share units were released, and that the proceeds from such activities were used to acquire shares of common stock at the average market price during the reporting period. 

The table below sets forth the share-based awards that have been excluded from the computation of diluted earnings per share because their effect would be anti-dilutive:

	For the Three Months Ended				For the Six Months Ended
	June 30,				June 30,
	2020		2019		2020		2019
Anti-Dilutive Restricted Stock Units		1,516,956		168,460		1,259,588		6,860
Anti-Dilutive Performance Share Units		29,062		41,675		29,061		41,675
		1,546,018		210,135		1,288,649		48,535

The computations for basic and dilutive earnings per share are as follows:

	For the Three Months Ended					For the Six Months Ended
Dollars in thousands, except per share data	June 30,					June 30,
	2020			2019		2020			2019
Numerator:
Net (Loss) Income	$	(21,063	)	$	48,830	$	(18,588	)	$	69,133
Less: Net (Loss) Income Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest		(3,080	)		5,550		(2,972	)		11,418
Net (Loss) Income Attributable to CONSOL Energy Inc. Shareholders	$	(17,983	)	$	43,280	$	(15,616	)	$	57,715
Denominator:
Weighted-average shares of common stock outstanding		26,031,103			27,498,021		26,009,129			27,514,349
Effect of dilutive shares*		—			284,259		—			270,454
Weighted-average diluted shares of common stock outstanding		26,031,103			27,782,280		26,009,129			27,784,803
(Loss) Earnings per Share:
Basic	$	(0.69	)	$	1.57	$	(0.60	)	$	2.10
Dilutive	$	(0.69	)	$	1.56	$	(0.60	)	$	2.08

*During periods in which the Company incurs a net loss, diluted weighted average shares outstanding are equal to basic weighted average shares outstanding because the effect of all equity awards is anti-dilutive.

As of June 30, 2020, CONSOL Energy has 500,000 shares of preferred stock, none of which are issued or outstanding.