Segment Information

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2011

Disclosure Segment Information [Abstract]

Segment Information Text Block

4.       Segment Information

We operate in two primary reportable business segments, local gas distribution and gas storage.  We also have other investments and business activities not specifically related to one of these two reporting segments, which we aggregate and report as “other.”  We refer to our local gas distribution business as the “utility,” and our “gas storage” and “other” business segments as “non-utility.” Our gas storage segment includesNWN Gas Storage, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of NWN Energy,Gill Ranch, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of NWN Gas Storage, the non-utility portion of our Mist underground storage facility in Oregon (Mist) and third-party optimization services. Our “other” segment includes NNG Financial and our equity investment in PGH, which is pursuing development ofthe Palomar pipeline project. For further discussion of our segments, see Note 4 in our 2010 Form 10-K.

The following table presents summary financial information about the reportable segments for the three andnine months ended September 30, 2011 and 2010.  Inter-segment transactions were insignificant.

	Three Months Ended September 30,
			Non-Utility
Thousands		Utility		Gas Storage		Other		Total
2011
Net operating revenues	$	41,034	$	6,710	$	39	$	47,783
Depreciation and amortization		15,875		1,574		-		17,449
Income (loss) from operations		(8,029)		2,458		19		(5,552)
Net income (loss)		(9,518)		1,160		46		(8,312)
2010
Net operating revenues	$	41,258	$	4,906	$	47	$	46,211
Depreciation and amortization		15,668		335		-		16,003
Income (loss) from operations		(6,858)		3,474		20		(3,364)
Net income (loss)		(9,123)		1,782		(79)		(7,420)
	Nine Months Ended September 30,
			Non-Utility
Thousands		Utility		Gas Storage		Other		Total
2011
Net operating revenues	$	230,244	$	19,211	$	68	$	249,523
Depreciation and amortization		47,735		4,569		-		52,304
Income from operations		77,762		7,191		10		84,963
Net income (loss)		31,702		3,163		(211)		34,654
Total assets at September 30, 2011		2,291,531		253,478		22,831		2,567,840
2010
Net operating revenues	$	233,670	$	15,523	$	137	$	249,330
Depreciation and amortization		46,925		1,005		-		47,930
Income from operations		85,995		11,910		59		97,964
Net income		36,410		6,405		261		43,076
Total assets at September 30, 2010		2,192,557		266,022		22,798		2,481,377
Total assets at December 31, 2010	$	2,310,388	$	282,945	$	23,283	$	2,616,616