Employee Benefits

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2011

Employee Benefits [Abstract]

Employee Benefits

Note 13 – Employee Benefits

In association with the Spin-off, the Company established defined-benefit pension and postretirement medical plans providing coverage to approximately one-quarter of its employees. QEP only retained liability for active employees and all retired employees remained participants in Questar's retirement plans. At the Spin-off, Questar transferred certain assets and liabilities from its defined-benefit pension and postretirement medical plans related to QEP employees into QEP's newly established plans. The transfer resulted in the establishment of liabilities of $54.9 million related to the unfunded portions of the defined-benefit pension plans and other postretirement benefits with corresponding amounts in AOCI. These changes have been reflected in other long-term liabilities, deferred income taxes and AOCI.

During the nine months ended September 30, 2011, the Company made contributions of $13.5 million to its retirement plans which increased plan assets. During the remainder of 2011, the Company expects to contribute $1.3 million to its retirement plan. The components of pension and post retirement benefits expense are as follows. The pension expense includes costs of both qualified and nonqualified pension plans:

	Three Months Ended September 30, 2011					Nine Months Ended September 30, 2011
	Pension			Postretirement benefits		Pension			Postretirement benefits
	(in millions)
Service cost	$	0.7		$	0.1	$	2.1		$	0.1
Interest cost		1.2			-		3.4			0.2
Expected return on plan assets		(0.7	)		-		(1.9	)		-
Amortization of prior service costs		1.4			0.1		4.0			0.3
Recognized net actuarial loss		-			-		-			-
Periodic expense	$	2.6		$	0.2	$	7.6		$	0.6