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Pension And Other Postretirement Benefits
 6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2015
Pension and Other Postretirement Benefit Expense [Abstract]  
Pension And Other Postretirement Benefits
Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits

NiSource provides defined contribution plans and noncontributory defined benefit retirement plans that cover its employees. Benefits under the defined benefit retirement plans reflect the employees’ compensation, years of service and age at retirement. Additionally, NiSource provides health care and life insurance benefits for certain retired employees. The majority of employees may become eligible for these benefits if they reach retirement age while working for NiSource. The expected cost of such benefits is accrued during the employees’ years of service. Current rates of rate-regulated companies include postretirement benefit costs, including amortization of the regulatory assets that arose prior to inclusion of these costs in rates. For most plans, cash contributions are remitted to grantor trusts.

For the six months ended June 30, 2015, NiSource has contributed $1.4 million to its pension plans and $15.2 million to its other postretirement benefit plans.

The following tables provide the components of the plans’ net periodic benefits cost (credit) for the three and six months ended June 30, 2015 and 2014:
 

Pension Benefits
 
Other Postretirement
Benefits
Three Months Ended June 30, (in millions)
2015
 
2014
 
2015
 
2014
Components of Net Periodic Benefit Cost (Credit)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Service cost
$
9.5

 
$
8.7

 
$
1.8

 
$
2.2

Interest cost
25.2

 
27.3

 
6.8

 
7.8

Expected return on assets
(46.2
)
 
(45.3
)
 
(9.3
)
 
(9.1
)
Amortization of prior service credit
(0.1
)
 
—

 
(1.4
)
 
(0.9
)
Recognized actuarial loss
15.9

 
11.9

 
1.1

 
0.1

Total Net Periodic Benefit Cost (Credit)
$
4.3

 
$
2.6

 
$
(1.0
)
 
$
0.1

 
Pension Benefits
 
Other Postretirement
Benefits
Six Months Ended June 30, (in millions)
2015
 
2014
 
2015
 
2014
Components of Net Periodic Benefit Cost (Credit)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Service cost
$
19.0

 
$
17.4

 
$
3.6

 
$
4.5

Interest cost
50.4

 
54.6

 
13.6

 
16.0

Expected return on assets
(92.4
)
 
(90.6
)
 
(18.6
)
 
(18.2
)
Amortization of prior service credit
(0.2
)
 
—

 
(2.8
)
 
(1.5
)
Recognized actuarial loss
31.8

 
23.8

 
2.2

 
0.1

Total Net Periodic Benefit Cost (Credit)
$
8.6

 
$
5.2

 
$
(2.0
)
 
$
0.9