Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Table)

12 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2015

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Schedule Of Regulatory Assets And Liabilities

Significant regulatory assets and liabilities as of September 30, 2015 and 2014 included the following:

	September 30
	2015		2014
	(In thousands)
Regulatory assets:
Pension and postretirement benefit costs(1)	$	121,183	$	162,777
Infrastructure Mechanisms(2)	32,813		26,948
Deferred gas costs	9,715		20,069
Recoverable loss on reacquired debt	16,319		18,877
APT annual adjustment mechanism	1,002		8,479
Rate case costs	1,533		3,757
Other	9,774		9,402
	$	192,339	$	250,309
Regulatory liabilities:
Regulatory cost of removal obligation	$	483,676	$	490,448
Deferred gas costs	28,100		35,063
Asset retirement obligation	9,063		10,508
Deferred franchise fees	—		5,268
Other	3,693		4,472
	$	524,532	$	545,759

^[1],[2]

[1] Includes $16.6 million and $18.8 million of pension and postretirement expense deferred pursuant to regulatory authorization.

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