Financial Instruments (Table)

6 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2012

Financial Instruments [Abstract]

Oustanding commodity contracts volumes table

		Natural
	Hedge	Gas
Contract Type	Designation	Distribution	Nonregulated
		Quantity (MMcf)
Commodity contracts	Fair Value	-	(38,340)
	Cash Flow	-	49,098
	Not designated	6,033	28,190
		6,033	38,948

Financial instruments on the balance sheet

						Natural
						Gas
				Balance Sheet Location		Distribution		Nonregulated		Total
March 31, 2012						(In thousands)
Designated As Hedges:
	Asset Financial Instruments
		Current commodity contracts		Other current assets		$	-	$	77,441	$	77,441
		Noncurrent commodity		Deferred charges and
			contracts		other assets		-		-		-
	Liability Financial Instruments
		Current commodity contracts		Other current liabilities			(45,818)		(59,301)		(105,119)
		Noncurrent commodity		Deferred credits and
			contracts		other liabilities		-		(10,914)		(10,914)
	Total						(45,818)		7,226		(38,592)
Not Designated As Hedges:
	Asset Financial Instruments
		Current commodity contracts		Other current assets			502		137,934		138,436
		Noncurrent commodity		Deferred charges and
			contracts		other assets		-		85,951		85,951
	Liability Financial Instruments
		Current commodity contracts		Other current liabilities(1)			(2,215)		(164,189)		(166,404)
		Noncurrent commodity		Deferred credits and
			contracts		other liabilities		(1)		(69,496)		(69,497)
	Total						(1,714)		(9,800)		(11,514)
Total Financial Instruments						$	(47,532)	$	(2,574)	$	(50,106)

						Natural
						Gas
				Balance Sheet Location		Distribution		Nonregulated		Total
September 30, 2011						(In thousands)
Designated As Hedges:
	Asset Financial Instruments
		Current commodity contracts		Other current assets		$	-	$	22,396	$	22,396
		Noncurrent commodity		Deferred charges and
			contracts		other assets		-		174		174
	Liability Financial Instruments
		Current commodity contracts		Other current liabilities			-		(31,064)		(31,064)
		Noncurrent commodity		Deferred credits and
			contracts		other liabilities		(67,527)		(7,709)		(75,236)
	Total						(67,527)		(16,203)		(83,730)
Not Designated As Hedges:
	Asset Financial Instruments
		Current commodity contracts		Other current assets			843		67,710		68,553
		Noncurrent commodity		Deferred charges and
			contracts		other assets		998		22,379		23,377
	Liability Financial Instruments
		Current commodity contracts		Other current liabilities(1)			(13,256)		(73,865)		(87,121)
		Noncurrent commodity		Deferred credits and
			contracts		other liabilities		(335)		(25,071)		(25,406)
	Total						(11,750)		(8,847)		(20,597)
Total Financial Instruments						$	(79,277)	$	(25,050)	$	(104,327)

Fair value hedges table

		Three Months Ended March 31
		2012		2011
		(In thousands)
Commodity contracts		$	29,090	$	(1,279)
Fair value adjustment for natural gas
	inventory designated as the hedged item		(35,087)		5,586
Total impact on revenue		$	(5,997)	$	4,307
The impact on revenue is comprised of
the following:
	Basis ineffectiveness	$	(739)	$	(509)
	Timing ineffectiveness		(5,258)		4,816
		$	(5,997)	$	4,307
		Six Months Ended March 31
		2012		2011
			(In thousands)
Commodity contracts		$	53,153	$	(3,003)
Fair value adjustment for natural gas
	inventory designated as the hedged item		(50,335)		21,211
Total impact on revenue		$	2,818	$	18,208
The impact on revenue is comprised of
the following:
	Basis ineffectiveness	$	102	$	412
	Timing ineffectiveness		2,716		17,796
		$	2,818	$	18,208

Cash flow hedges [Table Text Block]

		Three Months Ended March 31, 2012
		Natural		Regulated
		Gas		Transmission
		Distribution		and Storage		Nonregulated		Consolidated
		(In thousands)
Loss reclassified from AOCI into revenue
	for effective portion of commodity contracts	$	-	$	-	$	(21,181)	$	(21,181)
Loss arising from ineffective portion of
	commodity contracts		-		-		(238)		(238)
Total impact on revenue			-		-		(21,419)		(21,419)
Loss on settled Treasury lock agreements
	reclassified from AOCI into interest expense		(502)		-		-		(502)
Total Impact from Cash Flow Hedges		$	(502)	$	-	$	(21,419)	$	(21,921)
		Three Months Ended March 31, 2011
		Natural		Regulated
		Gas		Transmission
		Distribution		and Storage		Nonregulated		Consolidated
		(In thousands)
Loss reclassified from AOCI into revenue
	for effective portion of commodity contracts	$	-	$	-	$	(7,328)	$	(7,328)
Loss arising from ineffective portion of
	commodity contracts		-		-		(233)		(233)
Total impact on revenue			-		-		(7,561)		(7,561)
Loss on settled Treasury lock agreements
	reclassified from AOCI into interest expense		(669)		-		-		(669)
Gain on unwinding of Treasury lock reclassified
	from AOCI into miscellaneous income		21,803		6,000		-		27,803
Total Impact from Cash Flow Hedges		$	21,134	$	6,000	$	(7,561)	$	19,573
		Six Months Ended March 31, 2012
		Natural		Regulated
		Gas		Transmission
		Distribution		and Storage		Nonregulated		Consolidated
		(In thousands)
Loss reclassified from AOCI into revenue
	for effective portion of commodity contracts	$	-	$	-	$	(32,823)	$	(32,823)
Loss arising from ineffective portion of
	commodity contracts		-		-		(668)		(668)
Total impact on revenue			-		-		(33,491)		(33,491)
Loss on settled Treasury lock agreements
	reclassified from AOCI into interest expense		(1,004)		-		-		(1,004)
Total Impact from Cash Flow Hedges		$	(1,004)	$	-	$	(33,491)	$	(34,495)
		Six Months Ended March 31, 2011
		Natural		Regulated
		Gas		Transmission
		Distribution		and Storage		Nonregulated		Consolidated
		(In thousands)
Loss reclassified from AOCI into revenue
	for effective portion of commodity contracts	$	-	$	-	$	(21,581)	$	(21,581)
Loss arising from ineffective portion of
	commodity contracts		-		-		(677)		(677)
Total impact on revenue			-		-		(22,258)		(22,258)
Loss on settled Treasury lock agreements
	reclassified from AOCI into interest expense		(1,339)		-		-		(1,339)
Gain on unwinding of Treasury lock reclassified
	from AOCI into miscellaneous income		21,803		6,000		-		27,803
Total Impact from Cash Flow Hedges		$	20,464	$	6,000	$	(22,258)	$	4,206

Other comprehensive income from hedging table

		Three Months Ended				Six Months Ended
		March 31				March 31
		2012		2011		2012		2011
		(In thousands)
Increase (decrease) in fair value:
	Treasury lock agreements	$	15,079	$	6,667	$	13,676	$	38,092
	Forward commodity contracts		(18,234)		(446)		(41,912)		1,211
Recognition of (gains) losses in earnings due to
	settlements:
	Treasury lock agreements		317		(17,094)		633		(16,672)
	Forward commodity contracts		12,919		4,471		20,022		13,164
Total other comprehensive income (loss) from
	hedging, net of tax(1)	$	10,081	$	(6,402)	$	(7,581)	$	35,795

Expected recognition in earnings of deferred losses in AOCI table

	Treasury
	Lock		Commodity
	Agreements		Contracts		Total
	(In thousands)
Next twelve months	$	(1,266)	$	(32,130)	$	(33,396)
Thereafter		10,284		(6,621)		3,663
Total(1)	$	9,018	$	(38,751)	$	(29,733)