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Basis of Presentation of Interim Financial Statements (Policies)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2015

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Questar Corporation is a Rockies-based integrated natural gas company with three principal complementary and wholly-owned lines of business:


•	Questar Gas Company (Questar Gas) provides retail natural gas distribution in Utah, Wyoming and Idaho.


•	Wexpro Company (Wexpro) develops and produces natural gas from cost-of-service reserves for Questar Gas customers.


•	Questar Pipeline Company (Questar Pipeline) operates interstate natural gas pipelines and storage facilities in the western United States and provides other energy services.

Questar is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah. Shares of Questar common stock trade on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE:STR).

Investment in Unconsolidated Affiliate

Questar and Questar Pipeline use the equity method to account for an investment in an unconsolidated affiliate where they do not have control, but have significant influence. The investment in the unconsolidated affiliate on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets equals Questar Pipeline's proportionate share of equity reported by the unconsolidated affiliate. The investment is assessed for possible impairment when events indicate that the fair value of the investment may be below the Questar Pipeline's carrying value. When such a condition is deemed to be other-than-temporary, the carrying value of the investment is written down to its fair value, and the amount of the write-down is included in the determination of net income. White River Hub, LLC, a limited liability company and FERC-regulated transporter of natural gas, is the sole unconsolidated affiliate. Questar Pipeline owns 50% of White River Hub, LLC, and is the operator.

Earnings Per Share

Basic earnings per share (EPS) is computed by dividing net income by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the reporting period, which includes vested undistributed restricted stock units (RSUs). Diluted EPS includes the potential increase in the number of outstanding shares that could result from the exercise of in-the-money stock options, the vesting of RSUs with forfeitable dividend equivalents and the distribution of performance shares that are part of the Company's Long-Term Stock Incentive Plan (LTSIP), less shares repurchased under the treasury stock method. Restricted shares and RSUs with nonforfeitable dividends or dividend equivalents are participating securities for the computation of basic EPS under the two-class method. The application of the two-class method has an insignificant impact on the calculation of Questar's basic and diluted EPS.

Comprehensive Income - Questar

Comprehensive income, as reported in Questar's Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income, is the sum of net income as reported in the Questar Consolidated Statements of Income and net other comprehensive income (loss) (OCI). OCI includes recognition of the under-funded position of pension and other postretirement benefit plans, interest rate cash flow hedges, changes in the fair value of long-term investment, and the related income taxes. Income or loss is recognized when the pension and other postretirement benefit (OPB) costs are accrued, as the Company records interest expense for hedged interest payments and when the long-term investment is sold.

Comprehensive Income - Questar Pipeline

Comprehensive income, as reported in Questar Pipeline's Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income, is the sum of net income as reported in the Questar Pipeline Consolidated Statements of Income and net OCI. OCI includes interest rate cash flow hedges and the related income taxes. Income or loss is recognized as the company records interest expense for hedged interest payments.

Asset Retirement Obligations

Questar records an asset retirement obligation (ARO) along with an increase to the carrying value of the related property, plant and equipment when there is a legal obligation associated with the retirement of a tangible long-lived asset. Questar's AROs apply primarily to abandonment costs associated with gas and oil wells, production facilities and certain other properties. The Company has not recorded AROs on a majority of its long-lived transportation and distribution assets because the Company does not have a legal obligation to restore the area surrounding abandoned assets. The fair value of retirement costs is estimated by Company personnel based on abandonment costs of similar properties available to field operations and depreciated over the life of the related assets. Revisions to estimates result from material changes in the expected timing or amount of cash flows associated with AROs. Income or expense resulting from the settlement of ARO liabilities is included in net gain (loss) from asset sales on the Consolidated Statements of Income. The ARO liability is adjusted to present value each period through an accretion calculation using a credit-adjusted risk-free interest rate.

Business Segments

Line-of-business information is presented according to senior management's basis for evaluating performance and considering differences in the nature of products, services and regulation, among other factors.

Contingencies

A liability is recorded for a loss contingency when its occurrence is probable and its amount can be reasonably estimated. If some amount within a range of possible outcomes appears to be a better estimate than any other amount within the range, that amount is recorded. Otherwise, the minimum amount in the range is recorded. Disclosures are provided for contingencies reasonably likely to occur, which would have a material adverse effect on Questar's, Questar Gas's or Questar Pipeline's financial position, results of operations or cash flows. Some of the claims involve highly complex issues relating to liability, damages and other matters subject to substantial uncertainties and, therefore, the probability of liability or an estimate of loss cannot be reasonably determined.

- Definition

This element may include the following: 1) the amount of income tax expense or benefit allocated to each component of other comprehensive income, including reclassification adjustments, 2) the reclassification adjustments for each classification of other comprehensive income and 3) the ending accumulated balances for each component of comprehensive income. Components of comprehensive income include: (1) foreign currency translation adjustments; (2) gains and losses on foreign currency transactions that are designated as, and are effective as, economic hedges of a net investment in a foreign entity; (3) gains and losses on intercompany foreign currency transactions that are of a long-term-investment nature, when the entities to the transaction are consolidated, combined, or accounted for by the equity method in the reporting enterprise's financial statements; (4) change in the market value of a futures contract that qualifies as a hedge of an asset reported at fair value; (5) unrealized holding gains and losses on available-for-sale securities and that resulting from transfers of debt securities from the held-to-maturity category to the available-for-sale category; (6) a net loss recognized as an additional pension liability not yet recognized as net periodic pension cost; and (7) the net gain or loss and net prior service cost or credit for pension plans and other postretirement benefit plans.

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- Definition

Disclosure of accounting policy for computing basic and diluted earnings or loss per share for each class of common stock and participating security. Addresses all significant policy factors, including any antidilutive items that have been excluded from the computation and takes into account stock dividends, splits and reverse splits that occur after the balance sheet date of the latest reporting period but before the issuance of the financial statements.

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- Definition

Disclosure of accounting policy for the equity method of accounting for investments in common stock or other interests including unconsolidated subsidiaries, corporate joint ventures, noncontrolling interests in real estate ventures, limited partnerships, and limited liability companies. The accounting policy may include information such as: (1) initially recording an investment in the stock of an investee at cost; (2) adjusting the carrying amount of the investment to recognize the investor's share of the earnings or losses of the investee after the date of acquisition; and (3) adjustments to reflect the investor's share of changes in the investee's capital (dividends). This disclosure may also include a detailed description of the policy for determining the amount of equity method losses recognized after an investment has been reduced to zero as a result of previous losses, reasons for not using the equity method when the investor company owns 20 percent or more of the voting stock of the investee's company (including identification of the significant investee), reasons for using the equity method when the ownership percentage is less than 20 percent, and discussion of recognition of equity method losses when an investor's total investment in an investee includes, in addition to an investment in common stock, other investments such as preferred stock and loans to the investee. An entity also may describe how such investments are assessed for impairment.

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