Unaudited Financial Information

These consolidated interim-period financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States on the same basis as those used for the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2015. In the opinion of management, all material adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) necessary for a fair presentation have been made to the unaudited consolidated interim-period financial statements. These consolidated interim-period financial statements are condensed as permitted by the instructions to Form 10-Q and should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements of Atmos Energy Corporation included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2015. Because of seasonal and other factors, the results of operations for the three-month period ended December 31, 2015 are not indicative of our results of operations for the full 2016 fiscal year, which ends September 30, 2016.

No events have occurred subsequent to the balance sheet date that would require recognition or disclosure in the condensed consolidated financial statements.

Significant accounting policies

Our accounting policies are described in Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2015.

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued a comprehensive new revenue recognition standard that will supersede virtually all existing revenue recognition guidance under generally accepted accounting principles in the United States. Under the new standard, a company will recognize revenue when it transfers promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the company expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. In doing so, companies will need to use more judgment and make more estimates than under current guidance. The new standard is currently scheduled to become effective for us beginning on October 1, 2018 and can be applied either retrospectively to each period presented or as a cumulative-effect adjustment as of the date of adoption. We are currently evaluating the effect on our financial position, results of operations and cash flows, as well as the transition approach we will select.

In April 2015, the FASB issued guidance to simplify the presentation of debt issuance costs, which requires that debt issuance costs related to a recognized debt liability be presented in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of that debt liability, consistent with debt discounts. The new standard will be effective for us beginning on October 1, 2016, and will be applied retrospectively. We are currently evaluating the impact this standard may have on our financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

In November 2015, the FASB issued guidance that requires all deferred income tax liabilities and assets to be presented as noncurrent in a classified balance sheet. Currently, entities are required to separate deferred income tax liabilities and assets into current and noncurrent amounts in a classified balance sheet. The new standard will become effective for us beginning on October 1, 2017, with the option to early adopt, and can be applied either prospectively or retrospectively. The adoption of this guidance will have no impact on our results of operations or cash flows. The reclassification of amounts from current to noncurrent will affect the presentation of our balance sheet.

Regulatory assets and liabilities

Accounting principles generally accepted in the United States require cost-based, rate-regulated entities that meet certain criteria to reflect the authorized recovery of costs due to regulatory decisions in their financial statements. As a result, certain costs are permitted to be capitalized rather than expensed because they can be recovered through rates. We record certain costs as regulatory assets when future recovery through customer rates is considered probable. Regulatory liabilities are recorded when it is probable that revenues will be reduced for amounts that will be credited to customers through the ratemaking process. Substantially all of our regulatory assets are recorded as a component of deferred charges and other assets and substantially all of our regulatory liabilities are recorded as a component of deferred credits and other liabilities. Deferred gas costs are recorded either in other current assets or liabilities and the regulatory cost of removal obligation is reported separately.

Significant regulatory assets and liabilities as of December 31, 2015 and September 30, 2015 included the following:



	December 31, 2015		September 30, 2015
	(In thousands)
Regulatory assets:
Pension and postretirement benefit costs⁽¹⁾	$	116,485	$	121,183
Infrastructure mechanisms⁽²⁾	43,385		32,813
Deferred gas costs	16,310		9,715
Recoverable loss on reacquired debt	15,680		16,319
APT annual adjustment mechanism	—		1,002
Rate case costs	1,568		1,533
Other	11,878		9,774
	$	205,306	$	192,339
Regulatory liabilities:
Regulatory cost of removal obligation	$	482,544	$	483,676
Deferred gas costs	32,895		28,100
Asset retirement obligation	9,063		9,063
APT annual adjustment mechanism	1,721		—
Other	3,415		3,693
	$	529,638	$	524,532


⁽¹⁾	Includes $14.3 million and $16.6 million of pension and postretirement expense deferred pursuant to regulatory authorization.


⁽²⁾	Infrastructure mechanisms in Texas and Louisiana allow for the deferral of all expenses associated with capital expenditures incurred pursuant to these rules, which primarily consists of interest, depreciation and other taxes, until the next rate proceeding (rate case or annual rate filing), at which time investment and costs would be recoverable through base rates.