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Retirement Plan And Other Post-Retirement Benefits
 6 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2019
Retirement Benefits [Abstract]  
Retirement Plan and Other Post-Retirement Benefits Retirement Plan and Other Post-Retirement Benefits
 
Components of Net Periodic Benefit Cost (in thousands):
 
 
Retirement Plan
 
Other Post-Retirement Benefits
Three Months Ended March 31,
2019
2018
 
2019
2018





 




Service Cost
$
2,120

$
2,480

 
$
380

$
458

Interest Cost
9,594

8,252

 
4,286

3,700

Expected Return on Plan Assets
(15,591
)
(15,429
)
 
(7,539
)
(7,871
)
Amortization of Prior Service Cost (Credit)
206

235

 
(107
)
(107
)
Amortization of Losses
8,024

9,301

 
1,490

2,639

Net Amortization and Deferral for Regulatory Purposes (Including Volumetric Adjustments) (1)
4,786

6,492

 
6,565

6,250






 




Net Periodic Benefit Cost
$
9,139

$
11,331

 
$
5,075

$
5,069

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Retirement Plan
 
Other Post-Retirement Benefits
Six Months Ended March 31,
2019
2018
 
2019
2018
 
 
 
 
 
 
Service Cost
$
4,241

$
4,960

 
$
760

$
915

Interest Cost
19,189

16,503

 
8,572

7,400

Expected Return on Plan Assets
(31,184
)
(30,857
)
 
(15,078
)
(15,741
)
Amortization of Prior Service Cost (Credit)
413

469

 
(214
)
(214
)
Amortization of Losses
16,048

18,602

 
2,980

5,279

Net Amortization and Deferral for Regulatory Purposes (Including Volumetric Adjustments) (1)
5,604

8,214

 
10,536

9,858

 
 
 
 
 
 
Net Periodic Benefit Cost
$
14,311

$
17,891

 
$
7,556

$
7,497

 
 
 
 
 
 
(1) 
The Company’s policy is to record retirement plan and other post-retirement benefit costs in the Utility segment on a volumetric basis to reflect the fact that the Utility segment experiences higher throughput of natural gas in the winter months and lower throughput of natural gas in the summer months.
 
Employer Contributions.    During the six months ended March 31, 2019, the Company contributed $29.2 million to its tax-qualified, noncontributory defined-benefit retirement plan (Retirement Plan) and $2.1 million to its VEBA trusts for its other post-retirement benefits.  In the remainder of 2019, the Company may contribute up to $5.0 million to the Retirement Plan and the Company expects its contributions to the VEBA trusts to be in the range of $0.5 million to $1.0 million.