Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies (Policy)

9 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2017

Principles of Consolidation. The Company consolidates all entities in which it has a controlling financial interest. All significant intercompany balances and transactions are eliminated. The Company uses proportionate consolidation when accounting for drilling arrangements related to oil and gas producing properties accounted for under the full cost method of accounting.

The preparation of the consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Reclassification

Reclassification. Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform with current year presentation.

Earnings For Interim Periods

Earnings for Interim Periods. The Company, in its opinion, has included all adjustments (which consist of only normally recurring adjustments, unless otherwise disclosed in this Form 10-Q) that are necessary for a fair statement of the results of operations for the reported periods. The consolidated financial statements and notes thereto, included herein, should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes for the years ended September 30, 2016, 2015 and 2014 that are included in the Company's 2016 Form 10-K. The consolidated financial statements for the year ended September 30, 2017 will be audited by the Company's independent registered public accounting firm after the end of the fiscal year.

The earnings for the nine months ended June 30, 2017 should not be taken as a prediction of earnings for the entire fiscal year ending September 30, 2017. Most of the business of the Utility and Energy Marketing segments is seasonal in nature and is influenced by weather conditions. Due to the seasonal nature of the heating business in the Utility and Energy Marketing segments, earnings during the winter months normally represent a substantial part of the earnings that those segments are expected to achieve for the entire fiscal year. The Company’s business segments are discussed more fully in Note 7 – Business Segment Information.

Consolidated Statements Of Cash Flows

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. For purposes of the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows, the Company considers all highly liquid debt instruments purchased with a maturity of generally three months or less to be cash equivalents.

Hedging Collateral Deposits

Hedging Collateral Deposits. This is an account title for cash held in margin accounts funded by the Company to serve as collateral for hedging positions. In accordance with its accounting policy, the Company does not offset hedging collateral deposits paid or received against related derivative financial instruments liability or asset balances.

Gas Stored Underground

Gas Stored Underground. In the Utility segment, gas stored underground is carried at lower of cost or net realizable value, on a LIFO method. Gas stored underground normally declines during the first and second quarters of the year and is replenished during the third and fourth quarters. In the Utility segment, the current cost of replacing gas withdrawn from storage is recorded in the Consolidated Statements of Income and a reserve for gas replacement is recorded in the Consolidated Balance Sheets under the caption “Other Accruals and Current Liabilities.” Such reserve, which amounted to $7.7 million at June 30, 2017, is reduced to zero by September 30 of each year as the inventory is replenished.

Property, Plant and Equipment

Property, Plant and Equipment. In the Company’s Exploration and Production segment, oil and gas property acquisition, exploration and development costs are capitalized under the full cost method of accounting. Under this methodology, all costs associated with property acquisition, exploration and development activities are capitalized, including internal costs directly identified with acquisition, exploration and development activities. The internal costs that are capitalized do not include any costs related to production, general corporate overhead, or similar activities. The Company does not recognize any gain or loss on the sale or other disposition of oil and gas properties unless the gain or loss would significantly alter the relationship between capitalized costs and proved reserves of oil and gas attributable to a cost center.

Capitalized costs include costs related to unproved properties, which are excluded from amortization until proved reserves are found or it is determined that the unproved properties are impaired. Such costs amounted to $100.6 million and $135.3 million at June 30, 2017 and September 30, 2016, respectively. All costs related to unproved properties are reviewed quarterly to determine if impairment has occurred. The amount of any impairment is transferred to the pool of capitalized costs being amortized.

Capitalized costs are subject to the SEC full cost ceiling test. The ceiling test, which is performed each quarter, determines a limit, or ceiling, on the amount of property acquisition, exploration and development costs that can be capitalized. The ceiling under this test represents (a) the present value of estimated future net cash flows, excluding future cash outflows associated with settling asset retirement obligations that have been accrued on the balance sheet, using a discount factor of 10%, which is computed by applying prices of oil and gas (as adjusted for hedging) to estimated future production of proved oil and gas reserves as of the date of the latest balance sheet, less estimated future expenditures, plus (b) the cost of unevaluated properties not being depleted, less (c) income tax effects related to the differences between the book and tax basis of the properties. The natural gas and oil prices used to calculate the full cost ceiling are based on an unweighted arithmetic average of the first day of the month oil and gas prices for each month within the twelve-month period prior to the end of the reporting period. If capitalized costs, net of accumulated depreciation, depletion and amortization and related deferred income taxes, exceed the ceiling at the end of any quarter, a permanent impairment is required to be charged to earnings in that quarter. At June 30, 2017, the ceiling exceeded the book value of the oil and gas properties by approximately $304.8 million. In adjusting estimated future cash flows for hedging under the ceiling test at June 30, 2017, estimated future net cash flows were increased by $49.8 million.

On December 1, 2015, Seneca and IOG - CRV Marcellus, LLC (IOG), an affiliate of IOG Capital, LP, and funds managed by affiliates of Fortress Investment Group, LLC, executed a joint development agreement that allows IOG to participate in the development of certain oil and gas interests owned by Seneca in Elk, McKean and Cameron Counties, Pennsylvania. On June 13, 2016, Seneca and IOG executed an extension of the joint development agreement. Under the terms of the extended agreement, Seneca and IOG will jointly participate in a program to develop up to 75 Marcellus wells, with Seneca serving as program operator. IOG will hold an 80% working interest in all of the joint development wells. In total, IOG is expected to fund approximately $325 million for its 80% working interest in the 75 joint development wells. Of this amount, IOG has funded $262.5 million as of June 30, 2017, which includes $163.9 million of cash ($137.3 million in fiscal 2016 and $26.6 million in fiscal 2017) that Seneca had received in recognition of IOG funding that is due to Seneca for costs previously incurred to develop a portion of the first 75 joint development wells. The cash proceeds were recorded by Seneca as a $163.9 million reduction of property, plant and equipment. The remainder funded joint development expenditures. As the fee-owner of the property’s mineral rights, Seneca retains a 7.5% royalty interest and the remaining 20% working interest (26% net revenue interest) in 56 of the joint development wells. In the remaining 19 wells, Seneca retains a 20% working and net revenue interest. Seneca’s working interest under the agreement will increase to 85% after IOG achieves a 15% internal rate of return.

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss). The components of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) and changes for the nine months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016, net of related tax effect, are as follows (amounts in parentheses indicate debits) (in thousands):



	Gains and Losses on Derivative Financial Instruments			Gains and Losses on Securities Available for Sale			Funded Status of the Pension and Other Post-Retirement Benefit Plans			Total
Three Months Ended June 30, 2017
Balance at April 1, 2017	$	36,257		$	6,128		$	(76,476	)	$	(34,091	)
Other Comprehensive Gains and Losses Before Reclassifications	10,641			905			—			11,546
Amounts Reclassified From Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	(10,759		)	—			—			(10,759		)
Balance at June 30, 2017	$	36,139		$	7,033		$	(76,476	)	$	(33,304	)
Nine Months Ended June 30, 2017
Balance at October 1, 2016	$	64,782		$	6,054		$	(76,476	)	$	(5,640	)
Other Comprehensive Gains and Losses Before Reclassifications	5,937			1,448			—			7,385
Amounts Reclassified From Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	(34,580		)	(469		)	—			(35,049		)
Balance at June 30, 2017	$	36,139		$	7,033		$	(76,476	)	$	(33,304	)
Three Months Ended June 30, 2016
Balance at April 1, 2016	$	146,671		$	5,309		$	(69,794	)	$	82,186
Other Comprehensive Gains and Losses Before Reclassifications	(40,842		)	254			—			(40,588		)
Amounts Reclassified From Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	(33,859		)	—			—			(33,859		)
Balance at June 30, 2016	$	71,970		$	5,563		$	(69,794	)	$	7,739
Nine Months Ended June 30, 2016
Balance at October 1, 2015	$	157,197		$	5,969		$	(69,794	)	$	93,372
Other Comprehensive Gains and Losses Before Reclassifications	23,432			(181		)	—			23,251
Amounts Reclassified From Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	(108,659		)	(225		)	—			(108,884		)
Balance at June 30, 2016	$	71,970		$	5,563		$	(69,794	)	$	7,739

Reclassifications Out Of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)

Reclassifications Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss). The details about the reclassification adjustments out of accumulated other comprehensive loss for the nine months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016 are as follows (amounts in parentheses indicate debits to the income statement) (in thousands):



Details About Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) Components	Amount of Gain or (Loss) Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)												Affected Line Item in the Statement Where Net Income (Loss) is Presented
	Three Months Ended June 30,						Nine Months Ended June 30,
	2017			2016			2017			2016
Gains (Losses) on Derivative Financial Instrument Cash Flow Hedges:
Commodity Contracts		$18,600			$58,354			$62,030			$172,596		Operating Revenues
Commodity Contracts	21			70			(1,938		)	4,520			Purchased Gas
Foreign Currency Contracts	(169		)	(51		)	(451		)	(337		)	Operation and Maintenance Expense
Gains (Losses) on Securities Available for Sale	—			—			741			388			Other Income
	18,452			58,373			60,382			177,167			Total Before Income Tax
	(7,693		)	(24,514		)	(25,333		)	(68,283		)	Income Tax Expense
		$10,759			$33,859			$35,049			$108,884		Net of Tax

Other Current Assets

Other Current Assets. The components of the Company’s Other Current Assets are as follows (in thousands):



	At June 30, 2017		At September 30, 2016

Prepayments	$	11,396	$	10,919
Prepaid Property and Other Taxes	11,180		13,138
Federal Income Taxes Receivable	—		11,758
State Income Taxes Receivable	9,658		3,961
Fair Values of Firm Commitments	1,473		3,962
Regulatory Assets	17,145		15,616
	$	50,852	$	59,354

Other Accruals And Current Liabilities

Other Accruals and Current Liabilities. The components of the Company’s Other Accruals and Current Liabilities are as follows (in thousands):



	At June 30, 2017		At September 30, 2016

Accrued Capital Expenditures	$	28,129	$	26,796
Regulatory Liabilities	34,552		14,725
Reserve for Gas Replacement	7,667		—
Federal Income Taxes Payable	2,573		—
Other	34,180		32,909
	$	107,101	$	74,430

Earnings Per Common Share

Earnings Per Common Share. Basic earnings per common share is computed by dividing income or loss by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted earnings per common share reflects the potential dilution that could occur if securities or other contracts to issue common stock were exercised or converted into common stock. For purposes of determining earnings per common share, the potentially dilutive securities the Company has outstanding are stock options, SARs, restricted stock units and performance shares. For the quarter and nine months ended June 30, 2017, the diluted weighted average shares outstanding shown on the Consolidated Statements of Income reflects the potential dilution as a result of these securities as determined using the Treasury Stock Method. Stock options, SARs, restricted stock units and performance shares that are antidilutive are excluded from the calculation of diluted earnings per common share. There were 172,500 securities and 157,638 securities excluded as being antidilutive for the quarter and nine months ended June 30, 2017, respectively. There were 346,090 securities excluded as being antidilutive for the quarter ended June 30, 2016. As the Company recognized a net loss for the nine months ended June 30, 2016, the aforementioned potentially dilutive securities, amounting to 414,092 securities, were not recognized in the diluted earnings per share calculation for the nine months ended June 30, 2016.

Stock-Based Compensation

Stock-Based Compensation. The Company granted 184,148 performance shares during the nine months ended June 30, 2017. The weighted average fair value of such performance shares was $56.39 per share for the nine months ended June 30, 2017. Performance shares are an award constituting units denominated in common stock of the Company, the number of which may be adjusted over a performance cycle based upon the extent to which performance goals have been satisfied. Earned performance shares may be distributed in the form of shares of common stock of the Company, an equivalent value in cash or a combination of cash and shares of common stock of the Company, as determined by the Company. The performance shares do not entitle the participant to receive dividends during the vesting period.

Half of the performance shares granted during the nine months ended June 30, 2017 must meet a performance goal related to relative return on capital over the performance cycle of October 1, 2016 to September 30, 2019. The performance goal over the performance cycle is the Company’s total return on capital relative to the total return on capital of other companies in a group selected by the Compensation Committee (“Report Group”). Total return on capital for a given company means the average of the Report Group companies’ returns on capital for each twelve month period corresponding to each of the Company’s fiscal years during the performance cycle, based on data reported for the Report Group companies in the Bloomberg database. The number of these performance shares that will vest and be paid will depend upon the Company’s performance relative to the Report Group and not upon the absolute level of return achieved by the Company. The fair value of these performance shares is calculated by multiplying the expected number of shares that will be issued by the average market price of Company common stock on the date of grant reduced by the present value of forgone dividends over the vesting term of the award. The fair value is recorded as compensation expense over the vesting term of the award. The other half of the performance shares granted during the nine months ended June 30, 2017 must meet a performance goal related to relative total shareholder return over the performance cycle of October 1, 2016 to September 30, 2019. The performance goal over the performance cycle is the Company’s three-year total shareholder return relative to the three-year total shareholder return of the other companies in the Report Group. Three-year shareholder return for a given company will be based on the data reported for that company (with the starting and ending stock prices over the performance cycle calculated as the average closing stock price for the prior calendar month and with dividends reinvested in that company’s securities at each ex-dividend date) in the Bloomberg database. The number of these total shareholder return performance shares ("TSR performance shares") that will vest and be paid will depend upon the Company’s performance relative to the Report Group and not upon the absolute level of return achieved by the Company. The fair value price at the date of grant for the TSR performance shares is determined using a Monte Carlo simulation technique, which includes a reduction in value for the present value of forgone dividends over the vesting term of the award. This price is multiplied by the number of TSR performance shares awarded, the result of which is recorded as compensation expense over the vesting term of the award.

The Company granted 87,143 non-performance based restricted stock units during the nine months ended June 30, 2017. The weighted average fair value of such non-performance based restricted stock units was $52.13 per share for the nine months ended June 30, 2017. Restricted stock units represent the right to receive shares of common stock of the Company (or the equivalent value in cash or a combination of cash and shares of common stock of the Company, as determined by the Company) at the end of a specified time period. These non-performance based restricted stock units do not entitle the participant to receive dividends during the vesting period. The accounting for non-performance based restricted stock units is the same as the accounting for restricted share awards, except that the fair value at the date of grant of the restricted stock units must be reduced by the present value of forgone dividends over the vesting term of the award.

New Authoritative Accounting And Financial Reporting Guidance

New Authoritative Accounting and Financial Reporting Guidance. In May 2014, the FASB issued authoritative guidance regarding revenue recognition. The authoritative guidance provides a single, comprehensive revenue recognition model for all contracts with customers to improve comparability. The revenue standard contains principles that an entity will apply to determine the measurement of revenue and timing of when it is recognized. The original effective date of this authoritative guidance was as of the Company's first quarter of fiscal 2018. However, the FASB has delayed the effective date of the new revenue standard by one year, and the guidance will now be effective as of the Company's first quarter of fiscal 2019. Working towards this implementation date, the Company is currently evaluating the guidance and the various issues identified by industry based revenue recognition task forces. Recent task force guidance suggests that the Company's revenue recognition policies may not change significantly although the Company is still assessing the impact. The Company will need to enhance its financial statement disclosures to comply with the new authoritative guidance.

In February 2016, the FASB issued authoritative guidance requiring organizations that lease assets to recognize on the balance sheet the assets and liabilities for the rights and obligations created by all leases, regardless of whether they are considered to be capital leases or operating leases. The FASB’s previous authoritative guidance required organizations that lease assets to recognize on the balance sheet the assets and liabilities for the rights and obligations created by capital leases while excluding operating leases from balance sheet recognition. The new authoritative guidance will be effective as of the Company’s first quarter of fiscal 2020, with early adoption permitted. The Company does not anticipate early adoption and is currently evaluating the provisions of the revised guidance.

In March 2016, the FASB issued authoritative guidance simplifying several aspects of the accounting for stock-based compensation. The Company adopted this guidance effective as of October 1, 2016, recognizing a cumulative effect adjustment that increased retained earnings by $31.9 million. The cumulative effect represents the tax benefit of previously unrecognized tax deductions in excess of stock compensation recorded for financial reporting purposes. On a prospective basis, the tax effect of all future differences between stock compensation recorded for financial reporting purposes and actual tax deductions for stock compensation will be recognized upon vesting or settlement as income tax expense or benefit in the income statement. From a statement of cash flows perspective, the tax benefits relating to differences between stock compensation recorded for financial reporting purposes and actual tax deductions for stock compensation are now included in cash provided by operating activities instead of cash provided by financing activities. The changes to the statement of cash flows have been applied prospectively and prior periods have not been adjusted.

In March 2017, the FASB issued authoritative guidance related to the presentation of net periodic pension cost and net periodic postretirement benefit cost. The new guidance requires segregation of the service cost component from the other components of net periodic pension cost and net periodic postretirement benefit cost for financial reporting purposes. The service cost component is to be presented on the income statement in the same line items as other compensation costs included within Operating Expenses and the other components of net periodic pension cost and net periodic postretirement benefit cost are to be presented on the income statement below the subtotal labeled Operating Income (Loss). Under this guidance, the service cost component shall be the only component eligible to be capitalized as part of the cost of inventory or property, plant and equipment. The new guidance will be effective as of the Company’s first quarter of fiscal 2019, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the interaction of this authoritative guidance with the various regulatory provisions concerning pension and postretirement benefit costs in the Company’s Utility and Pipeline and Storage segments.