Retirement and Other Employee Benefits (Tables)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2015

Retirement and Other Employee Benefits

Schedule of net periodic benefit pension cost

Net periodic benefit cost, some of which is capitalized as a component of labor cost and some of which is deferred as a regulatory asset, is comprised of the following components and is shown for our noncontributory defined benefit pension plan, our supplemental retirement program (SERP) and other postretirement benefits (OPEB) (in thousands):

	Three months ended June 30,
	Pension Benefits						SERP						OPEB
	2015			2014			2015			2014			2015			2014
Service cost	$	1,883		$	1,627		$	43		$	29		$	920		$	607
Interest cost	2,503			2,733			92			87			1,163			1,081
Expected return on plan assets	(3,390		)	(3,322		)	—			—			(1,312		)	(1,197		)
Amortization of prior service cost (1)	(157		)	105			(11		)	(2		)	(253		)	(253		)
Amortization of net actuarial loss (1)	2,345			1,649			140			105			681			229
Net periodic benefit cost	$	3,184		$	2,792		$	264		$	219		$	1,199		$	467

	Six months ended June 30,
	Pension Benefits						SERP						OPEB
	2015			2014			2015			2014			2015			2014
Service cost	$	3,765		$	3,254		$	85		$	58		$	1,840		$	1,214
Interest cost	5,006			5,467			184			173			2,327			2,161
Expected return on plan assets	(6,779		)	(6,644		)	—			—			(2,625		)	(2,393		)
Amortization of prior service cost (1)	(315		)	209			(21		)	(4		)	(506		)	(506		)
Amortization of net actuarial loss (1)	4,690			3,298			280			211			1,363			457
Net periodic benefit cost	$	6,367		$	5,584		$	528		$	438		$	2,399		$	933

	Twelve months ended June 30,
	Pension Benefits						SERP						OPEB
	2015			2014			2015			2014			2015			2014
Service cost	$	6,978		$	6,981		$	180		$	125		$	3,227		$	2,684
Interest cost	10,359			10,498			399			330			4,525			4,074
Expected return on plan assets	(13,241		)	(12,858		)	—			—			(5,032		)	(4,569		)
Amortization of prior service cost (1)	(106		)	475			(26		)	(8		)	(1,011		)	(1,011		)
Amortization of net actuarial loss (1)	8,003			8,520			574			495			1,873			1,588
Net periodic benefit cost	$	11,993		$	13,616		$	1,127		$	942		$	3,582		$	2,766

(1) Amounts are amortized from our regulatory asset originally recorded upon recognizing our net pension liability on the balance sheet.