XML 37 R25.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v3.7.0.1
Recent Accounting Pronouncements (Notes)
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2017
Accounting Changes and Error Corrections [Abstract]  
New Accounting Pronouncements, Policy [Policy Text Block]
RECENT ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS:

In March 2017, the FASB issued Update 2017-07 - Compensation - Retirement Benefits (Topic 715): Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost, which improves the presentation of net periodic pension cost and net periodic postretirement benefit cost. The amendments in the Update require that an employer report the service cost component in the same line item as other compensation costs arising from services rendered by the pertinent employees during the period. The other components of net benefit cost are required to be presented separately from the service cost component and outside a subtotal of income from operations, if one is presented. Because CONSOL Energy does not present an income from operations subtotal, that requirement is not applicable. Additionally, the Company's service cost component is deemed immaterial, and therefore, the other components of net benefit cost will not be presented separately. For public entities, the amendments in this Update are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted as of the beginning of a fiscal year for which financial statements have not been issued. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have an impact on CONSOL Energy's financial statements
In August 2016, the FASB issued Update 2016-15 - Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments, which addresses eight specific cash flow issues with the objective of reducing the existing diversity in practice. The amendments relate to debt prepayment or debt extinguishment costs, settlement of zero-coupon debt instruments or other debt instruments with coupon interest rates that are insignificant in relation to the effective interest rate of the borrowing, contingent consideration payments made after a business combination, proceeds from the settlement of insurance claims, proceeds from the settlement of corporate-owned life insurance policies, distributions received from equity method investees, and beneficial interests in securitization transactions. The Update also states that, in the absence of specific guidance for cash receipts and payments that have aspects of more than one class of cash flows, an entity should classify each separately identifiable source or use within the cash receipts and payments on the basis of their nature in financing, investing, or operating activities. In situations in which cash receipts or payments cannot be separated by source or use, the appropriate classification should depend on the activity that is likely to be the predominant source or use of cash flows for the item. The amendments in the Update will be applied using a retrospective transition method to each period presented and, for public entities, are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017 and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in an interim period. The Company is currently evaluating the impact this guidance may have on CONSOL Energy's financial statements.
In May 2014, the FASB issued Update 2014-09 - Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), which supersedes the revenue recognition requirements in Topic 605 - Revenue Recognition and most industry-specific guidance throughout the Industry Topics of the Codification. The objective of the amendments in this Update is to improve financial reporting by creating common revenue recognition guidance for U.S. GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). The core principle of the guidance is that an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services and should disclose sufficient information, both qualitative and quantitative, to enable users of financial statements to understand the nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers. The following updates to Topic 606 were made during 2016:
In March 2016, the FASB issued Update 2016-08 - Principal versus Agent Considerations (Reporting Revenue Gross versus Net), which clarifies how an entity determines whether it is a principal or an agent for goods or services promised to a customer as well as the nature of the goods or services promised to their customers.
In April 2016, the FASB issued Update 2016-10 - Revenue from Contracts with Customers: Identifying Performance Obligations and Licensing, which seeks to address implementation issues in the areas of identifying performance obligations and licensing.
In May 2016, the FASB issued Update 2016-12 - Revenue from Contracts with Customers: Narrow Scope Improvements and Practical Expedients, which seeks to address implementation issues in the areas of collectibility, presentation of sales taxes, noncash consideration, and completed contracts and contract modifications at transition.
In December 2016, the FASB issued Update 2016-20 - Technical Corrections and Improvements to Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, which includes amendments related to loan guarantee fees, contract costs, provisions for losses on construction and production-type contracts, scope, disclosures, contract modification, contract asset versus receivable, refund liability and advertising costs.
The new standards are effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, with the option to adopt as early as annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016. Management continues to evaluate the impacts that these standards will have on CONSOL Energy's financial statements, specifically as it relates to contracts that contain positive electric power price related adjustments. CONSOL Energy anticipates using the modified retrospective approach to adoption as it relates to ASU 2014-09. 
In February 2016, the FASB issued Update 2016-02 - Leases (Topic 842), which increases transparency and comparability among organizations by recognizing lease assets and lease liabilities on the balance sheet and disclosing key information about leasing arrangements. Update 2016-02 does retain a distinction between finance leases and operating leases, which is substantially similar to the classification criteria for distinguishing between capital leases and operating leases in the previous lease guidance. Retaining this distinction allows the recognition, measurement and presentation of expenses and cash flows arising from a lease to not significantly change from previous GAAP. For leases with a term of 12 months or less, a lessee is permitted to make an accounting policy election by class of underlying asset not to recognize lease assets and lease liabilities, but to recognize lease expense on a straight-line basis over the lease term. For both financing and operating leases, the right-to-use asset and lease liability will be initially measured at the present value of the lease payments in the statement of financial position.The accounting applied by a lessor is largely unchanged from that applied under previous GAAP. For public business entities, the amendments in this Update are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early application is permitted. In transition, lessees and lessors are required to recognize and measure leases at the beginning of the earliest period presented using a modified retrospective approach. The Company is currently evaluating the impact this guidance may have on CONSOL Energy's financial statements.