Debt Obligations 2 Narrative (Details) (USD $)	6 Months Ended					6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2012 Revolver 2012 [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 Seventh Amended and Restated Credit Agreement [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 Term Loan Due August 2013 [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 Term Loan Due June 2012 [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 Term Loan Due March 2012 [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 Note payable - ETE [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 Annualized Interest Rate [Member] LIBOR [Member] Revolver 2012 [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 Commitment Fee Rate [Member] LIBOR [Member] Revolver 2012 [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 Successor [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 Successor [Member] Southern Union [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 Successor [Member] Southern Union [Member] 7.20% Junior Subordinated Notes due 2066 [Member]		Dec. 31, 2011 Successor [Member] Southern Union [Member] 7.20% Junior Subordinated Notes due 2066 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt				$ 342,400,000		$ 221,200,000			$ 3,112,536,000	$ 1,340,543,000	$ 600,000,000	[1]	$ 600,000,000	[1]
Debt, face amount	$ 700,000,000	$ 550,000,000	$ 250,000,000	$ 465,000,000	$ 455,000,000
Debt instrument, maturity date	May 20, 2016
Debt instrument, LIBOR, basis spread on variable rate							1.625%	0.25%
Interest rate						3.75%

[1] Effective November 1, 2011, the interest rate on the Junior Subordinated Notes changed to a variable rate based upon the three-month LIBOR rate plus 3.0175%, reset quarterly. See Interest Rate Swaps below for more information regarding the interest rate on these notes.