Amount of amortization expense attributable to debt issuance costs.

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Amount, before unamortized (discount) premium and debt issuance costs, of long-term debt. Includes, but is not limited to, notes payable, bonds payable, commercial loans, mortgage loans, convertible debt, subordinated debt and other types of debt.

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Face (par) amount of debt instrument at time of issuance.

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Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

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Maximum borrowing capacity under the credit facility without consideration of any current restrictions on the amount that could be borrowed or the amounts currently outstanding under the facility.

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The cash outflow during the period from the repayment of aggregate short-term and long-term debt. Excludes payment of capital lease obligations.

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The remaining balance of debt issuance expenses that were capitalized and are being amortized against income over the lives of the respective bond issues. This does not include the amounts capitalized as part of the cost of the utility plant or asset.

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Long-term Debt (Narrative) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Jul. 28, 2017	Jun. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term Debt, Gross			$ 2,747,000	$ 2,858,000
Unamortized Debt Issuance Expense			12,080	15,062
Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity			500,000
4.75% Senior Notes Due 2025 [Member] \| Subsequent Event [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount		$ 800,000
Unamortized Debt Issuance Expense		1,800
Term-A Facility [Member] \| Secured Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term Debt, Gross			$ 1,147,000	$ 1,258,000
Term-A Facility [Member] \| Secured Debt [Member] \| Subsequent Event [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Repayments of Debt	$ 400,000
Long-term Debt, Gross		$ 750,000
Amortization of Debt Issuance Costs	$ 1,900