Significant Accounting Policies (Note)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2013

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Significant Accounting Policies [Text Block]

SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Comprehensive Income

Comprehensive income is the change in common shareholder’s equity during a period from transactions and events from non-owner sources, including net income. As shown in the following tables, amounts recorded to accumulated other comprehensive loss for the three and six months ended June 30, 2013 reflected changes in benefit obligations.

	Changes in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss by Component (a)
	Three Months Ended June 30, 2013
	Benefit Obligations (b)			Total
	(In millions)
Beginning balance, March 31, 2013	$	(22	)	$	(22	)
Other comprehensive income before reclassifications	—			—
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income	1			1
Net current-period other comprehensive income	1			1
Ending balance, June 30, 2013	$	(21	)	$	(21	)

	Changes in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss by Component (a)
	Six Months Ended June 30, 2013
	Benefit Obligations (b)			Total
	(In millions)
Beginning balance, December 31, 2012	$	(22	)	$	(22	)
Other comprehensive income before reclassifications	—			—
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income	1			1
Net current-period other comprehensive income	1			1
Ending balance, June 30, 2013	$	(21	)	$	(21	)

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(a) All amounts are net of tax.

(b) The amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income are included in the computation of the net periodic pension cost (see Retirement Benefits and Trusteed Assets Note 10).

Income Taxes

The Company's effective tax rate from continuing operations for the three months ended June 30, 2013 was 34 percent as compared to 37 percent for the three months ended June 30, 2012. The Company's effective tax rate from continuing operations for the six months ended June 30, 2013 was 35 percent as compared to 37 percent for the six months ended June 30, 2012. The decrease in the effective tax rate in 2013 is due primarily to higher production tax credits.

The Company had $3 million of unrecognized tax benefits at June 30, 2013, that, if recognized, would favorably impact its effective tax rate. The Company does not anticipate any material changes to the unrecognized tax benefits in the next twelve months.

Stock-Based Compensation

The Company received an allocation of costs from DTE Energy associated with stock-based compensation of $19 million and $11 million for the three months ended June 30, 2013 and June 30, 2012, respectively, while such allocation was $33 million and $20 million for the six months ended June 30, 2013 and June 30, 2012, respectively.