Restructuring Activities

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Restructuring and Related Activities [Abstract]

During 2012, we completed an organizational restructuring in conjunction with the sale of our legacy natural gas assets in West Virginia, Kentucky and Virginia. We terminated approximately 30 employees and closed our regional office in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. We recorded a charge in connection with the early termination of the lease of that office. In addition, we have a contractual commitment for certain firm transportation capacity in the Appalachian region that expires in 2022 and, as a result of the recently completed sale, we no longer have production to satisfy this commitment. While we intend to sell our unused firm transportation in the future to the extent possible, we recorded a charge of $17.3 million representing the liability for estimated discounted future net cash outflows over the remaining term of the contract. The undiscounted amount payable on an annual basis for the each of the next five years is $2.8 million and a combined amount of $13.0 million will be payable for 2018 through expiration in 2022.

During 2011, we completed an organizational restructuring due primarily to our sale of Arkoma Basin properties and consolidation of certain operations functions in our Houston, Texas location. We terminated approximately 40 employees and closed our regional office in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Accordingly, we recorded a charge and recognized an obligation in connection with the long-term lease of that office. In addition to the accrual of these costs, we adjusted the lease obligation associated with the Tulsa office as a result of a change in estimated sub-lease rental income.

During 2010, we incurred special termination benefit costs in connection with the termination of approximately 30 employees and the transfer of certain corporate and division operations functions from our former Kingsport, Tennessee location. We also incurred a charge for the assignment of the lease of that office and relocation costs and other incremental costs associated with staffing and expanding our other office locations.

The following table summarizes our restructuring-related obligations as of and for the years ended December 31:



	2012			2011			2010
Balance at beginning of period	$	576		$	64		$	529
Employee, office and other costs accrued, net	1,284			2,351			8,200
Firm transportation charge	17,332			—			—
Accretion of obligations	570			—			—
Cash payments, net	(2,499		)	(1,839		)	(8,665		)
Balance at end of period	$	17,263		$	576		$	64

Restructuring charges are included in the General and administrative expenses caption on our Consolidated Statements of Operations. The initial charge for the firm transportation commitment is presented as a separate caption on our Consolidated Statement of Operations and the accretion of the related obligation, net of any recoveries from the periodic sale of our contractual capacity, is charged as an offset to Other revenue. The current portion of these restructuring and exit cost obligations is included in the Accounts payable and accrued expenses caption and the noncurrent portion is included in the Other liabilities caption on our Consolidated Balance Sheets. As of December, 2012, $2.7 million of the total obligations are classified as current while the remaining $14.5 million are classified as noncurrent.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for restructuring and related activities. Description of restructuring activities such as exit and disposal activities, include facts and circumstances leading to the plan, the expected plan completion date, the major types of costs associated with the plan activities, total expected costs, the accrual balance at the end of the period, and the periods over which the remaining accrual will be settled.

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