INCOME TAXES:

Income tax expense (benefit) provided on earnings from continuing operations consisted of:



	For The Years Ended December 31,
	2014			2013			2012
Current:
U.S. Federal	$	15,625		$	6,729		$	44,727
U.S. State	7,741			(10,904		)	1,508
Non-U.S.	1,411			—			31,594
	24,777			(4,175		)	77,829
Deferred:
U.S. Federal	(10,697		)	(32,125		)	23,300
U.S. State	267			(4,651		)	(14,166		)
Non-U.S.	—			7,762			1,765
	(10,430		)	(29,014		)	10,899

Total Income Tax Expense (Benefit)	$	14,347		$	(33,189	)	$	88,728

The components of the net deferred tax liabilities are as follows:



	December 31,
	2014			2013
Deferred Tax Assets:
Postretirement benefits other than pensions	$	283,188		$	337,836
Mine closing	63,640			37,306
Alternative minimum tax	152,149			159,933
Pneumoconiosis benefits	45,926			44,580
Workers' compensation	32,949			31,008
Salary retirement	43,505			14,330
Net operating loss	49,638			168,658
Mine subsidence	38,456			35,655
Reclamation	14,380			20,978
Capital lease	19,267			22,489
Equity Partnerships	28,316			—
Other	159,300			160,567
Total Deferred Tax Assets	930,714			1,033,340
Valuation Allowance**	(6,096		)	(7,532		)
Net Deferred Tax Assets	924,618			1,025,808

Deferred Tax Liabilities:
Property, plant and equipment	(1,065,791		)	(954,007		)
Gas hedge	(74,898		)	(27,741		)
Advance mining royalties	(37,621		)	(38,105		)
Equity Partnerships	—			(27,431		)
Other	(5,331		)	(9,864		)
Total Deferred Tax Liabilities	(1,183,641		)	(1,057,148		)

Net Deferred Tax Liability	$	(259,023	)	$	(31,340	)

**Valuation allowance of $(6,096) has been allocated to long-term deferred tax asset for 2014. Valuation allowance of $(7,532) has been allocated to long-term deferred tax asset for 2013.

A valuation allowance is required when it is more likely than not that all or a portion of a deferred tax asset will not be realized. All available evidence, both positive and negative, must be considered in determining the need for a valuation allowance. At December 31, 2014 and 2013, positive evidence considered included financial and tax earnings generated over the past three years for certain subsidiaries, future income projections based on existing fixed price contracts and forecasted expenses, reversals of financial to tax temporary differences and the implementation of and/or ability to employ various tax planning strategies. Negative evidence included financial and tax losses generated in prior periods and the inability to achieve forecasted results for those periods. CONSOL Energy continues to report, on an after federal tax basis, a deferred tax asset related to state operating losses of $49,638 with a related valuation allowance of $6,080 at December 31, 2014. The deferred tax asset related to state operating losses, on an after tax adjusted basis, was $51,765 with a related valuation allowance of $7,528 at December 31, 2013. A review of positive and negative evidence regarding these tax benefits concluded that the valuation allowances for various CONSOL Energy subsidiaries was warranted. The net operating losses expire at various times between 2015 and 2033.

The deferred tax assets attributable to future deductible temporary differences for certain CONSOL Energy subsidiaries with histories of financial and tax losses were also reviewed for positive and negative evidence regarding the realization of the deferred tax assets. A valuation allowance of $16 and $4 on an after federal tax adjusted basis, has also been recorded for 2014 and 2013 respectively. Management will continue to assess the potential for realizing deferred tax assets based upon income forecast data and the feasibility of future tax planning strategies and may record adjustments to valuation allowances against deferred tax assets in future periods, as appropriate, that could materially impact net income.

During 2014, the deferred tax asset relating to federal alternative minimum tax decreased $7,784. This change was due to 2014 business activity, the 2013 accrual to 2013 return adjustments, the settlement of the 2008 and 2009 IRS audit, and the foreign tax credit claimed on amended returns.

The following is a reconciliation stated as a percentage of pretax income, of the United States statutory federal income tax rate to CONSOL Energy's effective tax rate:



	For the Years Ended December 31,
	2014					2013					2012
	Amount			Percent		Amount			Percent		Amount			Percent
Statutory U.S. federal income tax rate	$	64,093		35.0	%	$	16,126		35.0	%	$	142,340		35.0	%
Excess tax depletion	(43,140		)	(23.6	)	(51,104		)	(110.9	)	(49,572		)	(12.2	)
Effect of medicare prescription drug, improvement and modernization act of 2003	631			0.3		2,112			4.6		2,112			0.5
Effect of domestic production activities	(1,522		)	(0.8	)	5,680			12.3		(7,215		)	(1.8	)
Federal and state tax accrual to tax return reconciliation	(8,331		)	(4.5	)	(1,406		)	(3.1	)	6,004			1.5
IRS and state tax examination settlements	(5,124		)	(2.8	)	3			—		(925		)	(0.2	)
Net effect of state income taxes	5,249			2.9		(2,399		)	(5.2	)	(8,737		)	(2.1	)
Effect of releasing valuation allowance	(1,436		)	(0.8	)	(4,659		)	(10.1	)	—			—
Effect of foreign tax	1,411			0.8		—			—		1,765			0.4
Other	2,516			1.3		2,458			5.3		2,956			0.7
Income Tax Expense / Effective Rate	$	14,347		7.8	%	$	(33,189	)	(72.1	)%	$	88,728		21.8	%

A reconciliation of the beginning and ending gross amounts of unrecognized tax benefits is as follows:



	For the Years Ended
	December 31,
	2014			2013
Balance at beginning of period	$	34,786		$	34,786
Increase in unrecognized tax benefits resulting from tax positions taken during current period	—			—
Increase (decrease) in unrecognized tax benefits resulting from tax positions taken during prior periods	4,265			—
Reduction in unrecognized tax benefits as a result of the lapse of the applicable statute of limitations	(2,540		)	—
Reduction of unrecognized tax benefits as a result of a settlement with taxing authorities	(32,246		)	—
Balance at end of period	$	4,265		$	34,786

If these unrecognized tax benefits were recognized, $4,265 and $2,071 at December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 respectively, would have affected CONSOL Energy's effective income tax rate.

CONSOL Energy and its subsidiaries file income tax returns in the U.S. federal, various states and Canadian jurisdictions. With few exceptions, the Company is no longer subject to U.S. federal, state and local, or non-U.S. income tax examinations by tax authorities for the years before 2010.

In 2014, CONSOL Energy recognized a reduction in unrecognized tax benefits. The IRS completed its audit of tax years 2008 and 2009 in 2014. Also, during 2014, the statute of limitations for assessing additional income tax deficiencies expired for certain tax years in several state tax jurisdictions. The expiration of the statute of limitations for these years resulted in an $2,071 benefit to net income for CONSOL Energy's total uncertain income tax positions for the twelve-month period.

CONSOL Energy recognizes interest accrued related to unrecognized tax benefits in its interest expense. At December 31, 2014 there was no accrued interest related to unrecognized tax positions. As of December 31, 2013, the Company had an accrued liability of $6,200 for interest related to uncertain tax positions, which was reversed and resulted in a benefit to income for the year ended December 31, 2014. Interest expense of $1,369 was recorded in the Company's Consolidated Statements of Income for the year ended December 31, 2013. During the year ended December 31, 2014, CONSOL Energy paid $835 and $141 of interest related to income tax deficiencies for tax years 2008 and 2009, respectively.

CONSOL Energy recognizes penalties accrued related to unrecognized tax benefits in its income tax expense. As of December 31, 2014 and 2013, there were no accrued penalties recognized.