Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss

Accumulated other comprehensive loss at the balance sheet dates is comprised of the following:



(In thousands)	Pension and Other Post Retirement Employee Benefit Plan Adjustments
Balance at December 31, 2015	$	(55,548	)
Other comprehensive income before reclassifications²	2,495
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss	1,300
Other comprehensive income, net of tax¹	3,795
Balance at December 31, 2016	$	(51,753	)
Other comprehensive income before reclassifications	6,745
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss	1,025
Other comprehensive income, net of tax¹	7,770
Balance at December 31, 2017	$	(43,983	)

For the year ended December 31, 2017, net periodic costs associated with our pension and other postretirement employee benefit, or OPEB, plans included in other comprehensive loss and reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss, or AOCL, included $9.2 million of net gain on plan assets, $3.3 million of actuarial loss amortization, and $1.5 million of prior service credit amortization, less total tax of $3.1 million. For the year ended December 31, 2016, net periodic costs associated with our pension and OPEB plans included in other comprehensive income and reclassified from AOCL included $0.6 million of net gain on plan assets, $3.9 million of actuarial loss amortization, and $1.7 million of prior service credit amortization, less total tax of $1.2 million. These accumulated other comprehensive loss components are included in the computation of net periodic pension and OPEB costs in Note 13, “Savings, Pension and Other Postretirement Employee Benefit Plans.”


²	Included in "Other comprehensive income before reclassifications" above for the twelve months ended December 31, 2016 is settlement expense of $3.5 million associated with the remeasurement of our salaried pension plan, which is discussed further in Note 13, “Savings, Pension and Other Postretirement Employee Benefit Plans.” The settlement expense is net of tax totaling $1.4 million.