Employee Benefit Plans

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2012

Employee Benefit Plans [Abstract]

Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits Disclosure [Text Block]

(7) Employee Benefit Plans

Net periodic benefit cost for the pension and other postretirement benefit plans included the following components (in millions):

	Three-Month Periods
	Ended March 31,
	2012			2011
Pension:
Service cost	$	2		$	2
Interest cost	15			16
Expected return on plan assets	(19		)	(18		)
Net amortization	9			7
Net amortization of regulatory deferrals	—			(2		)
Net periodic benefit cost	$	7		$	5
Other postretirement:
Service cost	$	2		$	1
Interest cost	7			8
Expected return on plan assets	(8		)	(7		)
Net amortization	1			4
Net periodic benefit cost	$	2		$	6

Employer contributions to the pension and other postretirement benefit plans are expected to be $49 million and $9 million, respectively, during 2012. As of March 31, 2012, $18 million and $2 million of contributions had been made to the pension and other postretirement benefit plans, respectively.