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SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
9 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2017
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
BASIS OF PRESENTATION  These notes are an integral part of the accompanying unaudited financial statements of Spire Inc. (Spire or the Company), as well as Laclede Gas Company (Laclede Gas or the Missouri Utilities) and Alabama Gas Corporation (Alagasco). Laclede Gas, which includes the operations of Missouri Gas Energy (MGE), and Alagasco are wholly owned subsidiaries of the Company. Laclede Gas, Alagasco and the subsidiaries of EnergySouth, Inc. (EnergySouth) are collectively referred to as the Utilities. The subsidiaries of EnergySouth are Mobile Gas Service Corporation (Mobile Gas) and Willmut Gas & Oil Company (Willmut Gas).
The accompanying unaudited financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP) for interim financial information with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Rule 10-01 of Regulation S‑X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the disclosures required for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited financial statements include all adjustments (consisting of only normal recurring adjustments) necessary for the fair presentation of the results of operations for the periods presented. This Form 10-Q should be read in conjunction with the Notes to Financial Statements contained in Spire’s, Laclede Gas’, and Alagasco’s Annual Reports on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2016.
The consolidated financial position, results of operations, and cash flows of Spire are primarily derived from the financial position, results of operations, and cash flows of the Utilities. In compliance with GAAP, transactions between Laclede Gas and Alagasco and their affiliates, as well as intercompany balances on their balance sheets, have not been eliminated from their separate financial statements. Results of operations of EnergySouth are included in Spire’s results of operations since the September 12, 2016 acquisition and impact the comparability of financial statement periods presented for the Company.
NATURE OF OPERATIONS – Spire Inc. (NYSE: SR), headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, is a public utility holding company. The Company has two reportable segments: Gas Utility and Gas Marketing. The Gas Utility segment consists of the regulated natural gas distribution operations of the Company and is the core business segment of Spire in terms of revenue and earnings generation. The Gas Utility segment is comprised of the operations of: the Missouri Utilities, serving St. Louis and eastern Missouri, Kansas City and western Missouri (through MGE); Alagasco, serving central and northern Alabama; and the subsidiaries of EnergySouth, serving southern Alabama and south-central Mississippi. Spire’s primary non-utility business, Spire Marketing Inc. (Spire Marketing) was formerly known as Laclede Energy Resources, Inc., which changed its name on December 12, 2016. Spire Marketing is included in the Gas Marketing segment and provides non-regulated natural gas services. The activities of other subsidiaries are described in Note 9, Information by Operating Segment, and are reported as Other. Laclede Gas and Alagasco each have a single reportable segment.
The Company’s earnings are primarily derived from its Gas Utility segment. Due to the seasonal nature of the Utilities’ business, earnings are typically concentrated during the heating season of November through April each fiscal year. As a result, the interim statements of income for Spire, Laclede Gas and Alagasco are not necessarily indicative of annual results or representative of succeeding quarters of the fiscal year.
GOODWILL – Goodwill is measured as the excess of the acquisition-date fair value of the consideration transferred over the amount of acquisition-date identifiable assets acquired net of assumed liabilities. The changes in the carrying amount of goodwill by reportable segment are shown below, reflecting the effect of a $3.8 cash payment to Spire related to the EnergySouth acquisition, offset by net adjustments to acquired insurance receivable and prepaid assets.
 
Gas Utility
 
Gas Marketing
 
Other
 
Total
Balance as of September 30, 2016
$
210.2

 
$

 
$
954.7

 
$
1,164.9

Adjustments related to the acquisition of EnergySouth

 

 
(1.0
)
 
(1.0
)
Balance as of June 30, 2017
$
210.2

 
$

 
$
953.7

 
$
1,163.9


REVENUE RECOGNITION – The Utilities read meters and bill customers on monthly cycles. The Missouri Utilities record their gas utility revenues from gas sales and transportation services on an accrual basis that includes estimated amounts for gas delivered but not yet billed. The accruals for unbilled revenues are reversed in the subsequent accounting period when meters are actually read and customers are billed. The amounts of accrued unbilled revenues for Laclede Gas at June 30, 2017, September 30, 2016, and June 30, 2016 were $31.9, $26.1, and $28.5, respectively.
Alagasco records natural gas distribution revenues in accordance with the tariff established by the Alabama Public Service Commission (APSC). Unbilled revenues for Alagasco, which are not recorded as revenue until billed, at June 30, 2017, September 30, 2016, and June 30, 2016 were $6.0, $5.9, and $6.4, respectively.
The subsidiaries of EnergySouth record natural gas revenues in accordance with tariffs established by the APSC and the Mississippi Public Service Commission (MSPSC). Their unbilled revenues are accrued as described for Laclede Gas above.
Spire’s other subsidiaries, including Spire Marketing, record revenues when earned, either when the product is delivered or when services are performed.
In the course of its business, Spire Marketing enters into commitments associated with the purchase or sale of natural gas. Certain of their derivative natural gas contracts are designated as normal purchases or normal sales and, as such, are excluded from the scope of Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) Topic 815, “Derivatives and Hedging.” Those contracts are accounted for as executory contracts and recorded on an accrual basis. Revenues and expenses from such contracts are recorded using a gross presentation. Contracts not designated as normal purchases or normal sales are recorded as derivatives with changes in fair value recognized in earnings in the periods prior to physical delivery. Certain of Spire Marketing’s wholesale purchase and sale transactions are classified as trading activities for financial reporting purposes. Under GAAP, revenues and expenses associated with trading activities are presented on a net basis in Gas Marketing Operating Revenues in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income. This net presentation has no effect on operating income or net income.
GROSS RECEIPTS TAXES – Gross receipts taxes associated with the Company’s natural gas utility services are imposed on the Utilities and billed to their customers. The revenue and expense amounts are recorded gross in the “Operating Revenues” and “Taxes, other than income taxes” lines, respectively, in the statements of income. The following table presents gross receipts taxes recorded as revenues.
 
Three Months Ended June 30,
 
Nine Months Ended June 30,
 
2017
 
2016
 
2017
 
2016
Spire
$
18.0

 
$
14.8

 
$
71.7

 
$
65.0

Laclede Gas
12.4

 
11.1

 
52.0

 
49.7

Alagasco
4.2

 
3.7

 
16.1

 
15.3


REGULATED OPERATIONS The Utilities account for their regulated operations in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 980, “Regulated Operations.” This topic sets forth the application of GAAP for those companies whose rates are established by or are subject to approval by an independent third-party regulator. The provisions of this accounting guidance require, among other things, that financial statements of a regulated enterprise reflect the actions of regulators, where appropriate. These actions may result in the recognition of revenues and expenses in time periods that are different than non-regulated enterprises. When this occurs, costs are deferred as assets in the balance sheet (regulatory assets) and recorded as expenses when those amounts are reflected in rates. In addition, regulators can impose liabilities upon a regulated company for amounts previously collected from customers and for recovery of costs that are expected to be incurred in the future (regulatory liabilities). Management believes that the current regulatory environment supports the continued use of these regulatory accounting principles and that all regulatory assets and regulatory liabilities are recoverable or refundable through the regulatory process.
As authorized by the Missouri Public Service Commission (MoPSC), MSPSC and APSC, the Purchased Gas Adjustment (PGA) clauses and Gas Supply Adjustment (GSA) riders allow the Utilities to pass through to customers the cost of purchased gas supplies. Regulatory assets and liabilities related to the PGA clauses and the GSA rider are both labeled Unamortized Purchased Gas Adjustments herein. See additional information about regulatory assets and liabilities in Note 3, Regulatory Matters.
TRANSACTIONS WITH AFFILIATES Transactions between affiliates of the Company have been eliminated from the consolidated financial statements of Spire. Laclede Gas and Alagasco borrowed funds from the Company and incurred related interest, as reflected in their separate financial statements, and participated in normal intercompany shared services transactions. Laclede Gas’ and Alagasco’s other transactions with affiliates included:
 
Three Months Ended June 30,
 
Nine Months Ended June 30,
 
2017
 
2016
 
2017
 
2016
Laclede Gas
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Purchases of natural gas from Spire Marketing
$
11.8

 
$
6.7

 
$
53.3

 
$
31.5

Sales of natural gas to Spire Marketing
1.5

 

 
7.8

 
1.7

Insurance services received from Laclede Insurance Risk Services
0.5

 
0.2

 
1.6

 
0.7

Transportation services received from Laclede Pipeline Company
0.3

 
0.3

 
0.8

 
0.8

Alagasco
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Insurance services received from Laclede Insurance Risk Services
0.5

 

 
1.5

 


ACCRUED CAPITAL EXPENDITURES – Accrued capital expenditures, shown in the following table, are excluded from capital expenditures in the statements of cash flows.
 
June 30,
 
September 30,
 
June 30,
 
2017
 
2016
 
2016
Spire
$
26.5

 
$
21.6

 
$
9.9

Laclede Gas
16.5

 
14.8

 
5.3

Alagasco
7.9

 
6.8

 
4.6


RECLASSIFICATIONS – Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation. Net income and total equity were not affected by these reclassifications.
NEW ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS – In April 2015, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2015-03, Interest – Imputation of Interest: Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs. Under prior GAAP, debt issuance costs were recorded as a deferred charge (asset), while debt discount and debt premium costs were recorded as a liability adjustment. This amendment requires that debt issuance costs related to a recognized debt liability be presented in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of that debt liability, consistent with debt discounts. Spire, Laclede Gas and Alagasco adopted this ASU as of December 31, 2016. Retrospective adjustments have been made to the previous year balance sheets as of September 30, 2016 and June 30, 2016. The amounts reclassified from other deferred charges to reduce long-term debt are shown in the following table. The ASU does not address the presentation of debt issuance costs related to line-of-credit arrangements, and those continue to be reported as deferred charges.
 
June 30,
 
September 30,
 
June 30,

2017

2016

2016
Spire
$
14.9


$
13.0


$
11.9

Laclede Gas
4.0


4.2


4.4

Alagasco
2.3


2.4


2.4


In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-09, Compensation - Stock Compensation: Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting. The standard is intended to simplify several areas of accounting for share-based compensation arrangements, including the income tax impact, classification on the statement of cash flows and forfeitures. Spire, Laclede Gas and Alagasco adopted this ASU in the interim quarterly reporting period ended June 30, 2017. Amendments related to the timing of when excess tax benefits are recognized, minimum statutory withholding requirements, and forfeitures were applied using a modified retrospective transition method by means of a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings as of October 1, 2016, and amendments requiring recognition of excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies in the income statement were applied prospectively as of that date. Amendments related to the presentation of excess tax benefits on the statement of cash flows and the presentation of employee taxes paid on the statement of cash flows when an employer withholds shares to meet the minimum statutory withholding requirement were applied retrospectively. There were no material impacts on the financial statements of the Company, Laclede Gas, or Alagasco, all of which adopted a policy of accounting for forfeitures when they occur.
In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. Under the new standard, an entity will recognize revenue when it transfers promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the company expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. In doing so, companies may need to use more judgment and make more estimates than under current guidance. ASU No. 2014-09 also requires disclosures that will enable users of financial statements to understand the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers. Entities have the option of using either a full retrospective or modified retrospective approach to adopting this guidance. In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-14, which made the guidance in ASU No. 2014-09 effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017 and interim periods within those years. In 2016, the FASB issued related ASU Nos. 2016-08, 2016-10, 2016-11, 2016-12, and 2016-20 which further modified the standards for accounting for revenue. The Company, Laclede Gas and Alagasco are currently evaluating their sources of revenue and related contracts, the available transition methods, and the potential impacts of the updates. The conclusions of these assessments are contingent, in part, upon the completion of deliberations currently in progress by the power and utilities industry, notably in connection with efforts to produce an accounting guide being developed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). In association with this undertaking, the AICPA formed a number of industry task forces, including a Power & Utilities Task Force. Industry representatives and organizations, the largest auditing firms, the AICPA’s Revenue Recognition Working Group and its Financial Reporting Executive Committee have undertaken, and continue to undertake, consideration of several items relevant to our industry as further discussed below. Where applicable or necessary, the FASB’s Transition Resource Group is also participating. Currently, the industry is working to finalize conclusions in several areas including 1) the accounting for funds received from third parties to partially or fully reimburse the cost of construction of an asset, 2) determination of stand-alone selling price for commodities, and 3) the accounting for alternative revenue programs, such as performance-based ratemaking. Existing alternative revenue program guidance, though excluded by the FASB in updating specific guidance associated with revenue from contracts with customers, was relocated without substantial modification to accounting guidance for rate-regulated entities. It will require separate presentation of such revenues (subject to the above-noted deliberations) in the statement of income. Pending the completion of the industry deliberations and internal assessments later this year, the Company, Laclede Gas and Alagasco are currently unable to determine the effect the new guidance will have on their financial position, results of operations, cash flows, and business processes or the transition method they will utilize to adopt the new guidance in the first quarter of fiscal year 2019 (or earlier).
In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-01, Financial Instruments – Overall: Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities, which provides revised guidance concerning certain matters involving the recognition, measurement, and disclosure of financial instruments. It is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Unrealized gains and losses on equity securities previously classified as available-for-sale will be recognized immediately in earnings rather than recorded in other comprehensive income. Entities will record a cumulative-effect adjustment as of the beginning of the fiscal year in which the guidance is adopted, which requires amounts reported in accumulated other comprehensive income for such equity securities to be reclassified to retained earnings. Based on an assessment of their current financial instruments, the Company, Laclede Gas and Alagasco expect to adopt this standard in the first quarter of fiscal year 2019 with no significant impact.
In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases. The new standard requires lessees to recognize a right-of-use asset and lease liability for almost all lease contracts based on the present value of lease payments. There is an exemption for short-term leases. The ASU provides new guidelines for identifying and classifying a lease, and classification affects the pattern and income statement line item for the related expense. This update will be applied using a modified retrospective transition approach for leases existing at, or entered into after, the beginning of the earliest comparative period presented in the financial statements. The ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company, Laclede Gas and Alagasco are currently assessing the timing and impacts of adopting this standard, which must be adopted by the first quarter of fiscal year 2020.
In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses: Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments. The standard introduces new guidance for the accounting for credit losses on instruments within its scope, including trade receivables. It is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within those fiscal years, and may be adopted a year earlier. The new guidance will be initially applied through a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings as of the beginning of the period of adoption. The Company, Laclede Gas and Alagasco are currently assessing the timing and impacts of adopting this standard, which must be adopted by the first quarter of fiscal year 2021.
In March 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-07, Compensation – Retirement Benefits: Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost. The amended guidance requires that the service cost component of pension and postretirement benefit costs be presented within the same line item in the income statement as other compensation costs (except for the amount being capitalized), while other components are to be presented outside the subtotal of operating income and are no longer eligible for capitalization. The ASU is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those annual periods. The amended guidance will be applied retrospectively for income statement presentation and prospectively for capitalization. The Company, Laclede Gas and Alagasco are currently assessing the regulatory and other impacts of adopting this standard, which must be adopted by the first quarter of fiscal year 2019.