Debt Obligations - Narrative (Details) (USD $)			12 Months Ended				12 Months Ended																12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012 Fair Value of Debt [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Fair Value of Debt [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Revolver 2012 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Seventh Amended and Restated Credit Agreement [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Term Loan Due August 2013 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Term Loan Due June 2012 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Term Loan Due March 2012 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Note payable - ETE [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Senior Notes due 2013 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Annualized Interest Rate [Member] LIBOR [Member] Revolver 2012 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Commitment Fee Rate [Member] LIBOR [Member] Revolver 2012 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Term Loan due 2015 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Revolver 2012 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Southern Union [Member] 7.20% Junior Subordinated Notes due 2066 [Member] LIBOR [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Successor [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Successor [Member] Southern Union [Member]	Dec. 31, 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]		Dec. 31, 2012 Successor [Member] Panhandle [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Successor [Member] Panhandle [Member] Term Loan due 2015 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Southern Union Credit Facility [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Southern Union Credit Facility [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt	$ 3,280,000,000	$ 3,700,000,000				$ 342,000,000		$ 221,000,000								$ 1,316,000,000	$ 600,000,000	[1]	$ 600,000,000	[1]	$ 1,757,000,000	$ 455,000,000
Long-term Debt, Current Maturities															259,000,000
Debt, face amount			700,000,000	550,000,000	250,000,000	465,000,000	455,000,000
Debt, Weighted Average Interest Rate												1.84%	1.84%
Maximum Funded Debt to EBITDA ratio							5.00																5.00	5.25
Minimum Consolidated EBITA To Consolidated Interest Expense																								2.00
Debt instrument, maturity date			May 20, 2016					Mar. 25, 2013	Aug. 15, 2013
Debt instrument, LIBOR, basis spread on variable rate										1.625%	0.25%			3.0175%
Debt Instruments Fair Value	3,390,000,000	3,960,000,000
Interest rate								3.75%
Repayments of Related Party Debt								55,000,000
Proceeds from Contributions from Affiliates								$ 166,000,000

[1] (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.