Retirement Plan And Other Post-Retirement Benefits (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2012

Retirement Plan And Other Post-Retirement Benefits [Abstract]

Components Of Net Periodic Benefit Cost

Components of Net Periodic Benefit Cost (in thousands):

Three months ended June 30,
	Retirement Plan		Other Post-Retirement Benefits
	2012	2011	2012	2011
Service Cost	$3,551	$3,693	$1,004	$1,069
Interest Cost	10,381	10,669	5,329	5,471
Expected Return on Plan Assets	(14,925)	(14,776)	(7,243)	(7,291)
Amortization of Prior Service Cost	67	147	(534)	(427)
Amortization of Transition Amount	-	-	3	135
Amortization of Losses	9,904	8,718	6,014	5,948
Net Amortization and Deferral for
Regulatory Purposes (Including
Volumetric Adjustments) (1)	(2,252)	(2,346)	718	1,602
	$6,726	$6,105	$5,291	$6,507

Nine months ended June 30,
	Retirement Plan		Other Post-Retirement Benefits
	2012	2011	2012	2011
Service Cost	$10,652	$11,079	$3,012	$3,207
Interest Cost	31,144	32,007	15,986	16,413
Expected Return on Plan Assets	(44,776)	(44,328)	(21,728)	(21,873)
Amortization of Prior Service Cost	202	441	(1,604)	(1,282)
Amortization of Transition Amount	-	-	8	405
Amortization of Losses	29,711	26,155	18,043	17,845
Net Amortization and Deferral for
Regulatory Purposes (Including
Volumetric Adjustments) (1)	(1,896)	(584)	7,993	9,564
Net Periodic Benefit Cost	$25,037	$24,770	$21,710	$24,279

⁽¹⁾The Company’s policy is to record retirement plan and other post-retirement benefit costs in the Utility segment on a volumetric

basis to reflectthe fact thatthe Utility segmentexperiences higherthroughput ofnatural gas in the winter months and lower

throughput of natural gas in the summer months.