INCOME TAXES (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2017

INCOME TAXES

Schedule of components of the provision (benefit) for income taxes

	Year Ended September 30,
	2017		2016		2015
	(in thousands)
Current:
Federal	$	(36,260)	$	(86,010)	$	84,229
Foreign		4,108		9,987		14,864
State		(472)		(3,742)		10,881
		(32,624)		(79,765)		109,974
Deferred:
Federal		(14,953)		58,136		165,491
Foreign		(7,827)		408		(34,410)
State		(1,331)		1,544		350
		(24,111)		60,088		131,431
Total provision (benefit)	$	(56,735)	$	(19,677)	$	241,405

Schedule of domestic and foreign income (loss) before income taxes

	Years Ended September 30,
	2017		2016		2015
	(in thousands)
Domestic	$	(173,157)	$	(49,636)	$	675,425
Foreign		(11,441)		(23,031)		(13,546)
	$	(184,598)	$	(72,667)	$	661,879

Schedule of components of net deferred tax liabilities

	September 30,
	2017		2016
	(in thousands)
Deferred tax liabilities:
Property, plant and equipment	$	1,386,512	$	1,411,139
Available-for-sale securities		24,940		25,470
Other		21,609		2,326
Total deferred tax liabilities		1,433,061		1,438,935
Deferred tax assets:
Pension reserves		7,614		8,330
Self-insurance reserves		19,461		15,282
Net operating loss, foreign tax credit, and other federal tax credit carryforwards		62,478		71,778
Financial accruals		62,971		67,594
Other		6,003		4,952
Total deferred tax assets		158,527		167,936
Valuation allowance		(58,155)		(71,457)
Net deferred tax assets		100,372		96,479
Net deferred tax liabilities	$	1,332,689	$	1,342,456

Schedule of effective income tax rates as compared to the U.S. Federal income tax rate

	Year Ended September 30,
	2017		2016		2015
U.S. Federal income tax rate	35.0	%	35.0	%	35.0	%
Effect of foreign taxes	1.8		(13.8)		(3.2)
State income taxes, net of federal tax benefit	0.6		3.2		0.8
U.S. domestic production activities	(2.1)		(10.4)		(1.2)
Other impact of foreign operations	(2.9)		14.7		4.5
Other	(1.7)		(1.6)		0.6
Effective income tax rate	30.7	%	27.1	%	36.5	%

Schedule of reconciliation of the change in the entity's gross unrecognized tax benefits

	September 30,
	2017		2016
	(in thousands)
Unrecognized tax benefits at October 1,	$	9,551	$	11,211
Gross decreases - tax positions in prior periods		(1)		—
Gross decreases - current period effect of tax positions		(170)		(1,173)
Gross increases - current period effect of tax positions		300		969
Expiration of statute of limitations for assessments		(4,907)		(679)
Settlements		—		(777)
Unrecognized tax benefits at September 30,	$	4,773	$	9,551