Basis of Presentation

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2011

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Basis of Presentation

BASIS OF PRESENTATION

The unaudited condensed financial statements and notes should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes thereto for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008, included in the 2010 Annual Report of Energen Corporation (the Company) and Alabama Gas Corporation (Alagasco) on Form 10-K. Alagasco has a September 30 fiscal year for rate-setting purposes (rate year) and reports on a calendar year for the Securities and Exchange Commission and all other financial accounting reporting purposes. The accompanying unaudited condensed financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the disclosures required for complete financial statements. The Company's natural gas distribution business is seasonal in character and influenced by weather conditions. Results of operations for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year.

All adjustments to the unaudited financial statements that are, in the opinion of management, necessary for a fair statement of the results for the interim periods have been recorded. Such adjustments consisted of normal recurring items.

During the first quarter of 2010, Alagasco identified an error in calculating the estimate of the allowance for doubtful accounts as of December 31, 2009. This error resulted in a $3 million overstatement to the allowance for doubtful accounts and a corresponding overstatement of net income by approximately $0.6 million (approximately $0.01 per diluted share) after reflecting the regulatory limits on Alagasco’s allowed rate of return for rate year ending September 30, 2010, in the application of Rate Stabilization and Equalization. The Company considered the net impact of this adjustment on the prior quarterly and year-end results, and the results of Alagasco and Energen for the year ended December 31, 2010, and determined that the amount was not material to these periods. The Company corrected this error in the first quarter of 2010.