Employee benefit plans

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2012

Employee Benefit Plans [Abstract]

Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits Disclosure

Employee benefit plans

The Company has noncontributory defined benefit pension plans and other postretirement benefit plans for certain eligible employees. Components of net periodic benefit cost for the Company's pension and other postretirement benefit plans were as follows:

Three Months Ended March 31,	Pension Benefits						Other Postretirement Benefits
	2012			2011			2012			2011
	(In thousands)
Components of net periodic benefit cost:
Service cost	$	345		$	827		$	412		$	339
Interest cost	4,554			4,960			1,143			1,189
Expected return on assets	(5,886		)	(5,700		)	(1,244		)	(1,218		)
Amortization of prior service cost (credit)	(21		)	43			(272		)	(669		)
Amortization of net actuarial loss	1,681			1,543			526			311
Amortization of net transition obligation	—			—			532			531
Net periodic benefit cost, including amount capitalized	673			1,673			1,097			483
Less amount capitalized	234			248			138			(67		)
Net periodic benefit cost	$	439		$	1,425		$	959		$	550

Defined pension plan benefits to all nonunion and certain union employees hired after December 31, 2005, were discontinued. Employees that would have been eligible for defined pension plan benefits are eligible to receive additional defined contribution plan benefits. Effective January 1, 2010, all benefit and service accruals for nonunion and certain union plans were frozen. Effective June 30, 2011, all benefit and service accruals for an additional union plan were frozen. These employees will be eligible to receive additional defined contribution plan benefits.

In addition to the qualified plan defined pension benefits reflected in the table, the Company has an unfunded, nonqualified benefit plan for executive officers and certain key management employees that generally provides for defined benefit payments at age 65 following the employee's retirement or to their beneficiaries upon death for a 15-year period. The Company's net periodic benefit cost for this plan for the three months ended March 31, 2012 and 2011, was $2.1 million and $2.1 million, respectively.