Summary of Significant Accounting Policies and Other Matters (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2011

Notes to Financial Statements [Abstract]

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies and Other Matters

New Accounting Principles

Accounting Principles Not YetAdopted.In December 2011, the FASB issued authoritative guidance that enhances current disclosures about offsetting asset and liabilities. The guidance requires entities to disclose both gross information and net information about both instruments and transactions eligible for offset in the statement of financial position and instruments and transactions subject to an agreement similar to a master netting arrangement. The guidance is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning on or after January 1, 2013. The Company does not expect the guidance to materially impact its consolidated financial statements.

In September 2011, the FASB issued authoritative guidance that revises the testing of goodwill impairment. Under the revised guidance, entities testing goodwill for impairment have the option of performing a qualitative assessment before calculating the fair value of the reporting unit (i.e., step 1 of the goodwill impairment test). If the entity determines, on the basis of qualitative factors, that the fair value of the reporting unit is more likely than not less than the carrying amount, the two-step impairment test would be required. The guidance is effective as of the beginning of a fiscal year that begins after December 15, 2011 and interim and annual periods thereafter, with early adoption permitted. The Company does not expect the guidance to materially impact its consolidated financial statements.

In June 2011, the FASB issued authoritative guidance that changes how a company may present comprehensive income. The guidance allows entities to elect to present items of net income and other comprehensive income in one continuous statement or in two separate, but consecutive, statements and eliminates the current option to report other comprehensive income and its components in the statement of changes in equity. The entity is also required to present on the face of the financial statements reclassification adjustments for items that are reclassified from other comprehensive income to net income in the statement where the components of net income and the components of other comprehensive income are presented. The guidance is effective as of the beginning of a fiscal year that begins after December 15, 2011 and interim and annual periods thereafter, with early adoption permitted. In December 2011, the FASB issued authoritative guidance that defers the presentation requirements for reclassification adjustments to allow the FASB time to redeliberate these requirements.The Company does not expect the guidance to materially impact its consolidated financial statements as the guidance only requires a change in the placement of previously disclosed information.

In May 2011, the FASB issued authoritative guidance on fair value measurements that clarifies some existing concepts, eliminates wording differences between GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), and in some limited cases, changes some principles to achieve convergence between GAAP and IFRS. The guidance provides a consistent definition of fair value and common requirements for measurement of and disclosure about fair value between GAAP and IFRS and also expands the disclosures for fair value measurements that are estimated using significant unobservable (Level 3) inputs. The guidance is effective for periods beginning after December 15, 2011. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this guidance, but does not expect it will materially impact its consolidated financial statements.

Schedule of Valuation and Qualifying Accounts Disclosure [Text Block]

	Years Ended December 31,
	2011		2010		2009
		(In thousands)
Beginning balance	$	3,321	$	1,874	$	6,003
Additions: charged to cost and expenses		8,089		8,681		8,601
Deductions: write-off of uncollectible accounts		(10,663)		(8,230)		(14,505)
Other		1,578		996		1,775
Ending balance	$	2,325	$	3,321	$	1,874

Schedule of Inventory [Table Text Block]

		Transportation &		Gathering &
		Storage		Processing		Distribution		Total
		(In thousands)
December 31, 2011
Current
Natural gas (1)		$	95,916	$	-	$	62,307	$	158,223
Materials and supplies			18,823		12,543		4,756		36,122
NGL (2)			-		9,890		-		9,890
	Total Current		114,739		22,433		67,063		204,235
Non-Current
Natural gas (1)			2,643		-		-		2,643
		$	117,382	$	22,433	$	67,063	$	206,878
December 31, 2010
Current
Natural gas (1)		$	129,727	$	-	$	55,856	$	185,583
Materials and Supplies			17,527		9,973		3,880		31,380
NGL (2)			-		9,912		-		9,912
	Total Current		147,254		19,885		59,736		226,875
Non-Current
Natural gas (1)			5,715		-		-		5,715
		$	152,969	$	19,885	$	59,736	$	232,590

____________________

• Natural gas volumes held for operations in the Transportation and Storage segment at December 31, 2011 and 2010 were 29,718,000MMBtu and 30,598,000 MMBtu, respectively. Natural gas volumes held for operations in the Distribution segment at December 31, 2011 and 2010 were 14,191,000MMBtu and 12,517,000MMBtu, respectively.
• NGL at December 31, 2011 and 2010 were12,061,000gallons and 12,061,000gallons, respectively.