DERIVATIVES INSTRUMENTS AND HEDGING ACTIVITIES DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS AND HEDGING ACTIVITIES - Policies (Policies)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2013

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]

Derivatives, Policy [Policy Text Block]

These natural gas price swaps are accounted for as cash flow hedges, with the effective portion of changes in their fair value recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income and reclassified into operating revenues in the same periods during which the forecasted natural gas sales impact earnings.

  These interest rate swaps were accounted for as cash flow hedges, with the effective portion of changes in their fair value recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income and reclassified intointerest expense in the same periods during which the related interest payments on long-term debt impacted earnings.

The Company is exposed to certain risks in its ongoing business operations.  The primary risks managed by using derivative instruments are interest rate risk and commodity price risk.  Interest rate swaps are the principal derivative instruments used by the Company to manage interest rate risk associated with its long-term borrowings, although other interest rate derivative contracts may also be used from time to time.  Natural gas and NGL price swaps and NGL processing spread swaps are the principal derivative instruments used by the Company to manage commodity price risk associated with purchases and/or sales of natural gas and/or NGL, although other commodity derivative contracts may also be used from time to time.  The Company recognizes all derivative instruments as assets or liabilities at fair value in the consolidated balance sheets.

These natural gas price swaps are accounted for as economic hedges, with changes in their fair value recorded to deferred natural gas purchases.