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Revenue from Contracts with Customers
 12 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2021
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]  
Revenue from Contracts with Customers Revenue from Contracts with Customers
The following tables provide a disaggregation of the Company's revenues for the years ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, presented by type of service from each reportable segment.
 
Year Ended September 30, 2021
Revenues by Type of Service
Exploration
and
Production		Pipeline
and
Storage		GatheringUtilityTotal
Reportable
Segments		All
Other		Corporate
and
Intersegment
Eliminations		Total
Consolidated
 (Thousands)
Production of Natural Gas
$780,477 $— $— $— $780,477 $— $— $780,477 
Production of Crude Oil135,191 — — — 135,191 — — 135,191 
Natural Gas Processing2,960 — — — 2,960 — — 2,960 
Natural Gas Gathering Service
— — 193,264 — 193,264 — (190,148)3,116 
Natural Gas Transportation Service
— 255,849 — 103,141 358,990 — (72,920)286,070 
Natural Gas Storage Service
— 83,080 — — 83,080 — (35,841)47,239 
Natural Gas Residential Sales
— — — 492,567 492,567 — — 492,567 
Natural Gas Commercial Sales
— — — 62,634 62,634 — — 62,634 
Natural Gas Industrial Sales
— — — 3,071 3,071 — — 3,071 
Natural Gas Marketing— — — — — 678 (49)629 
Other2,042 4,628 — (5,249)1,421 544 (374)1,591 
Total Revenues from Contracts with Customers
920,670 343,557 193,264 656,164 2,113,655 1,222 (299,332)1,815,545 
Alternative Revenue Programs
— — — 11,087 11,087 — — 11,087 
Derivative Financial Instruments
(83,973)— — — (83,973)— — (83,973)
Total Revenues$836,697 $343,557 $193,264 $667,251 $2,040,769 $1,222 $(299,332)$1,742,659 
 
Year Ended September 30, 2020
Revenues by Type of Service
Exploration
and
Production		Pipeline
and
Storage		GatheringUtilityTotal
Reportable
Segments		All
Other		Corporate
and
Intersegment
Eliminations		Total
Consolidated
 (Thousands)
Production of Natural Gas
$402,447 $— $— $— $402,447 $— $— $402,447 
Production of Crude Oil107,844 — — — 107,844 — — 107,844 
Natural Gas Processing2,374 — — — 2,374 — — 2,374 
Natural Gas Gathering Service
— — 142,893 — 142,893 — (142,821)72 
Natural Gas Transportation Service
— 229,391 — 109,214 338,605 — (77,699)260,906 
Natural Gas Storage Service
— 79,073 — — 79,073 — (34,579)44,494 
Natural Gas Residential Sales
— — — 475,846 475,846 — — 475,846 
Natural Gas Commercial Sales
— — — 61,239 61,239 — — 61,239 
Natural Gas Industrial Sales
— — — 3,291 3,291 — — 3,291 
Natural Gas Marketing— — — — — 95,727 (835)94,892 
Other1,097 1,140 — (5,281)(3,044)5,174 (294)1,836 
Total Revenues from Contracts with Customers
513,762 309,604 142,893 644,309 1,610,568 100,901 (256,228)1,455,241 
Alternative Revenue Programs
— — — 7,989 7,989 — — 7,989 
Derivative Financial Instruments
93,691 — — — 93,691 (10,630)— 83,061 
Total Revenues$607,453 $309,604 $142,893 $652,298 $1,712,248 $90,271 $(256,228)$1,546,291 
The Company records revenue related to its derivative financial instruments in the Exploration and Production segment and previously recorded revenue related to its derivative financial instruments in its NFR operations (included in the All Other category) until NFR completed the sale of its commercial and industrial contracts and certain other assets on August 1, 2020. The Company also records revenue related to alternative revenue programs in its Utility segment. Revenue related to derivative financial instruments and alternative revenue programs are excluded from the scope of the authoritative guidance regarding revenue recognition since they are accounted for under other existing accounting guidance.
Exploration and Production Segment Revenue
The Company’s Exploration and Production segment records revenue from the sale of the natural gas and oil that it produces and natural gas liquids (NGLs) processed based on entitlement, which means that revenue is recorded based on the actual amount of natural gas or oil that is delivered to a pipeline, or upon pick-up in the case of NGLs, and the Company’s ownership interest. Natural gas production occurs primarily in the Appalachian region of the United States and crude oil production occurs primarily in the West Coast region of the United States. If a production imbalance occurs between what was supposed to be delivered to a pipeline and what was actually produced and delivered, the Company accrues the difference as an imbalance.  The sales contracts generally require the Company to deliver a specific quantity of a commodity per day for a specific number of days at a price that is either fixed or variable and considers the delivery of each unit (MMBtu or Bbl) to be a separate performance obligation that is satisfied upon delivery.  
The transaction price for the sale of natural gas, oil and NGLs is contractually agreed upon based on prevailing market pricing (primarily tied to a market index with certain adjustments based on factors such as delivery location and prevailing supply and demand conditions) or fixed pricing.  The Company allocates the transaction price to each performance obligation on the basis of the relative standalone selling price of each distinct unit sold. Revenue is recognized at a point in time when the transfer of the commodity occurs at the delivery point per the contract. The amount billable, as determined by the contracted quantity and price, indicates the value to the customer, and is used for revenue recognition purposes by the Exploration and Production segment as specified by the “invoice practical expedient” (the amount that the Exploration and
Production segment has the right to invoice) under the authoritative guidance for revenue recognition. The contracts typically require payment within 30 days of the end of the calendar month in which the natural gas and oil is delivered, or picked up in the case of NGLs.
The Company uses derivative financial instruments to manage commodity price risk in the Exploration and Production segment related to sales of the natural gas and oil that it produces. Gains or losses on such derivative financial instruments are recorded as adjustments to revenue; however, they are not considered to be revenue from contracts with customers.
Pipeline and Storage Segment Revenue
The Company’s Pipeline and Storage segment records revenue for natural gas transportation and storage services in New York and Pennsylvania at tariff-based rates regulated by the FERC. Customers secure their own gas supply and the Pipeline and Storage segment provides transportation and/or storage services to move the customer-supplied gas to the intended location, including injections into or withdrawals from the storage field. This performance obligation is satisfied over time. The rate design for the Pipeline and Storage segment’s customers generally includes a combination of volumetric or commodity charges as well as monthly “fixed” charges (including charges commonly referred to as capacity charges, demand charges, or reservation charges). These types of fixed charges represent compensation for standing ready over the period of the month to deliver quantities of gas, regardless of whether the customer takes delivery of any quantity of gas. The performance obligation under these circumstances is satisfied based on the passage of time and meter reads, if applicable, which correlates to the period for which the charges are eligible to be invoiced. The amount billable, as determined by the meter read and the “fixed” monthly charge, indicates the value to the customer, and is used for revenue recognition purposes by the Pipeline and Storage segment as specified by the “invoice practical expedient” (the amount that the Pipeline and Storage segment has the right to invoice) under the authoritative guidance for revenue recognition. Customers are billed after the end of each calendar month, with payment typically due by the 25th day of the month in which the invoice is received.
The Company’s Pipeline and Storage segment expects to recognize the following revenue amounts in future periods related to “fixed” charges associated with remaining performance obligations for transportation and storage contracts: $185.6 million for fiscal 2022; $147.7 million for fiscal 2023; $125.8 million for fiscal 2024; $118.5 million for fiscal 2025; $98.5 million for fiscal 2026; and $429.3 million thereafter.
Gathering Segment Revenue
The Company’s Gathering segment provides gathering and processing services in the Appalachian region of Pennsylvania, primarily for Seneca. The Gathering segment’s primary performance obligation is to deliver gathered natural gas volumes from Seneca’s wells into interstate pipelines at contractually agreed upon per unit rates. This obligation is satisfied over time. The performance obligation is satisfied based on the passage of time and meter reads, which correlates to the period for which the charges are eligible to be invoiced. The amount billable, as determined by the meter read and the contracted volumetric rate, indicates the value to the customer, and is used for revenue recognition purposes by the Gathering segment as specified by the “invoice practical expedient” (the amount that the Gathering segment has the right to invoice) under the authoritative guidance for revenue recognition. Customers are billed after the end of each calendar month, with payment typically due by the 10th day after the invoice is received.
Utility Segment Revenue
The Company’s Utility segment records revenue for natural gas sales and natural gas transportation services in western New York and northwestern Pennsylvania at tariff-based rates regulated by the NYPSC and the PaPUC. Natural gas sales and transportation services are provided largely to residential, commercial and industrial customers. The Utility segment’s performance obligation to its customers is to deliver natural gas, an obligation which is satisfied over time. This obligation generally remains in effect as long as the customer
consumes the natural gas provided by the Utility segment. The Utility segment recognizes revenue when it satisfies its performance obligation by delivering natural gas to the customer. Natural gas is delivered and consumed by the customer simultaneously. The satisfaction of the performance obligation is measured by the turn of the meter dial. The amount billable, as determined by the meter read and the tariff-based rate, indicates the value to the customer, and is used for revenue recognition purposes by the Utility segment as specified by the “invoice practical expedient” (the amount that the Utility segment has the right to invoice) under the authoritative guidance for revenue recognition. Since the Utility segment bills its customers in cycles having billing dates that do not generally coincide with the end of a calendar month, a receivable is recorded for natural gas delivered but not yet billed to customers based on an estimate of the amount of natural gas delivered between the last meter reading date and the end of the accounting period. Such receivables are a component of Unbilled Revenue on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. The Utility segment’s tariffs allow customers to utilize budget billing. In this situation, since the amount billed may differ from the amount of natural gas delivered to the customer in any given month, revenue is recognized monthly based on the amount of natural gas consumed. The differential between the amount billed and the amount consumed is recorded as a component of Receivables or Customer Advances on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. All receivables or advances related to budget billing are settled within one year.
Utility Segment Alternative Revenue Programs
As indicated in the revenue table shown above, the Company’s Utility segment has alternative revenue programs that are excluded from the scope of the new authoritative guidance regarding revenue recognition. The NYPSC has authorized alternative revenue programs that are designed to mitigate the impact that weather and conservation have on margin. The NYPSC has also authorized additional alternative revenue programs that adjust billings for the effects of broad external factors or to compensate the Company for demand-side management initiatives. These alternative revenue programs primarily allow the Company and customer to share in variances from imputed margins due to migration of transportation customers, allow for adjustments to the gas cost recovery mechanism for fluctuations in uncollectible expenses associated with gas costs, and allow the Company to pass on to customers costs associated with customer energy efficiency programs. In general, revenue is adjusted monthly for these programs and is collected from or passed back to customers within 24 months of the annual reconciliation period.
Energy Marketing Revenue
The Company’s energy marketing subsidiary, NFR (included in the All Other category), completed the sale of its commercial and industrial contracts and certain other assets on August 1, 2020. This sale, in conjunction with the turn back of NFR's residential customers to Distribution Corporation, effectively ended NFR's operations. The sale did not have a material impact to the Company’s financial statements. NFR recorded revenue from natural gas sales to industrial, wholesale, commercial, public authority and residential customers in western and central New York and northwestern Pennsylvania.