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Pension And Other Postretirement Benefits
 9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2016
Pension and Other Postretirement Benefit Expense [Abstract]  
Pension And Other Postretirement Benefits
Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits

NiSource provides defined contribution plans and noncontributory defined benefit retirement plans that cover certain of its employees. Benefits under the defined benefit retirement plans reflect the employees’ compensation, years of service and age at retirement. Additionally, NiSource provides health care and life insurance benefits for certain retired employees. The majority of employees may become eligible for these benefits if they reach retirement age while working for NiSource. The expected cost of such benefits is accrued during the employees’ years of service. For most plans, cash contributions are remitted to grantor trusts.

For the nine months ended September 30, 2016, NiSource contributed $2.7 million to its pension plans and $18.6 million to its other postretirement benefit plans.

The following tables provide the components of the plans’ net periodic benefits cost for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015:

Pension Benefits
 
Other Postretirement
Benefits
Three Months Ended September 30, (in millions)
2016
 
2015
 
2016
 
2015
Components of Net Periodic Benefit Cost
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Service cost
$
7.7

 
$
7.9

 
$
1.3

 
$
1.4

Interest cost
22.4

 
22.8

 
5.5

 
6.2

Expected return on assets
(33.2
)
 
(37.3
)
 
(4.3
)
 
(5.6
)
Amortization of prior service cost (credit)
—

 
0.1

 
(1.2
)
 
(1.1
)
Recognized actuarial loss
15.3

 
13.8

 
0.8

 
0.7

Total Net Periodic Benefit Cost
$
12.2

 
$
7.3

 
$
2.1

 
$
1.6

 
Pension Benefits
 
Other Postretirement
Benefits
Nine Months Ended September 30, (in millions)
2016
 
2015
 
2016
 
2015
Components of Net Periodic Benefit Cost
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Service cost
$
23.1

 
$
24.3

 
$
3.7

 
$
4.5

Interest cost
67.2

 
67.0

 
16.5

 
17.8

Expected return on assets
(99.6
)
 
(117.7
)
 
(12.9
)
 
(15.6
)
Amortization of prior service cost (credit)
(0.2
)
 
0.3

 
(3.6
)
 
(3.9
)
Recognized actuarial loss
45.9

 
41.6

 
2.4

 
2.8

Total Net Periodic Benefit Cost
$
36.4

 
$
15.5

 
$
6.1

 
$
5.6