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Retirement Plan And Other Post-Retirement Benefits
 3 Months Ended
Dec. 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 December 31,
2019
2018
 
2019
2018





 




Service Cost
$
2,330

$
2,120

 
$
402

$
380

Interest Cost
7,483

9,594

 
3,228

4,286

Expected Return on Plan Assets
(15,016
)
(15,591
)
 
(7,308
)
(7,539
)
Amortization of Prior Service Cost (Credit)
182

206

 
(107
)
(107
)
Amortization of Losses
9,846

8,024

 
134

1,490

Net Amortization and Deferral for Regulatory Purposes (Including Volumetric Adjustments) (1)
1,527

819

 
6,249

3,971






 




Net Periodic Benefit Cost
$
6,352

$
5,172

 
$
2,598

$
2,481

 
 
 
 
 
 
(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.
 
The components of net periodic benefit cost other than service cost are presented in Other Income (Deductions) on the Consolidated Statements of Income.

Employer Contributions.    During the three months ended December 31, 2019, the Company contributed $7.8 million to its tax-qualified, noncontributory defined-benefit retirement plan (Retirement Plan) and $0.7 million to its VEBA trusts for its other post-retirement benefits.  In the remainder of 2020, the Company expects its contributions to the Retirement Plan to be in the range of $17.0 million to $22.0 million. In the remainder of 2020, the Company expects its contributions to its VEBA trusts to be in the range of $2.0 million to $2.5 million.